iFixit Takes a Closer Look at iPhone 15’s Intricate Engineering

After taking the all-new iPhone 15 apart earlier, the teardown experts over at iFixit have now taken a closer look at the device’s complex engineering.

Using a DSX1000 microscope from Evident Scientific, the geeks zoomed-in on a few specific intricacies of Apple’s latest flagship iPhone. Here’s what they discovered:

Image Stabilization:

Shooting steady videos and capturing low-light photos is no easy feat. The iPhone 15 employs optical image stabilization (OIS) through sensor-shift stabilization using four electromagnets.

This technology corrects minor shakes by shifting the camera sensor in two axes, ensuring stable images.

Understanding Camera Sensors:

The iPhone 15’s main camera boasts a 48-megapixel CMOS sensor. CMOS stands for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor, the technology used to create the sensor.

Each pixel, also known as a photosite, is a tiny light-sensitive unit with a microlens and color filter. With 48 million photosites, higher pixel count leads to more detailed photos in bright environments.

One Charger for All:

The iPhone 15 features a USB-C port, a departure from Apple’s proprietary Lightning port. This shift towards a universal standard promises faster data transfer and charging.

However, the transition requires changes to the internal design and charge circuitry. While USB-C offers advantages, it’s also more susceptible to damage in certain environments.

iPhone 15 Repairability Overview:

The iPhone 15’s design inherits elements from its predecessor but faces challenges for repairability. Software pairing of parts limits repairs, reducing functionality when components are swapped.

For example, swapping screens may disable the selfie camera. This poses a need for Apple to ease repair restrictions.

As a result, the iPhone 15 earns a provisional repairability score of 4 out of 10, assuming public access to parts and manuals.