The iPhone 16 series has been the talk of the town ever since it was announced at the "Its Glowtime" event. Many tech enthusiasts are comparing the lineup with its predecessor and evaluating what makes the new iPhone 16 models truly stand out. Although the company has brought about some key improvements this time around, its battery replacement upgrades are making quite the noise for scoring the highest repairability score to date. It has massively improved the complexity of repair processes due to one significant change that helps simplify the task for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus.
You can now change your iPhone 16's battery in only 90 seconds due to a new type of adhesive incorporated in the latest series
The iPhone 16 is leaving its mark not only in terms of its powerful processor and new features but also its repairability, which has been rated the best to date due to how seamless and easy it is now to replace the battery. This major improvement has been brought about by a new adhesive for the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus that helps keep the battery intact. Although the adhesive helps secure the battery, it can be removed easily and swiftly, making the battery replacement process less cumbersome.
Battery replacement is made easier as the electrical current applied to the adhesive helps it become less sticky. The battery can then be replaced in about 90 seconds or even less. Apple recommends that users use a 9V battery along with two cables and alligator clips to make the process even more efficient. To replace the iPhone 16 battery, the red alligator clips need to be connected to the battery's silver tab and also the black clip on the grounding screw that is located at the bottom right. iFixit has given the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus repairability score of 7/10, which is a significant jump for Apple. iFixit described the process as:
The dual-entry design, first introduced on the 14 series, remains very elegant. Once inside, lots of components are independently accessible with little to no additional disassembly. The layout is smart, prioritizing access to critical repairs like battery and camera replacement. In past models, it was normal to see, for example, battery pull tabs blocked by a Taptic Engine, which was blocked by a speaker, which was blocked by a big grounding bracket—all of that having to come out in sequence. The 16’s design offers independent access to the battery, the speaker, the Taptic Engine, cameras, display, back cover, and so on. It’s really thoughtfully laid out.
We have shared the video of iFixit's teardown of the iPhone 16 battery replacement process. You can check that out for more details.
Even though iFixit explained in detail how easy it has become to swap batteries in the iPhone16 and 16 Plus, the teardown experts were frustrated with the unconventional screw types used in iPhone 16 that make it impossible to disassemble without using special tools and are the only part that involved a little bit of inconvenience. We are hoping that the future Pro models will also bring this advancement for enhanced repairability across all iPhone models.
