BlackBerry Z10 rates high on repairability, iFixit says
The firm praises the BlackBerry Z10 for its replaceable battery and the ability to easily remove the camera and motherboard.
- SABEW Best in Business 2011 Award for Breaking News Coverage, Eddie Award in 2020 for 5G coverage, runner-up National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award for culture analysis.
Have no fear if your
Repairing the latest smartphone from BlackBerry is a snap, according to iFixit,which rates the Z10 an 8 out of 10 on its scale of repairability, something the firm notes is rare for a smartphone.
The BlackBerry Z10 represents one of the company's last chances at a turnaround, and marks the first device to use its next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform. The phone has been out for a few weeks in select countries around the world, but just launched at AT&T on Friday. It will be available on T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless later this week.
In its teardown, iFixit praised the ease with which it was able to get into the guts of the phone. The firm applauded the removable battery, an increasing rarity with notable phones such as the
"It's a relief to see a smartphone in this day and age with a removable battery," the firm said.
The firm also noted that there was no adhesive holding down the motherboard, and that components such as the camera came off the motherboard easily.
Because the display unit is ultra thin, shattering the glass means the loss of all touchscreen capabilities, the firm said. "A drop from ear-height to concrete spells death."
Smaller components such as the headphone jack, power switch, ambient light sensor, and earpiece speaker are built into a single assembly, and held in place with strong adhesive, making it tougher to disassemble.
"The BlackBerry Z10 is proof that smartphones can be thin, easily-repairable, and have replaceable batteries," the firm said.
