iFixit tore apart the iPhone 17 Pro for one of its videos, revealing the device's internal components, such as the new vapor chamber cooling system, which distributes heat from the A19 Pro chip throughout the aluminum frame.
See also: Apple's iPhone 17 Pro scratches easily
The iPhone 17 Pro's battery is attached to a battery tray, and the battery tray is attached to the iPhone 17 Pro's aluminum frame with Torx Plus. iFixit says that if Apple sells replacement batteries in the tray, there won't be any adhesive to make it difficult to replace the battery.
The battery tray sits above the A19 Pro chip, and the chip includes a vapor chamber cooling system. Heat from the chip is directed to the vapor chamber, which distributes it throughout the unibody aluminum chassis. iFixit used a thermal camera to compare the iPhone 16 Pro Max to the iPhone 17 Pro Max. The iPhone 16 Pro Max reached 37.8 degrees Celsius and showed a performance reduction, while the 17 Pro Max remained cooler at 34.8 degrees Celsius, with no performance reduction.
iFixit found that Apple's cooling system uses a mesh between two plates to distribute water throughout the vapor chamber. The water next to the A19 Pro chip boils and turns to steam, then the steam is collected on the other side and cooled, and then recondenses into droplets that return through the mesh structure.
See also: iPhone 17 available for pickup from today at Apple Stores
iFixit performed a scratch test on the iPhone 17 Pro's aluminum frame and found that the camera area is prone to scratches. The damage is called "peeling." The sharp, flat edge of the camera area doesn't allow the anodized finish to adhere well, so the paint can wear off when exposed to hard objects like keys.
The iPhone 17 Pro models have a less repairable design than the iPhone 16 Pro models because Apple abandoned the dual-entry design that made repairs possible from either the back or the front of the device. It is possible to repair wireless charging or replace the back glass only from the back of the iPhone, and replacing the battery, a camera module, or the USB-C port requires removing the iPhone screen.
The screw-only battery tray makes it easier to replace the battery once you get to it, plus the battery is encased in metal, which makes it more secure. Replacing the USB-C port requires removing 22 screws, a process that iFixit found tedious.
See also: Pre-orders for the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 have begun
Considering all the changes, iFixit reports that the iPhone 17 Pro is slightly less repairable than the iPhone Air, but Apple has been providing repair manuals since day one, and Apple engineers appear to have taken repairability into account when designing the device, so it earned a repairability score of 7 out of 10.
