This is the reason we love iFixit. We lately bought to see a cool teardown video from iFixit for the Pixel 9 Professional XL. A lot of the reporting surrounding that is about how Google designed the 9 sequence to be extra sturdy and the way it does higher in drop testing, however for me, that is not the true story right here.
The machine will get a mediocre repairability rating of 5, which is beneficiant from what I see. A skilled skilled with all the suitable instruments wasn’t capable of open the cellphone with out breaking the show. Eradicating the battery was a nightmare for the exact same skilled. And this cellphone is meant to final for seven years?
Look, something will final seven years (or longer) should you’re prepared to spend cash on it. However Google has made an enormous deal about supporting its gadgets for seven years, so now it must construct them in a method that’s designed to be simple to maintain alive for that lengthy. I simply ain’t seeing it right here.
The Pixel 9 Professional XL design has a number of (nearly) saving graces. You do not have to take away the show to vary the battery. That is good as a result of the show will break whereas attempting to take away it, and the battery will want changing lengthy earlier than your seven years are up. Sadly, eradicating and changing the battery goes to be unnecessarily tough.
That does not account for all the opposite issues that may simply put on out through the rated lifetime of the cellphone. A fantastic instance is that your USB port goes to get free and may want changing. Should you use the cellphone — or any cellphone — for seven years you will most likely want to interchange or restore one thing.
It would not should be this manner.
Seven years is dumb anyway
The thought of utilizing a cellphone for seven years is a bit foolish anyway. For some individuals (like me), having to solely spend cash and purchase a cellphone each seven years is superior. New stuff will come, and I would need a few of it, however so long as it nonetheless does what it does as we speak, I am good.
Most individuals do not see it that method. That new factor Google reveals off that is not going to work in your outdated cellphone is all the rationale it’s essential purchase a brand new one. That is how this works — even on the iPhone. New options would require new {hardware}, and you are going to be ignored.
Google (and Samsung and Apple and each different cellphone maker) is aware of this. They depend on it and present you issues solely to inform you that you simply want one thing newer to make use of them. I recognize that corporations assist their merchandise longer, however I do not fake they do it as a result of they’re the nice man. They may get you to half together with your cash a method or one other.
The higher method
Google would not should invent something right here. I lately appeared on the HMD Skyline. It is a fairly good mid-range cellphone with a cool digital camera. One factor particular to me is that it is constructed as a way to open it and alter the battery your self. My drawback is that it has a really brief three-year assist window.
Then there’s Fairphone, which makes telephones with a 100% repairability rating. Should you comply with directions and have the suitable instruments, you may simply maintain them working when components break.
Even should you do not need to swap the battery or the USB port your self, any store goes to have the ability to do these repairs with out breaking the rest or charging you greater than it is price.
An enormous purpose why Google makes Pixel telephones is to indicate everybody what it thinks a smartphone needs to be. They’re the definition of a halo machine.
Why not go a step additional and design them in order that your seven-year assist promise means a bit extra? I most likely will not drop my cellphone and break the display screen, by chance depart it within the solar, or do the rest to “break” my cellphone. I will use it sufficient that I am going to want a brand new battery in a number of years.
If it have been simple to swap and one thing anybody may do themselves, it would be one other promoting level of a fairly rattling good line of telephones.