Pixel 9 Pro Fold Teardown! The Most Exciting Foldable Yet!

Warming up for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold teardown When it comes to repair, the Pixel 9  Pro Fold is not like other foldable   smartphones. It’s not even like the  Pixel 9 Pro XL we just tore down. The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the most  exciting foldable device that we’ve   seen on the iFixit teardown table.  Let's take a look at why that is. On day one, Google made repair manuals  and spare parts for the Pixel 9 Pro   Fold available to consumers. That’s  a huge positive because a repairable   smartphone without spare parts is like a pinata  without sweets. It’s just going to disappoint. A quick disclaimer before we start the teardown:  We work with Google to provide spare parts through   Google Pixel spare parts our store but our teardowns are performed  independent of any input from Google.   If you’re thinking about upgrading your older  Pixel phone to one of these latest devices,   hold off! We’ve got a ton of Screen and  Battery Fix kits for Pixel phones that   have all the parts and tools you’ll need to  get your old phone running like new again,   and step-by-step guides that walk you  through the entire process of repairing   your device. Check out the links  in the description for more info! CT scans of the Pixel 9 Pro Fold The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is no empty pinata.  Thanks to our friends at Lumafield,   we’re able to see the intricate details of this  foldable before diving into the teardown proper. You can get your hands on an interactive version  of this scan and check out anything from the   cameras to the hinge mechanism, just head on over  to our blog post on iFixit.com.On to the teardown! Tearing down the Pixel 9 Pro Fold ft. repair guides! Since we have a repair guide for this device, we  might as well follow it! To get things started,   I’m going to remove the back cover  without using any heat. To my surprise,   it works! It took a bit more prying than I’d  like but you can’t argue with the results! It takes only a few moments to cut  through the adhesive and lifting   the back cover reveals a single  press connector secured by a Torx   screw. Swiftly dispatching that connector  lets me remove the rear cover entirely. No heat screen removal is the future Here’s another repairability win, the  outside screen can also be removed   without heat! In fact, this screen comes  away far more easily than the rear cover. Another Torx screw holds a press connector  in place and Popping that connector lets   me remove the exterior panel and reveal the  interior of both sides of this foldable phone. Starting on the right-hand side, I  have two screws to remove and that   lets me remove one of the interconnect  cables running across the battery. Another two screws towards the bottom  of the phone frees up two more press   connectors and that now lets me clear  the battery of both interconnect cables. It looks like this daughterboard  housing the sim reader is now   free so I’m going to eject the sim  tray and remove the board entirely. Let’s remove the mainboard Moving to the opposite side, I’m undoing  all the screws and brackets I can find,   stopping for a moment to  disconnect the battery connector,   and from there moving on to disconnect the  remaining brackets, antennas, and cables. There are a few to be sure but eventually,   I’m able to remove the mainboard, camera  assembly, and 5G antenna all in one go. With the mainboard out the way I  can remove the lower speaker and   the modular and replaceable USB-C  port. USB-C ports suffer a lot of   mechanical wear so being able to remove  this part is a big repairability win. Google sucks at battery pull tabs But for all these positives, the Pixel 9 Pro  Fold still uses the same sucky battery pull   tabs I found in the Pixel 9 Pro XL. This time  I followed the manual and applied 70°C heat for   5 minutes. It did diddly squat and I ended up  using a suction cup and alcohol to get it out. The same goes for the big battery. Come on Google,   you’ve come so far. Why use these lackluster  pull tabs? Again, a few drops of isopropyl   alcohol loosens the adhesive enough to  suction the last battery out of the case. The smaller battery is rated for  4.68 Wh and the larger battery is   A closer look at those batteries rated for 13.4 Wh, giving the device  a combined 18.08 Wh to draw from. Removing the inner foldable screen (in pieces) I’ve removed all the critical components in this  device and all that’s left is the foldable oled.   Any inner screen repair would involve buying  the housing and inner screen as a single module   and replacing all these components inside  the new housing. But that’s not going to  stop us. For the sake of the teardown, we’re going to  continue and remove that inner screen. Just   like all other foldables, the process  is pretty destructive when performed   by a layman. I’ve done this a half dozen  times now and each time the screen gets   ruined in the process. This is simply not a  serviceable component for us mere mortals. But since Google is committed to offering the   replacement part at launch,  it softens the blow a bit. It’s a more repairable foldable than most So what makes the Pixel 9 Pro Fold the  most exciting foldable we’ve seen? Well,   it all comes down to Google providing  repair guides and replacement parts at   launch. While it’s something more and  more companies are looking at doing,   it’s still pretty rare to find this level of  commitment to repair from a major manufacturer. Combine parts and guides with a  device that’s easy to open and has   modular parts and you’ve got a phone  with very little to complain about.