A recent teardown of the new HTC One has revealed that the sleek handset is almost impossible to open up and repair successfully.
The HTC One is currently hitting UK retailers and networks, so you should be able to get your hands on one round about now. Whatever you do, though, make sure you don’t let go of your stylish new Android phone.
Mobile phone teardown specialist iFixit has taken the HTC One to bits (as is its wont) to see what makes it tick, as well as to see how easy the phone is to fix. The results are either very good or very bad, depending on the angle you take.
On the one hand the breakdown has confirmed what we already suspected simply from touching and using the HTC One – it’s a beautifully constructed piece of kit. In fact, it’s so well put to together that it’s almost impossible to pull apart.
On the other hand, this appears to all but rule out any repair work on the 4.7-inch Android super-phone.
HTC One Construction
There are no external screws involved in fusing together the HTC One’s chassis – it’s mostly one continuous piece of aluminium. This led to the iFixit chaps having to use a heat gun, a suction cup, and a ‘metal spudger’ to gain access – first by removing the whole screen panel, then by forcing the innards out with the aforementioned spudger.
The process caused a fair amount of damage to the plastic bezel surrounding the aluminium case. They also found that several major components – including the motherboard – were covered in copper shielding, which dissipates heat effectively but proves very tricky to reassemble.
Ultimately, while the HTC One is a beautifully constructed smartphone, it scores a mere one out of ten when it comes to repairability. If you ever need to replace the battery or the screen of your HTC One, even a repair specialist would likely have to damage the handset to do so.
Does this affect your decision to purchase an HTC One at all? Let us know in the comments sections below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
