Credit: Eric Zeman / Android Authority
- As per a teardown by iFixit, the OnePlus 9 Pro is not the easiest phone to repair.
- The device scored a 4 out of 10 on iFixit‘s repairability scale.
- Its glued-on rear panel, extensive disassembly, and hard-to-remove display are to blame.
The OnePlus 9 Pro has received iFixit‘s famous teardown treatment, and things are not looking great as far as its repairability is concerned.
The phone’s opening procedure resembles that of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, with the rear panel glued on tight using a fair amount of adhesive. The repair expert also had to wade through a bunch of cables before they could disconnect the battery connector. So forget about switching out the battery of the phone on your own. Not that you were going to do that anyway.
That said, the phone does have handy pull tabs on its two batteries, making them easier to remove and giving the phone an edge over the Galaxy S21 Ultra that uses a ton of glue at the back of the battery pack.
Only once the batteries are freed can the OnePlus 9 Pro’s quad-camera system be removed.
Overall, the repairability of the OnePlus 9 Pro remains unchanged in comparison to the OnePlus 8 Pro.
“Its easily removable battery and relatively modular construction are always great to see, but its glued-on rear panel is a barrier to entry and repair making matters worse. Its display requires a lot of disassembly to access and will be a pain to remove if it breaks, thanks to tenacious adhesive and curved edges,” the iFixit notes in its conclusion.
The phone gets a score of 4 out of 10 (10 being the easiest to repair) on the publication’s repairability scale. In comparison, the Galaxy S21 Ultra got one point lesser for its tougher teardown, while the Galaxy S21 also got a 4 on 10.
