iPhone 16 teardown shows off a new way to attach a phone battery

No sooner has the Phone 16 lineup arrived than the folks at iFixit are starting to take it apart, a process made easier this time by Apple's release of repair manuals on day one. The disassembly process reveals that the camera control is a real button that moves, along with a flex cable that likely measures force, and the heatsink, which appears to be positioned to keep the A18 chip's Neural Engine cool while it processes AI workloads.

After disconnecting the battery from the board, apply electrical current from a power source (a 9-volt battery for 90 seconds will do the trick) and the previously glued battery will slide out so easily that gravity alone can do the job. All it needs to do is apply pressure to get the adhesive to stick to the new battery.

Apple notes that the release time could increase over time, but on these brand new phones, iFixit found that a current of 20V is enough to break the connection in five seconds, and Apple says up to 30V can be used. iFixit also brought some microscopic close-ups of the frame that holds the battery and the machined grooves that give the battery support.

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