Apple rates iPhone 18 Pro slightly easier to repair than 17 Pro

Apple’s repairability scores suggest that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max are slightly easier to repair than the iPhone 17 Pro and ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ Max. Apple has published the repairability data in a product information sheet required by European energy labeling regulations (PDF).

The EU requires smartphone makers to self-assess repairability in categories such as depth of disassembly, fasteners, tools, replacement parts, software update duration and repair information. Each category gets a score from 0 to 5, which is combined into the overall index. Here are the scores of the ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ and Pro Max compared to the scores of the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and Pro Max.

• Overall index – 3.14, up 0.10 from 3.04
• Disassembly depth – 2.75, up 0.10 from 2.65
• Fasteners – 3.80, no change
• Tools – 2.55, up 0.50 from 2.05
• Spare parts – 4:00 p.m., no change
• Software updates – 1.00, no change (EU only grants higher software core when manufacturers agree to support devices beyond the five year minimum)
• Repair information – 5:00 p.m., no change

It appears that the ‌iPhone 17 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ models have similar builds and are repaired largely the same way, but there are small gains in terms of tools and teardown depth. Apple may have new tools to access certain components, but the regulatory documents don’t go into detail. Both devices are Class C on the AE scale that appears on the iPhone’s label.

We won’t have to wait long to see what’s changed in the new iPhone models, as repair site iFixit is likely planning a teardown of one of the new iPhones on September 18 or shortly after the launch date.

Since the iPhone Duo is not yet available for pre-order, Apple has not released similar repair data for the device.