iPhone SE Teardown Reveals Interchangeable Parts With iPhone 8: iFixit

iFixit today shared a new report detailing which parts from the new iPhone SE can be replaced with those from the iPhone 8.

The teardown reveals the iPhone SE usual suspects, noting that many of the phone’s parts are from other iPhone models. Here are just some of the parts inside the brand-new iPhone SE that iFixit notes come from other, older iPhone models:

  • A13 Bionic SoC with a third-generation Neural Engine—straight outta the iPhone 11/Pro/Max
  • 4.7” Retina HD display with 1334 × 750 resolution (326 ppi), True Tone, and wide color gamut (P3) support—as seen in the iPhone 8
  • 12 MP wide-angle rear camera at ƒ/1.8, and a 7 MP ƒ/2.2 front-facing camera—reportedly borrowed either from the iPhone 8, or the XR
  • Gigabit-class LTE with 2×2 MIMO and 802.11ax Wi?Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO + Bluetooth 5.0 + NFC—as found in the iPhone 11
  • Home button with 2nd-generation Touch ID sensor—again returning from iPhone 8
  • IP67 dust/water ingress rating—not hailing from any particular iPhone, but an unexpectedly nice inclusion at this price point.

iFixit notes that the wide variety of replaceable parts should make the iPhone cheaper to replace compared to any recent models.

“The good parts first: iPhone SE’s cameras, SIM tray, Taptic Engine, and display assembly (including the microphone and proximity sensor) are all swappable with iPhone 8 parts,” reads the report. “And that screen should be cheaper to replace than any new iPhone we’ve seen in years.”

Not every part is replaceable with iPhone 8 parts, however, explains iFixit.

“Also incompatible? The battery,” explains the report. “Turns out, although the battery looks identical, the battery’s logic board connector differs from the one in the 8, so they don’t fit together. The SE will connect to an iPhone 11 battery, which uses the same connector—but it won’t turn on. And, sadly, this seemingly throwback phone has some very modern Apple roadblocks inside. You can’t even swap one genuine iPhone SE 2020 battery for another without triggering a ‘not a genuine Apple battery’ service warning.”

Considering how most iPhones have zero backward compatibility with earlier models, the small bit of leeway you do get with the iPhone SE is welcome as it makes obtaining replacement parts easier and more affordable.

“The two most commonly replaced components, display and battery, remain straightforward to access with the proper knowledge and tools,” concludes iFixit. “Most components are modular and independently replaceable, including many that are cross-compatible with iPhone 8.”

iFixit gives the iPhone SE a final fixability score of 6 out of ten, fairly high for a brand new iPhone and high for an Apple product, in general. Check out the entire teardown — which is still being updated — here.

P.S. - Like our news? Support the site with a coffee/beer. Or shop with our Amazon link. We use affiliate links when possible--thank you for supporting independent media.