In an effort to green its image a little, Google has, for a few years now, put second place on the subject of the repairability of its Pixel phones. Through a partnership with iFixit, the brand offers easily accessible spare parts and repair guides. And on the newly released Pixel 9, the search giant has even copied the best of the competition.
As shown the recent teardown video published by iFixitthe Pixel 9 Pro XL can be opened both by the screen or by the back cover depending on the components that one seeks to change. A construction that recalls that of the iPhone 14 which inaugurated this system of “dual entry” with a great marketing coup, Apple then boasting of having built the iPhone “the most repairable in the world“.
Barely average for Google
While most phones are only designed to be disassembled in one direction, the Pixel 9 Pro XL (and probably the 9 Pro too) offers more versatility in this area. If you simply want to change the battery, there is no need to lift the fragile and expensive screen of the phone, it is possible to remove the back cover with a heat gun to access the component. Enough to remove some worries for DIY enthusiasts.
Unfortunately, beyond this welcome innovation, Google hasn’t exactly made repairability easy. The screen is particularly fragile and can be permanently damaged if you push a pick 1mm too far in during disassembly. As for the battery, it’s held in place so tightly by its pounds of glue that removing it without potentially damaging it is a challenge.
Let’s remember that the battery and the screen are the two most frequently changed components on our phones. Making the replacement of these parts so complex is clearly not going in the right direction. Even the experts at iFixit were unable to dislodge the components without damaging them. It is therefore difficult to encourage Mr. and Mrs. Toulmonde to undertake the operation, unless the parts are already out of service.
It should be noted, however, that Google provides a very comprehensive repair manual for its Pixel 9although unfortunately these are not yet translated into French. Thanks to this commendable effort and the easy availability of spare parts, the Pixel 9 Pro XL barely gets an average score of 5/10 at iFixit.
What about resistance?
But what about the shock resistance that Google so proudly touts? Well, it has everything to do with the phone’s new dual-entry construction. To make its phone more durable, Google has attached all the components to an intermediate metal frame rather than gluing them to the back or front cover. This allows the phone to better distribute the impact of a shock and not send everything into the screen or the back cover. And it is precisely the existence of this metal backbone that allows the phone to be opened from both sides.
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Given the engineering treasures deployed by Google to make its smartphones more shock-resistant, one would have hoped that repairability would also be highlighted. Unfortunately, the manufacturer still has some work to do on this subject, it seems.
