Apple iPhones ranked least repairable in new study, trail rivals like Motorola and Google
Follow UsApple receives a D rating, placing last among major smartphone brands in repairability
Samsung ranks slightly higher with a D, while Pixel devices score C-
Motorola tops the list with a B+ rating for offering more repair-friendly smartphones
Apple iPhones, which are obviously considered by the majority of smartphone users when buying a new phone, are reportedly among the most difficult devices to repair. This comes after the US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund did a study on how easy it is to fix broken smartphones. Interestingly, the report placed Apple iPhones at the bottom of its latest ranking.
SurveyThe study evaluated how easy it is for users to fix common issues such as cracked displays, battery replacements and internal component repairs and found that iPhones lag behind competitors in this area. As per the findings, Apple got a D rating, the lowest among major smartphone brands analysed.
The assessment draws on data from the European Union’s product registry as well as PIRG’s own criteria, including the availability of spare parts, access to repair documentation and the complexity involved in performing basic fixes without specialised tools. The report stated that Apple’s tightly controlled ecosystem and parts access policies make repairs more difficult than necessary for average users.
Even though Apple has introduced self-service repair initiatives in previous years, the study mentioned that these solutions remain complicated to most consumers. And, as a result, the overall repair experience continues to fall short despite these efforts.
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The report also compared other smartphone makers, including Samsung. Interestingly, Samsung ranked just above Apple with a D grade. Google Pixel devices managed to grab the C- score while Motorola emerged as the top performer, as it got a B+ rating for offering relatively more repair-friendly devices.
Along with smartphones, the study also tested laptops and saw a similar trend with Apple again at the lowest rankings. ASUS and Acer performed better in terms of user-friendly repair options.
