Not Motorola, Not Samsung: This Smartphone Brand Was Rated Least Repairable

A new smartphone is expected to work for several years, but technology has a way of letting us down and even brand new devices can break within a short timeframe. It isn't something you expect to happen, but if it does, it is a hassle to deal with. The degree of that hassle, though, strongly depends on the brand of smartphone you own.

According to the Failing the Fix report by Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), Apple smartphones are rated as the least repairable phones you can get. Out of 105 different devices tested, the Apple iPhone came in with the lowest score among the listed phone developers for repairability. Receiving a D-, Apple is considered to make the least repairable smartphone you can buy. The reason for such a low score is Apple's part pairing and software restrictions that can make repairs much more challenging. While websites like iFixit make DIY repairs easier with easily accessible repair guides and parts, repairing an iPhone is still challenging.

Fixing an iPhone yourself may be a more difficult task when compared to other smartphones. While it isn't going to be impossible to fix an iPhone, they are rated as the least repairable due to the difficulty required to actually begin the repairs. Apple does include guides on how to repair its phones, but it restricts using cheaper third-party parts for certain repairs such as Face ID. Moreover, using third-party parts can result in error messages or loss of certain features. Cost is another factor that makes iPhones less repairable. Many users on Reddit suggest using a service such as iFixit as opposed to Apple's Genius Bar as it may be cheaper and does include the parts needed.

PIRG awarded Apple a bleak rating of D- based on the European Union's European Product Registry for Energy Labelling (EPREL). EPREL tracks its Ecodesign criteria required for phones to meet high repairability marks. These include rules on disassembly and repair which state manufacturers must make spare parts available within 5 to 10 working days and seven years after the end of a product's sales.

A device is considered repairable if it meets certain requirements such as its ability to be disassembled, parts availability, and accessibility of instructions provided by or recommended by the manufacturer. IFixit, on the other hand, found that Apple smartphones may not be all that difficult to repair, but agrees that they can be hard to disassemble — which is essentially the first step into the repair process.

Several of Apple's smartphones including the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 16e had the same issues regarding disassembly. The main issues were that all of Apple's phones were considered complicated to disassemble as they had four and even up to five screwhead types and the use of adhesives made getting to components a challenge. If you want to get to the interior, you will need a couple of different-sized screwdrivers. That isn't just annoying but can mean you have to spend more on tools to even get to the repairs in the first place.

Apple smartphones may be tough to open, but the second least repairable phone was Samsung. The company is widely considered the best Android phone brand in customer satisfaction, but repairing one may be quite a chore. While Apple and Samsung are two of the most well-known smartphone makers around, they may cost you more in repairs if they ever break.