The iPhone has a long history of being a challenging phone to fix. Even simple repairs are difficult to performppl because of the internal disarray of parts that needs specialized tools and a steady hand. The redesign of the iPhone 14 has largely eliminated that. The phone has an entirely new frame that features a thin metal sheet in the middle that makes it simple to replace the back glass and the front screen. Since it can be opened from both the front and the back, replacing the screen and the back glass is much simpler than it was for earlier models.

The back glass of the phone is held in place by two screws and one connector, according to iFixit. Apple appears to have used a slightly less aggressive adhesive, making it slightly simpler to open than older screens, according to iFixit. And as an added bonus, you can access the screen by unscrewing the same screws that held the back glass in place. Both the screen and the back glass are easily accessible with just two screws.

Compare that to the iPhone X, which had a back that was nightmare-inducingly challenging to repair. Chemicals, force, and heat could not break the adhesive's hold on the surface. Additional challenges were created by the camera bezels being welded to the glass. The best method for repair shops to access the back was to first melt the adhesive with a laser, shatter the glass, and then carefully scrape away the shattered glass's dust. Not exactly ideal for repairs at home.

Apple made the announcement that it would sell the parts, tools, and manuals needed for people to perform simple phone repairs on their own last year. For a business that had previously maintained a monopoly on phone repairs, it represented a significant policy change. In order to help people fix more things, it expanded this new DIY system last month and provided more tools and manuals. The new iPhone 14 design appears to be yet another positive development.

There is still work to be done. Apple still needs software pairing to replace items like screens, as iFixit pointed out in its repair review of the phone. This confirms early claims made by independent repair shops to Motherboard that iOS 16 is bricking phones with aftermarket screens.