Maintaining smartphones is no longer limited to replacing a cracked screen or worn-out battery, as repairs are now linked to the device’s internal design and how its parts are assembled. Reaching a single component may require layers secured with adhesives to be dismantled, integrated parts to be handled and software procedures to be carried out after the new part is installed, making some repairs more specialised and costly.
Slimness and water resistance complicate phone disassembly
The trend towards thinner phones that resist water and dust is among the main factors that have made maintenance more complex. To achieve these properties, manufacturers use adhesives to secure the screen, back cover, battery and other internal parts, rather than relying solely on screws and mechanical clips, which are easier to remove and reassemble.
US-based iFixit, which specialises in assessing device repairability, says excessive use of adhesives increases the time needed to dismantle and reassemble a phone. It may also require additional tools and new consumable materials to secure parts again after maintenance is completed.
The company’s assessments consider factors including ease of disassembly and reassembly and the availability of repair manuals and spare parts. The use of adhesives does not automatically make a phone unrepairable, as some designs use techniques that make it easier to release specific parts.
iFixit says some modern iPhones contain an adhesive that can be released electrically, making battery replacement easier, although other components in the same devices continue to be secured with conventional adhesive. The battery is among the phone parts most likely to need replacing over time, but securing it firmly inside the frame can turn replacement into a complex process.
Non-removable batteries increase repair costs
The European Commission says the phone industry’s shift over the past decade from batteries that users could remove to non-removable batteries has made some repairs more difficult and increased their cost. Comparisons between device designs reveal clear differences in this respect.
According to iFixit’s assessments, the Fairphone 6 uses a modular design that allows the battery and screen to be replaced without adhesives. In other devices, several adhesive-secured components must first be removed before the battery or the internal part requiring repair can be reached.
Integrated components make charging-port replacement more difficult
Maintenance difficulties are not limited to how the battery is secured. Combining several components into one unit or soldering them to the mainboard makes it harder to replace a small part. On some phones, a technician may have to remove the screen or back cover to reach the charging port or another internal component, increasing the number of repair steps and the risk of damaging additional parts during disassembly. Charging ports are also installed differently from one phone to another.
Some devices use a standard port that can be disconnected and replaced as an independent unit, while in others the port is soldered to the mainboard. In the latter case, maintenance is more difficult because it requires working on the board itself rather than removing a separate part and installing a replacement.
Software tools become part of phone repair procedures
Software has also become central to phone repairs, meaning maintenance is no longer solely a mechanical process. Apple says some repairs require software tools to be run after the new part is installed, including “Repair Assistant” or “System Configuration”, depending on the device and the nature of the repair. The company also provides genuine parts, professional tools and technical manuals for self-repair for some of its products.
Google provides maintenance manuals for Pixel phones, along with genuine spare parts through iFixit and diagnostic tools that can be run before and after a repair. However, it recommends that self-repair be limited to users with the necessary technical expertise.
Samsung also offers a self-repair programme for some of its devices, including genuine spare parts and maintenance manuals for phones in the Galaxy series. The more disassembly steps required, and the greater the need for specialised tools or for linking the new part to a software procedure, the more maintenance depends on qualified technicians. The cost may rise depending on the type of fault and the availability of the required part and service.
By contrast, modular design allows only the damaged part to be replaced rather than an entire group of components. The European Commission considers the availability of spare parts and repair information essential to extending products’ operational lifespans.
Since June 2025, the European Union has applied new requirements to phones and tablets sold within the bloc, covering repairability and requiring key spare parts to be available for years after sales of the relevant model end. The European rules require a number of essential parts to remain available for long periods, with some required to be accessible to users themselves, not only to specialised repair providers.
Companies must also provide repair-related information and display a repairability rating on the energy label. According to the Commission, these measures aim to extend device lifespans and reduce the need to replace them prematurely.
Differences between phones show that repairability is not tied to a single brand but is determined by the design of each model. Some devices rely on screws and modular parts, with spare parts and technical manuals available, while others use more adhesives and require longer disassembly and specialised tools or software.
A phone’s external appearance or slimness alone does not reveal how easy it is to maintain. The process depends on how the screen and battery are secured, how separately the components can be accessed, whether spare parts are available and which tools are needed to complete the repair through software after installation.
Repairability has therefore become a factor influencing device design and the extension of device lifespans, rather than an issue confined to repair shops.
