Earlier this month, Apple launched the iPhone 17e in India and globally. While it is relatively the same as that of the iPhone 16e, the biggest addition this year has been the introduction of MagSafe charging. However, turns out Apple was planning to introduce magnetic charging with the iPhone 16e itself but decided otherwise.
iPhone 17e Teardown Video Reveals Interesting Details
The popular community-based repair and tutorial platform iFixit has posted a new YouTube video showcasing the disassembly of the newly-launched iPhone 17e. It shows off the MagSafe panel of the phone, which houses the Qi2 magnets responsible for the 15W wireless charging.
Surprisingly, when compared to the backplate of the iPhone 16e, it seems like a 1-on-1 replica of the same charging pad. It even has the same magnetic ring as that of the iPhone 17e, sans the magnets. This makes both the sections interchangeable and technically, gives iPhone 16e magnetic charging capabilities.
iFixit says that if users manage to grab the Q12 plate of the iPhone 17e and get it placed inside the iPhone 16e, it will essentially give the 2025 phone the same MagSafe capabilities as the iPhone 17e. Even though we are not sure why this is the case, iFixit says that this is a big win for consumers in terms of repair ability and compatibility.
Moreover, that is not all. Based on the completely disassembled cross-section of the iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e, iFixit found out that almost 90% of the older model is swappable with the newer one. The above image shows off both the phones taken apart and put side by side to prove the point.
So, while it looks like Apple had repairability and compatibility in mind, that was never the intention. It essentially proves that in terms of components there is little to no change between iPhone 16e and iPhone 17e, helping Apple repurpose a lot of the materials between two phones.
For instance, during the teardown video iFixit noted that even though users can use the charging pad of the iPhone 17e inside 16e, it will not support Apple's Standby Mode and also will not make the same "thonk" noise and animation for MagSafe like native implementation.
Moreover, if someone decided to use the logic board of the 17e inside the 16e, it would not support proper network connectivity since the 16e comes with a C1 modem and the 17e supports a C1x modem. The same stands true for Face ID, Repair Assistant and biometric authentication.
All in all, based on the teardown experience, iFixit gave the iPhone 17e a score of 7 out of 10 due to its sheer swapability value. The forum noted that while it is true that Apple is still using “parts binning” to prevent parts compatibility, the fact that 16e and 17e are so similar inwards adds to their refurbishment and parts availability value.
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