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Updated: Sunday, July 9, 2023, 20:12 [IST]
Foldable smartphones aren’t exactly new. Despite being rather late to the party, the Google Pixel Fold is quite tough and complex to dissemble and repair, multiple teardown videos suggest.
Google launched its first-ever foldable Android smartphone, the Pixel Fold, at the Google I/O event in May this year. YouTuber JerryRigEverything and experienced repairer PBKreviews have uploaded detailed videos about taking apart the premium foldable Android smartphone.
Google Pixel Fold Isn’t A Complex Consumer Electronics Product?
There are multiple foldable Android smartphones as several manufacturers have been trying to enter the niche market and presumably make it mainstream. The Pixel Fold teardown videos reveal why quite a few smartphone brands have yet to offer their own foldable devices.
As with every modern-day smartphone, even the Pixel Fold is glued together. So repair shops will have to heat up the back cover and the front screen, and then pry everything off.
It is interesting to note that the camera modules of the Google Pixel Fold have most of the normal or standardized phone components. Specifically speaking, the three cameras, the SoC, storage, modem, bottom speaker, the USB-C port, and the 1489mAh battery are neatly arranged on one side of the Pixel Fold.
Google reserved the other side for battery, as it has a comparatively big 3332mAh battery. There are other components such as the outer display selfie camera, haptic feedback vibrator, earpiece, and SIM tray. Incidentally, the battery cells have a copper cooling plate which is part of the main board.
Google Pixel Fold Is Difficult To Repair?
Although the Pixel Fold is held together using glue instead of screws, most repair shops are now accustomed to carefully prying the two halves apart using a hot-air gun and other tools. However, some of the design and hardware layout choices complicate the repair process, and make it an expensive exercise, if some components break down.
Google has placed the USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 port, which allows the Pixel Fold to recharge, transfer data, and connect wired headphones, directly on the motherboard. This makes swapping out the USB-C port a very tough task.
PBK Reviews didn’t even attempt to pry off the flexible screen due to “a high chance of damaging or breaking the screen.” But, there’s supposed to be a big slab of metal underneath the flexible display for structural support. Incidentally, the Google Pixel Fold teardown video by JerryRigEverything confirms the fragility of the device.
The two sides of the Google Pixel Fold communicate via a series of ribbon cables that snake their way through the hinge, which in itself, has proven to be quite durable. Overall, the Google Pixel Fold received a 6.5/10 repairability score.
Strangely, iFixit hasn’t published a teardown and/or repair video of the Google Pixel Fold. The company, which specializes in offering tools and spares for electronic devices, is an official partner of Google for this device. It would be interesting to see how iFixit treats the foldable smartphone as it would be the first third-party store to stock and sell genuine spare parts for the Google Pixel Fold.
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