Apple iPhone 5s: opening, comparison with previous generations and repairability assessment

On Friday evening, the first copies of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were brought to Russia. One of the 5s copies fell into my hands. But I decided not to rush with the review, because it requires a fairly thorough introduction, which will take at least two weeks. But the iPhone 5s literally burned my hands, demanding to write something about myself. And master Alexander Levchenko and I could not stand it, dismantling the poor thing to the ground and comparing its components with analogues from previous generations. At the same time, we also assessed the maintainability of the new product.

The disassembly technology itself, to the delight of the craftsmen, has remained virtually unchanged. Certain difficulties still arise, but at a later stage. The main thing when removing the screen is not to forget about the thin cable that has appeared between the updated Home button with the Touch ID sensor and the Lightning connector. Otherwise everything is as before.

Every iPhone with the S index means work on bugs. That is, everything is about the same, but better. This applies not only to the characteristics, but also to the internal structure. At first glance, the 5s and 5 are very similar. But a closer look reveals some pretty important things.

It seems like a small thing - instead of two parts they began to use one. But it looks more elegant, the rigidity of the structure is higher, and it is more convenient for the assembler.

Left iPhone 5s, right iPhone 5

The screen itself, as before, is supplied assembled, and a crack in the glass leads to replacement of the entire structure. Considering that the screen characteristics have not changed, we can hope that the previous price tag will remain the same – about $200.

Some structural elements are now easier to remove than before. For example, getting to the 5s camera is much easier than getting to its predecessor in the “five”. The interface connectors are also located a little more freely, this is more convenient during assembly and repair.

iPhone 5s on the right

iPhone 5s below

The camera module, despite the increased size of the sensor, remains quite compact.

And compared to his predecessors, he looks far from a giant

From left to right, the main cameras of iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPhone 3GS

I haven’t compared the quality of the pictures yet, it takes time.

Let's pay attention to the trains. They also periodically fail, especially with our temperature changes.
The upper train, with almost identical functionality, has become noticeably wider. Again, it is more convenient during assembly and more reliable during operation.

The bottom cable, which also houses the Lightning connector, has become noticeably more complex, because now it also serves the Touch ID sensor in the Home button.

On the left is iPhone 5s, on the right is iPhone 5.

It cannot be replaced in parts, only as an assembly. Previously, replacement cost approximately 2,500 rubles. I don’t know yet how much it will cost now. But, most likely, the price will rise by at least 50%. Because the part is more expensive and there is more work.

And here is the updated Home itself

Previously, it was replaced for 2,200 rubles. It’s hard to even imagine the new price tag. According to the most optimistic estimates – from 5000.
For a long time now, only highly trained specialists have been able to repair the motherboard of an iPhone. It seems that in the case of the 5s they will also begin to fail, everything is too tightly located. And replacing it is comparable in price to a new device. However, something really bad usually happens to her only after swimming in earthenware containers and in the sea.

During the disassembly, we had a unique opportunity to compare motherboards of all generations of iPhone. Here they are, beauties. Moore's law in one picture.

From left to right: 5s, 5, 4s, 4, 3gs, 3g. Above is the board of the very first iPhone.

An unpleasant surprise awaits us when we try to replace the battery. It is very firmly glued to the bottom cover, and at home it is almost impossible to remove it; it requires heating with a hairdryer and careful “picking.” The very fact of replacing the battery after this can no longer be hidden, no matter how hard you try. This is noticeable both in the cover and in the battery.

The battery itself is slightly more capacious, which is good news. Of course, it is far from the flagships of Sony and LG, but perhaps the more energy-efficient Apple A7 processor will be enough. The price of the battery itself will remain the same, but given the increased complexity of the work, they may charge more for replacement. They charged 2000 to replace the battery in the “five”, now, I think, they will raise the price tag to three.

Left iPhone 5, right iPhone 5s

The Wi-Fi antenna has grown noticeably in size. It seems that in the previous version of the iPhone it caught networks normally. But now it looks like it will be very good. You can check it in the field, but it hasn’t come to that yet.

Top iPhone 5s, bottom iPhone 5

The polyphonic speaker of the 5s (pictured on the left) has become slightly smaller, and at the same time the body has become smaller. This did not make the sound any quieter or worse. The price, presumably, will not change much (in the “five” they changed it for 3,000 rubles).

Externally, it is almost no different from its predecessor, only larger (pictured on the left).

But on the back it doesn’t have two contacts, like the vast majority of analogues in devices of any brand, but four! Why so much is unclear. It doesn't seem to have any additional functionality. Well, taking into account the uniqueness, the price tag will probably jump when replaced - from the current two thousand to three, or so.

Overall, the work of Apple engineers continues to inspire the greatest respect. People are constantly improving the design, caring about its convenience and reliability. They do not forget about the appearance of the electronic filling, as the great Jobs bequeathed. None of my business colleagues have yet reached such rigor and thoughtfulness. Well, the fact is that it is becoming more and more difficult to repair the device... In countries that are not as creative as Russia, a deceased iPhone is either replaced under warranty (free or extended) or sent to a large service center with special equipment. We have those too, and the 5s doesn’t seem to scare them. And the clever guys in the “Watches, Cell Phones Repair and Key Making” stall will, of course, have a hard time...

I’ll answer the question that many people have in advance: the device was safely put back together, everything is fine with it. Getting ready for this review.