iFixit has given the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max provisional repairability scores of 7 out of 10, but its teardown identified a potential complication for battery repairs: the plastic frame around the display cracked or separated on three of the four phones opened during testing. The displays continued working, though frame damage could make correct reassembly and sealing more difficult.
The sample is too small to establish how widespread the issue may be. iFixit said one of the four devices opened without trouble, and suggested that the heat used to soften the adhesive and the opening technique could affect the outcome. The display must be removed to access the battery.
Once inside, the battery arrangement is more repair-friendly than an adhesive-only design. Apple has retained a metal battery tray secured with screws, allowing the battery and its tray to be removed together after the phone has been opened. iFixit confirmed 4,288 mAh and 5,567 mAh battery capacities for the SIM-less iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max variants it examined. Versions with a physical SIM slot use smaller batteries.
The teardown also reveals the main camera’s variable-aperture mechanism, which uses six extremely thin magnetically actuated blades to alter the lens opening. While the camera is replaceable as a module, iFixit considers practical repair of the mechanism within the module nearly impossible. It also questioned how much natural background blur the feature can produce, given the small lens size even at its widest f/1.48 aperture.
Other internal changes include an infrared camera positioned beneath the display, while the dot projector and selfie camera remain in the central cutout. iFixit found Apple’s C2 modem in the variants it analyzed, except for the US iPhone 18 Pro Max, which used a Qualcomm modem.
The display-frame concern has not yet been directly factored into either phone’s 7/10 score, as iFixit is still working to determine the cause and scale of the issue.
