No bowl, Google forgot to pay attention to the repairability of its Pixel 9a

Repairability is like a cards castle: it is enough that an element is shared for everything to collapse. In the small world of the smartphone, nothing illustrates it better than Google Pixel 9a. Recently released, Google’s phone has a very annoying concern for the battery.

As ifixit And The Youtuber Jerryrigeverhy have shown it, the latter seems far too severely glued to the frame of the phone. A choice that could pose important long -term problems.

A complex and risky process

The video soberly called “Do not buy the Pixel 9a” shows that the component is a real hell to dissociate from the carcass of the phone. Despite the presence of two extraction tabs, the battery is impossible to take off manually. Even by delicately sliding a few drops of isopropyl alcohol under the battery, it remains very difficult to remove the battery without specific tools.

The fault of “Very resistant adhesive stripsWho hold the component in place, note Ifixit. In its battery change tutorial, the specialized site advises squarely keeping the phone on a table with clamps, then melt the glue with hairdryer or thermal pistol before lifting the battery using the tabs provided. “”If you don’t have pliers, ask a friend to keep the phone firmly in place“Indicates the site.

Needless to say, needing that they need four hands or site pliers to take off a battery is not exactly what one might call easy repair. And it is without even counting on the unnecessarily complex disassembly course which leads so far (with screws hidden under certain elements) and the danger that can represent the fact of heating a battery directly using a thermal pistol.

The problem is all the more embarrassing that Apple or Samsung have found much more practical ways to dissociate the battery of their phones. That this is with an electric adhesive for the first Or simply simply with better thoughts for the second.

Repairability is not limited to spare parts

Remember that the lithium batteries on board our phones have a structural expiration date due to the way they are built. After a small thousand charging cycles, they lose capacity until it becomes less and less usable. It is for this reason that the batteries are one of the most frequently changed components when going to after -sales service. To offer the longest life as possible to your phone, it is essential to be able to change the battery.

The situation also takes on a somewhat ironic character, since Google has teamed up a few years ago with Ifixit a few years ago to promote repair and facilitate access to spare parts. But, As the CEO of Ifixit recalled, little ago “”A product that lasts is part of an ecosystem, if it lacks a single element in this ecosystem, everything collapses. »Offering easy and inexpensive access to spare parts is one thing, ensuring that the latter can be changed easily is another.

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