No need to pay a lot for an easy-to-repair smartphone

Since 2011, iFixit has established a repairability score for smartphones. A fact that he has refined over time. It is based on several criteria:

• the ease with which the device can be disassembled and reassembled,
• the availability and affordability of the necessary tools,
• the attention paid by the manufacturer to the accessibility of essential components.

From these indices, we obtain an overall score which allows smartphones to be classified according to their durability.

Not (too) expensive smartphones in the top 3

In November 2024, the top of the class is not an ultra high-end phone, but the Fairphone 5.

The Dutch manufacturer has also based all of its communication on the durability and repairability of its devices since its debut in 2013. Released in 2023, the Fairphone 5 recently received a more affordable version. Priced at 549 euros, it has less RAM and storage than the original model: 6 GB and 128 GB compared to 8 GB and 256 GB.

iFixit says its teardown only requires “basic tools” and that it is designed without adhesive, which simplifies its disassembly. Furthermore, “its battery changes in seconds. » Final Notes: 10/10.

In second and third place, we find two other smartphones from Northern Europe: the HMD Skyline (9/10) and Nokia G22 (8/10). Like Fairphone, HMD advocates easy repairability that is accessible to everyone. Nokia, for its part, inherits the know-how of HMD which had for a time taken over its telephone activity.

For iFixit, the bonus of HMD is its camshaft system which greatly facilitates opening the device. Small downside for the adhesive which sticks the battery and complicates handling. Same story for Nokia, but on the screen side. “It is not prioritized in the same way as other components, which slightly complicates this intervention. »

High-end smartphones are not the most durable

Finally, in fourth and fifth place, come more expensive models with the iPhone 16 rated 7/10 and the Google Pixel 8 rated 6/10.

At Apple, iFixit praises the Repair Assistant mode of iOS 18 which facilitates interventions. On the Google side, it is the screen fixed by clips which is praised. Conversely, the firmly stuck battery is singled out.

The least repairable smartphones

And in addition comes a selection of the least repairable models according to iFixit standards:

• Google Pixel Fold > 3/10 : The foldable format of the phone
  causes repairability difficulties due to the
  complexity of the product.

• XIAOMI Mi 11 > 4/10 : The glass structure and the window
  curved increases the risk of breakage during falls
  and repairs, especially for the replacement of the
  fingerprint sensor integrated into the screen.
• Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra > 4/10 : The changes of
  battery and screen are still too complex for
  the device obtains the average.

For Google's foldable, let us point out that its index has improved with its new version, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. However, the latter also sees the prices of its spare parts soar. Its screen costs the price of a Pixel 9 Pro XL…