{
  "id": 9052822,
  "title": "Skip the upgrade? iPhone 18 Pro aperture about as unrepairable as it gets, iFixit finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/skip-the-upgrade-iphone-18-pro-aperture-about-as-unrepairable-as-it-9052822",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-21T20:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Register",
    "slug": "the-register",
    "url": "https://www.theregister.com/personal-tech/2026/09/21/skip-the-upgrade-iphone-18-pro-aperture-about-as-unrepairable-as-it-gets-ifixit-finds/5297970"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "iFixit has evaluated the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max and discovered them to be among the most unrepairable smartphones on the market. The main issues that hinder repairability are the intricate camera mechanism and the placement of the battery, which necessitates screen removal. The camera’s aperture consists of six minuscule blades, each barely thicker than a human hair, rendering repairs almost impossible. If a single blade gets damaged, the entire assembly must be replaced, leading to high repair costs. Additionally, accessing the battery requires removing the screen, which is prone to damage and may result in a full display replacement. Despite these challenges, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max are still given a fair repairability score of 7 out of 10, but this assessment may fluctuate based on further inspections and the ease of removing the problematic frame.",
  "summary": "Repairability improvements can't lift last year's score as camera complexity and screen-frame concerns remain",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Mashable",
        "title": "iPhone 20 display leak teases massive upgrade over iPhone 18 Pro",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/iphone-20-display-leak-teases-massive-upgrade-over-iphone-18-pro",
        "published": "2026-09-21T15:53:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "MacRumors",
        "title": "iPhone 14 Pro vs. iPhone 18 Pro Buyer's Guide: Should You Upgrade?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/iphone-14-pro-vs-iphone-18-pro-buyers-guide-should-you-upgrade",
        "published": "2026-09-21T18:05:23.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Register Science",
        "title": "Skip the upgrade? iPhone 18 Pro aperture about as unrepairable as it gets, iFixit finds",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/skip-the-upgrade-iphone-18-pro-aperture-about-as-unrepairable-as-it",
        "published": "2026-09-21T20:30:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}