If you’ve got a collection of itty-bitty screwdrivers and a DIY sensibility, you might be able to tackle some repairs for your iPhone 17 Pro if it ever comes to that. The self-repair website iFixit gives the newest Pro a 7 out of 10 on the repairability scale, thanks to some innovations in how Apple constructed the phone.
But iFixit doesn’t have a solution for repairing the scratches and scuffs that some Pro consumers have reported since the phone hit US stores last week, aka “Scratchgate.” Apple told CNET that the culprits appear to be worn-out MagSafe risers, used to display the iPhones in stores, that transfer material to some iPhone models’ backs. Cleaning removes the material, Apple told CNET.
CNET has tested some iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro units for two weeks, and we haven’t noticed any scratches, chips or scuffs.
Features that help with repair
Let’s circle back to other things that can be fixed on the iPhone 17 Pro. Unlike the iPhone Air, you won’t be able to manage most of the repairs for the Pro by going through the phone’s back panel unless you want to fuss with the wireless charging assembly.
Several features help out with repairability.
A screwed-in battery: This marks the first time the iPhone’s battery has been mounted on a tray with screws — 14 of them. There is still the electrically debonding adhesive that glues the battery to the tray, but you can dissolve it with a 12-volt jolt.
Cameras easily swapped: The three rear 48-megapixel Fusion sensors are modular and thus easily replaced. Together with the A19 Pro chip, these cameras are a major step up in iPhone photography.
Vapor chamber: This modular copper pouch boils, evaporates and condenses water to draw heat away from the processor and into the iPhone’s frame. It’s easily swapped out.
Screwing around
The charging ports and speakers are not easy to repair. The iPhone 17 Pro has five different types of screws, not including the Pentalobes at the bottom and the Torx Plus around the battery and rear cameras. There are also dozens of screws to remove when replacing the USB-C port.
The folks at iFixit “don’t love having to change screwdrivers over and over again during the course of a repair,” but they do greatly prefer screws over glue.
Apple should simplify the repair process, says Suhaib El-Komy of the YouTube channel Phone Repair Guru. His suggestions are to reduce the number of screw types, allow access to key parts from the back panel and enable replacement of the charging port without removing delicate components.
“The device is already repairable, and it seems like they are taking a small step backward,” El-Komy told CNET. “I’m not sure if this is to appease the EU’s Repairability rating, but ultimately, if a repair takes more time, repair shops will charge more, and that cost will be passed along to the consumer.”
‘A mixed bag’
Despite the easy repairability of the batteries and cameras, other aspects of fixing an iPhone Pro are troublesome.
“The loss of the dual-entry design means more repairs require removing the display, and the USB-C port procedure is a little annoying,” said iFixit’s director of sustainability, Elizabeth Chamberlain. “This phone is not perfect, but Apple, all in all, is making some big steps in the repairability direction.”
