Summary of iPhone 12 Anti Repair Design - Teardown and Repair Assessment

00:00:00 - 00:15:00

This YouTube video deconstructs and repairs an iPhone 12. The process involves removing the screws and the display panel, as well as the battery, logic board, and SIM card mechanism. The camera assembly and broken cameras are swapped out with working ones. The video notes that the iPhone 12 is more locked down than ever before and that Apple might stop servicing the device in a few years.

• 00:00:00 This YouTube video shows how to open up an iPhone 12 and assess its repairability. The iphone includes two screws to access the logic board, but the display panel is attached with strong adhesive. The two iphones are similar, but the blue phone includes an original oled display panel, while the red phone includes a replacement oled display panel. The video demonstrates how to remove the screws and the display panel. The battery is smaller than on most other phones, and the video demonstrates how to change the logic board between the two iphones.
• 00:05:00 In this video, the iPhone 12 is deconstructed and repaired. First, all the flex cables connecting to the logic board are disconnected. Then, the four screws holding the logic board in place are removed. The two flex cables underneath the sticker are then disconnected. The logic board is then removed. After the logic board is removed, the SIM card mechanism and the camera assembly are removed. The two broken cameras are swapped out with working cameras. The portait mode only works with the front camera with the back camera only flashing. The camera app locks up when trying to use the .5x zoom. However, still images and panoramas still work when using the small viewfinder. The phone still saysFace ID cannot be activated and the display and battery are not genuine.
• 00:10:00 The author of the video Teardown and Repair Assessment of an iPhone 12 notes that they have discovered an issue with the camera, which is the same issue as found with other brand new iPhone 12s. They swap the camera boards between the two phones and the issue disappears. They believe that this is not a software bug, but a hardware issue caused by the fact that the cameras are paired with the original boards rather than the new ones.
• 00:15:00 The iPhone 12 is more locked down than ever before, and if you want to keep full functionality of the device you basically have no choice but to take it to Apple for repair. Despite having to pay whatever Apple is charging for repair, if they even offer it for the issue the device might have, what happens when they stop servicing the device in a few years is unknown. Recycling shouldn't be the first or only option for repairing and reusing devices, repair and reuse is most important.