iFixit doesn't get around to tearing down as many smartphones as some would like, but when they do feature a teardown we are always eager to check it out. With the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL arriving at publications and pre-order customer's doorsteps this week, many are curious as to how it stacks up against other devices. As far as repairability is concerned, iFixit rates it 6 out of 10 with negative points due to the stubborn midframe and tight-fitting display cable covers.
Not only do teardowns give you an idea as to how easy or difficult something is to repair in case of an accident, but it's also a great way to identify some of the components used. For instance, this specific teardown shows us that the vibration motor of the Pixel 2 XL is a linear oscillator again, and that the battery holds 13.6 Wh (3,520 mAh at 3.85 V) which is slightly more than last year's 13.28 Wh. But while this type of information is only important to some people, most want to know what the teardown process itself entails.
The Pixel 2 XL is manufactured by LG and they have a history of having very modular smartphones with a high repairability score from iFixit. However, this has started to decrease with the company's new glass sandwich approach and it looks like we're seeing similar negatives with the Pixel 2 XL as well (with its different two-tone build). The teardown does show that a lot of the components are very modular and LG used common Phillips #00 screws making it easy to replace parts after you get the display assembly out of the way.
That seems to be the difficult part to with iFixit showing the display is thin and poorly supported (especially around the grilles), but LG used foam adhesive so that makes things easier than it could have been. They weren't happy with the battery's loss of pull-tab adhesive as that made things difficult to remove. The team also felt that the midframe was stubborn too, with tight-fitting display cable covers making it more labor-intensive than others have been. If you want to read all of the details and check out the complete set of images showing every step and component, pay iFixit a visit by following the link below!
