Major smartphone manufacturers have made a concerted effort to make it easier to get their phones fixed, but it looks like Google’s new Pixel 7 Pro could fly against the trend.
Youtube PBKreviews managed to get its hands on the Pixel 7 Pro (Opens in a new tab) Ahead of its October 13 release date and with a set of phone repair tools, it rips the device down to its individual parts. It’s well known to do this with other smartphones as a way to check their repairability. His process involves prying open the screen with a pick and, at one point, using isopropyl alcohol to scrape off the glue holding the battery in place. Admittedly, it’s great to see the inner workings of the phone on full screen.
After getting the Pixel 7 Pro, PBK reviews gave it a score of 5.5 out of 10 in terms of repairability. This score is in line with his other videos of him crashing Pixel Pro phones, the Pixel 6 Pro, which got the same number.
hard to fix
It specifically points to the various parts of the Pixel 7 Pro as the most difficult to repair. The video doesn’t list every problem part but does mention the charging port and back screen. According to the video, the charging port is soldered directly to the main board which makes it difficult to replace if damaged. PBK reviews go on to say that it can’t take off the rear screen, so it’s believed to be stuck to the Pixel 7 Pro’s frame.
As for the rest of the parts, PBKreviews reports that it’s easier to replace if it’s a little tricky. Removing the battery was difficult because the strength of the adhesive made it nearly impossible to remove, even with pulling tongues. Additionally, he seems to have found the internal organization of the parts quite complex with PBK reviews giving this aspect of the phone an average score.
History repeats
If there are two things to take away from this ripping, they are that a) the Pixel 7 Pro can be hard to fix, at least for hobbyists and B) not much has changed from the 6 Pro. By perusing the PBKreviews catalog, you will find a file Pixel 6 Pro (Opens in a new tab) It’s built very similarly from a hard-to-remove battery and a strong adhesive that keeps everything together. The only difference is that PBKreviews was able to remove the back glass on the 6 Pro.
It’s worth noting that disassembling the Pixel 6a revealed a device that was easy to fix, as it’s not as physically secure as the 6 Pro. If history repeats itself, a possible Pixel 7a might be easy to fix if Google decides to build a mid-range version.
While you’re with us, be sure to check out TechRadar’s coverage of Google’s collaboration with iFixit to provide repair kits for Pixel phones. There’s no support for the Pixel 7 (it hasn’t been released yet at the time of writing), but it can, and we recommend learning how the software works, in case you do need it in the end.
