With the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max now on store shelves, iFixit put Apple’s latest flagship phones under the knife. The teardown gives us an up-close look at the devices’ new variable-aperture camera, larger cooling systems and a possible repair challenge.
It also reveals how Apple shrunk the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro without affecting Face ID’s functionality.
iPhone 18 Pro teardown: New camera will be challenging
Variable apertures are a complex technology, typically used in DSLRs and high-end professional cameras or lenses. Adding it inside a smartphone camera is challenging, though Nokia, Samsung and Xiaomi have done this in the past.
Such systems prove almost impossible to repair, and doing so requires specialized tools. As iFixit found in its iPhone 18 Pro teardown, Apple’s implementation is smart and sophisticated. But it suffers from the same problem that rival products do.
Photo: iFixit
“Very few repair enthusiasts on this planet will have the tools, techniques, or knowledge to get this variable aperture mechanism apart in a way that allows it to go back together,” iFixit wrote Sunday. “The tolerances are tight, the glues are gummy. We’re reluctant to call a repair ‘impossible,’ but this is about as close as it gets.”
On the bright side, the camera module itself proved easily replaceable. So, if the variable-aperture mechanism fails, you can swap it out with a new sensor altogether.
Battery replacement pitfalls
The battery replacement process on the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max remains the same as the iPhone 17 Pro. Only a front-entry approach is possible, which requires opening the glued-down screen.
The problem is that the white plastic frame around the display panel broke in three of the four iPhone 18 Pro teardowns the iFixit team conducted. This could be an isolated issue or a result of a design change Apple made.
Otherwise, the same battery replacement process applies to the iPhone 18 Pro as before. A metal tray holds the battery, with conductive glue in place to secure it.
Face ID infrared camera moves below the display
Photo: iFixit
Apple highlighted the smaller Dynamic Island on the iPhone 18 Pro during its Surprise and Shine event on September 9. iFixit‘s teardown reveals how the company achieved this: Apple moved the infrared camera to the left, and it now sits below the display.
To ensure the IR camera works properly, Apple removed alternating rows of pixels from in front of it. While not immediately obvious to the naked eye, it can be seen by looking really hard or with a microscope.
iFixit gave the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max a provisional repairability score of 7 out of 10, the same as the iPhone 17 Pro. However, the repair-oriented outlet says the rating takes a hit due to the front-only display replacement method.
Rajesh has been writing about consumer technology for over a decade, with a strong focus on iPhones, Macs and Apple’s ecosystem. He enjoys digging into Apple software updates, hardware changes, and discovering new Mac apps that make work faster and more enjoyable.
You can reach out to him at mail[at]rajeshpandey.me.
