Category: How Tech Works

Explainers on how certain gadgets, features, or scientific concepts work in the context of everyday tech.

Banning Parts Pairing Won’t Lead to More iPhone Theft

We’re well on the way to solving the biggest problems with repair access: Manufacturers selling in New York need to provide customers with parts, tools, and documentation—and soon in California…

February 23, 2024

by Elizabeth Chamberlain - iFixit

How Tech Works

Why Charging Your Gadgets Over 80% Is Such a Bad Idea

Charging your phone’s battery to 100% is drastically shortening its useful life. But the fix is easy, and while auto companies have known about this and mitigated its consequences for…

February 14, 2024

by Charlie Sorrel - iFixit

Brain Candy

Anodizing the iPhone 15 Pro

Apple has used aluminum and stainless steel phone frames since the iPhone 2G’s introduction in 2007. However, last year’s iPhone 15 Pro got something new. A lightweight metal used in…

January 19, 2024

by Chayton Ritter - iFixit

How Tech Works

One Major Way Smartphone Batteries Can Catch Fire—and How to Prevent It

Lithium-ion polymer batteries, also known as lithium-polymer, or li-po for short, are awesome little pouches of energy that power our beloved smartphones, laptops, and tablets. Any portable gadget that requires…

November 17, 2022

by Arthur Shi - iFixit

Video

iFixit’s Most Interesting Teardown Finds of 2021

Note: The text below is based on a pre-shooting script for our video, iFixit’s Most Interesting Teardown Finds of 2021. The text may not perfectly match the dialogue in the…

December 15, 2021

by Michael Degnan

Tech News

Please Do Not Mount Your Phone to Your Motorcycle (Despite Apple’s Cool Ads)

Apple says two interesting, opposing things about the iPhone 13. One, an advertisement, says it’s the perfect phone for a dashing Spanish moto-scooter courier, guiding them to deliveries and meet-ups…

November 22, 2021

by Kevin Purdy

How Tech Works

The Chips You Find In iFixit Teardowns, Part 1: Power Management

It’s a time-consuming investigation, requiring intuition, experience, wonky Googling, esoteric apps, and spec sheet PDFs. It results in a single rainbow-colored, data-stuffed teardown step. It’s called Chip ID, and you…

August 31, 2021

by Arthur Shi - iFixit

Tech News

Here’s Why PS5 Joysticks Drift (and Why They’ll Only Get Worse)

Mere months have passed since the PS5’s hotly anticipated launch, and already there’s a class-action lawsuit brewing over joystick drift on Sony’s high-tech DualSense controllers. Who could have seen this…

February 17, 2021

by Kevin Purdy

How Tech Works

Ask iFixit: What Is Stretch Release Adhesive (and Why Do We Love It)?

There is a crucial point in every iFixit phone or tablet teardown where the future is about to take a drastic turn. It’s like right before the river card in…

October 28, 2020

by Kevin Purdy

How Tech Works

How LiDAR Works, and Why It’s in the iPhone 12 Pro

How will Apple get people to upgrade to an iPhone 12, now that most of us are home all day and don’t need a portable powerhouse? The world’s most valuable…

October 22, 2020

by Kevin Purdy