Abstract:
According to Apple’s latest product information documents submitted to regulatory agencies in accordance with EU energy efficiency and product environmental labeling regulations, the newly released iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max have achieved a slight improvement in overall repairability ratings, and the overall repair difficulty is slightly lower than that of the previous generation iPhone 17 Pro series models. Both new models were ultimately rated "C" in the EU's mandatory A to E energy efficiency and maintenance labeling system.
In accordance with the EU's energy efficiency labeling regulations for smartphones and mobile computing devices, all mobile phone manufacturers selling in the EU market must conduct multi-dimensional independent quantitative assessments of the repairability of their products in accordance with unified legal standards. This scoring system subdivides the assessment into six core dimensions: disassembly depth, fastener types, required repair tools, spare parts supply, software update support cycle, and repair technical information transparency.
https://regulatoryinfo.apple.com/cwt/api/ext/file?fileId=energyLabels/A3714_V1/A3714/A3714_PIS_LotX_FR_French.pdf
Officially disclosed comparative data shows that the comprehensive repairability index of iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max increased slightly from 3.04 points of the previous iPhone 17 Pro series to 3.14 points, achieving a net increase of 0.10 points. This improvement is mainly due to the technical adjustments of two specific indicators: First, the score of the required repair tools dimension jumped significantly from 2.05 points of the previous generation to 2.55 points, an increase of 0.50 points, indicating that Apple may have optimized the disassembly and assembly tool adaptation scheme for specific key components inside the fuselage or lowered the threshold for use of special special tools; second, the score of the disassembly depth dimension increased slightly from 2.65 points to 2.75 points, showing that the disassembly level of some internal components on the physical structure stack has been simplified.
In other scoring dimensions, the two generations of Pro series flagships have maintained consistent levels. The fastener type dimension remains at 3.80 points, the spare parts availability score is 4.00 points, and the transparency of official maintenance guidelines and technical information provided to third parties and the public continues to maintain a perfect score of 5.00 points. In terms of software update support cycle, both models were rated 1.00 points; this relatively low single score is mainly due to the European Union's rating details - regulatory agencies require hardware manufacturers to make a written commitment at the legal obligation level to provide minimum system support for more than five years in order to obtain higher-tier bonus points. Although Apple generally provides life cycle updates for several years or more for devices in actual operations, it usually only indicates the legal minimum commitment period in legal filings.
Industry analysts pointed out that from the slight changes in the above-mentioned scoring dimensions, it can be seen that the iPhone 18 Pro series as a whole still uses the body structure and repair process path that are highly similar to the iPhone 17 Pro, and no disruptive internal structural reconstruction has occurred. However, Apple has made local targeted fine-tuning in terms of assembly process, accessibility of specific parts, and convenience of repair and disassembly tools. As for the detailed mechanical changes and component layout reconstruction that have been made inside the new phone, it is expected that after the new phone is launched on September 18, the disassembly report released by iFixit, a third-party professional disassembly and repair organization, will be further verified. In addition, because Apple’s first foldable screen model iPhone Duo is scheduled to be delivered in October and has not yet opened for pre-order, Apple has not yet submitted and announced detailed EU repairability data for the foldable device.
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