It’s finally happening! Google is taking orders for the Pixel 2 XL here in Australia, so it’s timely that iFixit has published their teardown of the Google Pixel 2 XL and given us a look at what’s inside that metal and glass body.
Scoring a 6 out of 10 for repairability, the same as last years HTC-built Pixel XL. Based on that score you can tell that the Google Pixel 2 XL isn’t going to be easy to repair, but it’s not impossible.
The phone is of course built by LG this year featuring an almost bezel-less Full Vision Plastic OLED (pOLED) display on the front. It’s that display that caused some consternation for Ifixit who commented ‘The display is still thin and poorly supported, especially around the grilles, but foam adhesive makes the opening process easier’.
There’s slightly worse things to worry about though, with the battery harder to remove thanks to being tightly walled in and having no pull-tab. The tight fitting midframe (?) and display cable covers are also hinderance to repairs.
On the plus side, Ifixit says that many of the components are modular making for easier replacements and the phone is held together with 9 ‘common’ Phillips #00 screws.
The big new hardware feature for the Pixel 2 series is the Active Edge. IFixit found the component responsible, saying it’s a ‘flexible printed circuit board wrapped around both sides of a line of steel chunks, with strain gauges bridging the gaps between the metal bits’. How it’s triggered is by the outer row of gauges being shortened, while the inner row is lengthened. Ifixit says ‘This gives the Pixel software a larger absolute deflection to detect and measure to trigger the feature’.
If you want to check out the full teardown you can head over to Ifixit, or view their teardown video here:
The good thing I like buying a phone from Google store is if you have any problem with the phone just give them a call and new one will be delivered to you.