iFixit has done its regular teardown video, this time for the new iPhone 17 Air. The device comes with the first big change in design for the iPhone in recent years, being the thinnest iPhone ever produced by Apple. The device has a 5.6mm frame, so to make all the important components, Apple created what’s called a plateau for the camera.
Part of the logic board is inside the camera bump to give space for the battery encased in metal, and the way the logic board is positioned protects it from bending if the device gets flexed. iFixit has tried bending the frame of the device with no components inside it, and it bent easily because it has weak points, whereas Apple decided to put plastic gaps to stop interference with cellular data.
To fit the USB-C port for the iPhone Air, it had to be 3D printed, and iFixit discovered 3D printed alloy glued inside the iPhone. The logic board of the iPhone Air has the custom A19 Pro chip and the networking chip N1, as well as the 5G modem C1X. The iPhone Air garnered a repairability score of 7/10 from iFixit because screen replacement would not be too hard, and it’s easier to reach the battery compared to other gadgets.
