In front of me I have the iPhone XR – Apple's more colorful iPhone option. Today we'll be
taking apart the Fluorescent Peach color, and see what battery and screen replacements
look like. The XR has the same basic guts as the iPhone XS we took apart a couple weeks
ago, but it's still good to see the insides of each model. Let's get started.
[Intro]
Like with every other iPhone for the past 8 years, we encounter 2 proprietary pentalobe
screws holding the screen and the aluminum frame together. Once those are out and set
to the side in an organized fashion, it's time to warm up the screen to soften the ip67
waterproofing around the edges. I'll use a large suction cup to lift up on the screen
while sliding my metal pry tool between the metal edge of the phone and the plastic buffer
of the screen. The adhesive runs along both sides of the display. The important thing
to remember while slicing is that there are fragile ribbon cables very close to the top
and right sides of the phone.
I'll pull down gently on the glass and the top of the screen unlatches from the phone
frame. And the whole thing folds open, revealing the same basic design we've been seeing in
all the iPhone for the past few years with minor variations in screw placement and complexity.
I'll remove the metal plate over the LCD screen connectors with it's 2 y triple zero screws.
Then I'll take off the plate over the battery connector with it's 3 screws. I'll unplug
the battery – it just unclips like a little Lego. And then unplug each of the 2 ribbons
running to the LCD. There's one more metal plate over the earpiece connector. This has
5 screws: 3 y triple zero, and 2 Philips head. If you're keeping track, that's 3 different
screwdrivers we've needed so far just to remove the screen. Thanks Apple.
I'll dig deeper into the screen itself in a second, but the good news is that the XR
LCD will be much cheaper to replace than the OLED screens of the X and XS by hundreds of
dollars.
Now for the battery. The replacement seems easy enough still. Apple's always been pretty
good about putting in solid pull tabs under the battery. These things are like magic.
As they stretch out, they literally lose all the grip on the battery –
defying science and gravity at the same time. There are 2 more pull tabs up at the top.
These ones are a bit harder to grip, but still have the same satisfying results. If
one does happen to break, it's almost easier to grab the remains and start pulling again,
because prying the battery out manually is a bit on the dangerous side since punctures
are fatal to batteries. We try to avoid that.
Finally the battery is released from inside the phone. This is a 2900 milliamp little
guy. I'll try linking replacements in the video description as they become available.
Up top we have the front facing camera, face scanner and dot projector over there on the
far right. Let's take a quick look at the rear camera while we're here. Two more screws,
one of which is a stand off. This brings us to 4 different types of screws in one single
phone, and we've barely started taking it apart. Apple does not want people messing
around in here.
With the metal plate off to the side, we can unplug and pull out the camera unit – a
12 megapixel sensor with optical image stabilization. This thing is a unit. The large surface area
of the sensor is probably what helps the iPhones maintain such good image quality. I'll put
the camera back into place and plug it in and get that metal bracket situated over top.
Now let's take a look at the LCD display. Yeah, it's resolution is quite a bit behind
the times, but one massive perk of having an LCD display over an OLED is the replacement
pricing. Apple will probably charge you an arm and a leg either way, but you can get
a third part replacement for last year's iPhone 8 for $30 right now because it's an LCD. Last
year's iPhone X OLED replacement is $200. Quite a big price difference. LCDs like the
one here on the XR are way cheaper when it comes to replacing. The back glass though
still costs $399 to replace, and can only be done through Apple.
There were 4 screws holding down the earpiece and front sensors – three were Phillips
head and one was a y triple zero. Apple's keeping us on our toes. These front earpiece
contraptions are pretty simple. I'll link as many parts as I can in the description,
along with the tools I've been using.
Now that the screen is assembled, we can start putting the whole thing back together to make
sure it still turns on after all of our tinkering. New battery replacements will come with their
own adhesive, but I'll just use a little bit of double sided tape for right now. The battery
is set in place, but before I plug it in, I'll get everything else connected, starting
with the upper earpiece ribbon and working my way down to the 2 LCD ribbons. And lastly,
plugging in the battery. I'm always taking very special care not to put any stress on
the ribbon cables. They are about as fragile as a piece of paper, and can tear pretty easily.
There are 3 more brackets going in over the battery, the screen ribbons, and the last
one goes up top with it's 5 screws. Seriously though, colored phones are a fantastic idea.
The bright colors are a nice change of pace from the normal boring, dull looking colors
we see everywhere else.
The top edge of the screen tucks back into the frame first, and then gently sets down
along both sides, finishing off with the final 2 pentalobe screws at the bottom. And there
we have it. Yeah, it's overpriced now at the launch, but down the road, replacement parts
for the XR will be much cheaper than the XS, which is nice. For some reason Apple still
isn't selling any cases for the XR right now, so be gentle if you own one of these. The
back panel still costs $400 to fix.
Let me know if you have any questions in the comments, and come hang out with me on Twitter
and Instagram. Thanks a ton for watching. I'll see you around.