Disassembling the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max: What are the special specifications that only the 16 Pro has?

iFixit, which disassembles various devices to independently evaluate their repairability, has disassembled Apple's

https://www.ifixit.com/News/100693/more-modular-than-ever-before-iphone-16-pro-and-pro-max-teardown

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A major feature of the iPhone 16 series is that only the iPhone 16 Pro battery is covered with aluminum. This structure is called a 'battery enclosure' and has already been used in the Apple Watch. However, this is the first time that a battery enclosure has been used in an iPhone.

While it has been pointed out that an aluminum battery enclosure could help with heat dissipation, iFixit points out that it would also be a big advantage in terms of repair. Regarding the advantages of the battery enclosure, iFixit wrote, 'The battery won't be punctured if the screwdriver slips during repair work, and there's no need to worry about bending the battery when the adhesive tape breaks and you use a tool to pry it open, which could cause a short circuit and a fire.'

Below is a photo of the inside of the iPhone 16 Pro Max on the left and the iPhone 16 Pro on the right. The iPhone 16 Pro Max battery is a regular black battery, while the iPhone 16 Pro battery is covered in silver metal. This is the battery enclosure.

In addition, Apple has adopted electric induction adhesive peeling technology in the iPhone 16 series, which makes it easier than ever to separate the adhesive that secures the case and the back panel. Regarding this electric induction adhesive peeling technology, iFixit wrote, 'It is a significant improvement over adhesives that do not peel easily. However, even under the best circumstances, it is still a bit difficult to pull the strip cleanly, and the strip tends to become brittle over time,' and evaluated it as not being a perfect adhesive.

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However, according to iFixit, the iPhone 16 Pro Max does not use electrically-induced adhesive peeling technology or a battery enclosure.

The iPhone allows access to the internal structure from both the front and back panels. However, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are designed to allow access to key components such as the battery, camera, and speaker from the cheaper and less fragile back panel. iFixit says this will be a big advantage for users who are trying to repair their iPhones with their own hands. The previous iPhone 15 model also allowed you to remove both the front and back, but even if you removed the back panel, the frame got in the way and you couldn't remove the main components.

The main camera specifications of the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are exactly the same. Therefore, iFixit thought that the camera module was the same, but in fact it seems that the size is slightly different by one screw, so it does not seem that the camera module is shared.

On the other hand, it seems that the LiDAR module is the same for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Also, the LiDAR module is completely unrepairable in the iPhone 15 series, and replacing it with a new one would cause the camera app to crash.

iFixit also praised the iPhone 16 series for being more repairable, with many components being repairable and replaceable without removing the front panel. However, they pointed out that the use of different sized and standard screws to secure the internal components reduces repairability.

In iFixit's proprietary repairability score, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max received a score of 7 out of 10 (the higher the score, the easier it is to repair).