iFixit's teardown report reveals that the iPhone Air is the thinnest iPhone ever, yet cleverly positioned components make battery replacement easy

iFixit, which publishes repair manuals and teardown reports for various electronic devices, has published a teardown report for the iPhone Air, which claims to be the 'thinnest iPhone ever.' While some thin devices require acrobatic maneuvers to squeeze components into tight spaces, iFixit says the iPhone Air uses a metal casing and electrically peelable adhesive strips, making battery replacement surprisingly easy.

Apple's Thinnest iPhone Still Stands Up to Repairs - iFixit

Its biggest feature is its apparent thinness, with the thinnest part measuring just 5.64mm.

Typically, when parts are placed inside a device, there are layers of overlapping parts. The more overlapping there is, the more difficult it is to disassemble and repair, since you have to move the layers on top to access the layers underneath. However, the iPhone Air has reduced the overlapping of parts by making space for the battery.

The battery capacity is 12.26Wh, which is close to the 11.97Wh capacity of the iPhone 13 Pro, so iFixit wonders, 'How can it last so long despite having such a small capacity for a recent iPhone?' However, they do appreciate the fact that the battery is easily replaceable.

The USB-C port, which is a common cause of smartphone failure, is modularized with surrounding components, making it easier to replace. However, iFixit points out that this is not for serviceability, as Apple does not sell replacement USB-C ports or perform USB-C port repairs in-house.

Because the iPhone Air uses titanium as its backbone, the body will not bend under normal use unless the screen and all internal components are removed, as shown below.

Based on these results, iFixit gave the iPhone Air a disassembly score of 7. The score is out of 10, with higher numbers indicating easier repair.

The 256GB model of the iPhone Air is available for 159,800 yen (tax included) from Amazon.co.jp.