The Pixel 9 Pro XL video teardown has me doubting you'll use this phone for seven years
It's gonna break, just not the way you think it's gonna break.
This is why we love iFixit. We recently got to see a cool teardown video from iFixit for the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Most of the reporting surrounding this is about how Google designed the 9 series to be more durable and how it does better in drop testing, but for me, that's not the real story here.
The device gets a mediocre repairability score of 5, which is generous from what I see. A trained professional with all the right tools wasn't able to open the phone without breaking the display. Removing the battery was a nightmare for the very same professional. And this phone is supposed to last for seven years?
Look, anything will last seven years (or longer) if you're willing to spend money on it. But Google has made a big deal about supporting its devices for seven years, so now it needs to build them in a way that is designed to be easy to keep alive for that long. I just ain't seeing it here.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL design has a few (almost) saving graces. You don't have to remove the display to change the battery. That's good because the display will break while trying to remove it, and the battery will need replacing long before your seven years are up. Unfortunately, removing and replacing the battery is going to be unnecessarily difficult.
That doesn't account for all the other things that can easily wear out during the rated life of the phone. A great example is that your USB port is going to get loose and might need replacing. If you use the phone — or any phone — for seven years you'll probably need to replace or repair something.
It doesn't have to be this way.
Seven years is dumb anyway
The idea of using a phone for seven years is a bit silly anyway. For some people (like me), having to only spend money and buy a phone every seven years is awesome. New stuff will come, and I might want some of it, but as long as it still does what it does today, I'm good.
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Most people don't see it that way. That new thing Google shows off that isn't going to work on your old phone is all the reason you need to buy a new one. That's how this works — even on the iPhone. New features will require new hardware, and you're going to be left out.
Google (and Samsung and Apple and every other phone maker) knows this. They count on it and show you things only to tell you that you need something newer to use them. I appreciate that companies support their products longer, but I don't pretend they do it because they are the good guy. They will get you to part with your money one way or another.
The better way
Google doesn't have to invent anything here. I recently looked at the HMD Skyline. It's a pretty good mid-range phone with a cool camera. One thing special to me is that it's built so that you can open it and change the battery yourself. My problem is that it has a very short three-year support window.
Then there's Fairphone, which makes phones with a 100% repairability score. If you follow instructions and have the right tools, you can easily keep them running when parts break.
Even if you don't want to swap the battery or the USB port yourself, any shop is going to be able to do these repairs without breaking anything else or charging you more than it's worth.
A big reason why Google makes Pixel phones is to show everyone what it thinks a smartphone should be. They are the definition of a halo device.
Why not go a step further and design them so that your seven-year support promise means a little more? I probably won't drop my phone and break the screen, accidentally leave it in the sun, or do anything else to "break" my phone. I will use it enough that I'll need a new battery in a few years.
If it were easy to swap and something anyone could do themselves, it'd be another selling point of a pretty damn good line of phones.
Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Threads.
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rvbfan Eh, what else is new. Pooping on pixel's.Reply
Will you keep your S24/25 or any other phone for 7 years? Crap article. -
YankInDaSouth I will not keep any phone for 7 years unless cell phone production ceases. My addiction is too strong LOLReply -
geemymd about the battery life..the pixel 9 pro XL has good thermal not running or charging above 40°C and with adaptive charging or the new charging limits coming with android 15, I think with you can expect the battery to last much longer. I've been charging my last 5 phones to 80% daily using accubattery and most of the time laying the flat part of the back of the case flat on a glass or metal surface, which keeps the temperature down and lets the phone charge quicker but with less strain on the battery. I'm totally conscious I'm kind of a battery nerd and 99.9% people don't even think about optimizing their phone battery life.Reply
Although I'm selling. my phones after 1 year, and although I have pretty heavy use, with close to a battery cycle per day, they have 0-1% percent degradation after one year. I'm sure the battery would last 7 years without breaking a sweat. Now that battery charge limit is going to be more practical, and accessible to everyone out of the box, plus more and more people owning EVs and more and more battery powered tools or appliances, and being introduced to basic practices to extend their battery life, and realizing the effort -reward, because, I think battery life lasting longer and longer is going to become more common with time.
Most people know you have to let a gas car come to temperature before using high rpm/high load.
the reason why I'm upgrading every year is the large rebates that google does on the pixels as soon as they are released, 0% financing, high trade in offers and easy private resale of a 1 yo flagship which doesn't cost more than owning 2-5 years. -
Jerry Hildenbrand
I'd never buy a Galaxy S24.SeeBeeEss said:Cool. Now do the Samsung Galaxy S24. 😉 -
Stanley Kubrick Let's be honest here...or real at least...how many people are going to still be using a brand new phone SEVEN years from now? If it amounts to 1% I would be surprised. This is why the whole issue of "how long" will the OEM support the device is MOOT!Reply
Having said that I do feel that for the $$$$$$$$$ flagships, and even the $$$$$ midranges a better warranty is needed/expected/appreciated and will go a long way towards more sales!
But we all know the OEM's want you to buy a new phone every year and any gimmick they can come up with to separate you from your money is what they care about and NOTHING more! We all know this! -
politebat2001 7 years....please. This phone will be gone in a year. Other than my kids I don't know anything I keep longer than 7 years..., cars, phones, homes, computers. 4 years max.Reply -
SeeBeeEss
Honestly, I wouldn't either, but it has more to do with price, hardware/software features that I want/need or don't want/need and my personal UI preference (Pixel) than if Samsung's hardware will last as long as their 7-year update policy for the device.Jerry Hildenbrand said:I'd never buy a Galaxy S24.
For me, the same holds true for the Pixel line and I am not buying a 9 series phone because I don't find the hardware/software features compelling enough to justify the price in Canada (we don't get the same promotional pricing and we get a lot less in trade than our American counterparts, so many of us can't just trade in the last "latest and greatest" Pixel device every year and get the newest "latest and greatest" phone for a few dollars).
While I get where you are coming from and would love to see a great many consumer products last a little longer than they currently do (I don't particularly care for our throwaway culture and do my best to be mindful of how I use and dispose of things), like the majority of consumers, I have seldom kept a smartphone longer than two or three years (longest was a BlackBerry Passport at 4 years). That being said, it is nice to know that irrespective of how long I keep my Pixel 8 Pro, software updates will continue for me and whoever I sell/gift it to when I move on to my next device. Will the P8P hardware last 7 years? Probably not, but maybe.
Whether I agree or disagree with you, I always enjoy reading what you have to say. Thanks. -
bobbeh a 7 year guarantee isn't there because they expect you to keep the phone for 7 years, it's about guaranteeing your phone will be supported as long as you keep it. 2 years? 4? 7? Doesn't matter, because you can keep it until you consider it to be obsolete, rather than being forced to upgrade because it has been deemed obsolete by the oem.Reply -
Stanley Kubrick
You keep your kids for more than 4 years???? I am in the process of replacing my 8 year old laptop. Still works but the bottom of the case is pulling away from the frame. I guess dropping it a few times in 8 years aged it a little.politebat2001 said:7 years....please. This phone will be gone in a year. Other than my kids I don't know anything I keep longer than 7 years..., cars, phones, homes, computers. 4 years max.