iFixit Gives Essential PH-1 a Repairability Score of 1
iFixit has recently reviewed the Essential Phone's (aka Essential PH-1) repairability and has given it a rating of 1.
iFixit is a company known for selling replacement parts and tools for people who repair devices themselves as well as supply them with how-to guides. It has been the company's tradition to review new devices based on how easy its users can repair them on their own -- of course, by using iFixit products.
Now that Andy Rubin's startup has finally been able to ship its very first smartphone product, the Essential PH-1, iFixit has placed it under scrutiny and has given it a very low repairability rating -- a 1 out of 10.
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The hype around the Essential PH-1 is understandable for a number of reasons. In fact, even iFixit was primarily curious about the layers of bodywork components placed on the device. The Essential PH-1 did not just have a titanium chassis, it was also built with a ceramic back panel.
However, in iFixit's test, they proved that all these layers put on the Essential PH-1 made the device harder to open and to repair by an average person -- which was the whole point of the review.
Given that iFixit rated the Essential PH-1's repairability as low as they could, the trickiness in opening and fixing the device was already expected. However, what was even more surprising to a lot of people who have read the report was the need to literally freeze the device's screen first before taking it off.
Freezing the screen is normally done to prevent it from breaking in the process of opening the device. However, even after the iFixit people applied their Super Cold product on the Essential PH-1's screen, it still ended up with large number of cracks.
In the Essential PH-1's case, iFixit thought opening the device was best approached by first ripping away its screen. However, based on the team's test photos, the display panel of the device had already been seriously cracked even before they were able to see what was inside.
The iFixit team that handled the Essential PH-1 stated: "Even after successfully peeling up the LCD panel, the interior continues to be well-guarded. After all that work, all we have to show for it is a busted display, a blank midframe shield, and a stray IC on the back of the display."
