The HTC One (M8) is a well-built smartphone that may survive most beatings and even water damage, but once a component breaks – whether it’s a cracked screen, malfunctioning battery or anything else – users are not advised to try to repair the unit themselves. iFixit already performed an “official” teardown of the handset, revealing it’s just as difficult to repair as its predecessor – the device got a 2/10 repairability score. The group even managed to sever the digitizer cable while trying to remove the display.
“It’s very difficult—although no longer impossible—to open the device without damaging the rear case. This makes every component extremely difficult to replace,” iFixit concluded, adding that battery and screen replacements are particularly annoying.
“The battery is buried beneath the motherboard and adhered to the midframe, hindering its replacement. The display assembly cannot be replaced without tunneling through the entire phone. This makes one of most common repairs, a damaged screen, very difficult to accomplish,” the publication said. Furthermore, “copious amounts of tape, adhesive and copper shielding make many components difficult to remove and replace.”
For what it’s worth, HTC confirmed during the HTC One (M8) announcement event that it will offer buyers a free screen replacement, but the deal is only good if the screen breaks in the first six months.
An image showing the new HTC One torn apart follows below along with a video of the teardown.
