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The Nexus 5 has received a good grade for repairability from the folks at iFixit.
Spelunking its way through the innards of the new Nexus, iFixit found most of the teardown trip relatively carefree. The panels are stuck together with plastic clips rather than glue, making the removal much easier. Alas, the bottom of the case did sport some adhesive, but that was quickly removed through one of iFixit’s magic tools.
The antennae for the Wi-Fi, MIMO, and GPS are nicely labeled to prevent any confusion. The battery is held in place by just the right amount of glue. The speaker also pops out with minimal effort. iFixit again had to use one of its tools to lift up the motherboard, eventually uncovering a Broadcom controller that handles the NFC (near-field communication) technology.
After removing the earpiece speaker, headphone jack, and front-facing camera, iFixit received a curveball. The phone’s front frame, LCD, and glass are fused together, presenting a challenge if the screen ever cracks.
The final grade: 8 out of 10 on the repairability scale (10 being the easiest to fix).
iFixit liked the Nexus 5’s modular internal design, mild adhesive to hold the parts together, and standardized screws. Only the fused front assembly earned a thumb’s down, which means that “fixing broken glass will be either expensive or very difficult.”
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