iPhone 18 Pro Teardowns Reveal Larger Batteries, Variable Aperture, and Repair Challenges

On the outside, the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max look identical to last year’s 17 Pro models, maintaining the same external dimensions. Inside, however, Apple has introduced several key upgrades: larger batteries, a new A20 Pro chip, an expanded vapor cooling system, and mechanical aperture blades in the primary camera lens.

As Apple's latest flagship phones land in consumer hands, they are also undergoing durability testing and teardown analysis across the tech community.

Tech reviewer Zach Nelson published two videos on his YouTube channel, JerryRigEverything, demonstrating the phone's scratch resistance, durability, and internal layout. Meanwhile, repair advocacy site iFixit performed its own teardown, though not without a few complications.

While removing the back glass panel proved straightforward, iFixit noted limited options for independent repairs beyond replacing the panel itself. Furthermore, out of four iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max units disassembled by iFixit, the internal plastic frame behind the screen snapped on three.

Because Apple does not sell this plastic support frame separately, damage to it requires replacing the entire screen module. While the display can technically be reattached without the frame, it will no longer sit flush against the body. Interestingly, Nelson did not encounter this issue during his teardown, ultimately praising Apple’s design for repairability.


US models (eSIM-only) feature larger battery capacities than international models, as removing the physical SIM tray frees up internal volume.

Another major internal update is the main camera's variable aperture system, constructed from six paper-thin mechanical blades. CNET cinematographer Celso Bulgatti captured the mechanism operating in real time during testing.

However, this mechanical complex poses repair challenges. iFixit noted that if the variable aperture fails or becomes jammed, replacing the aperture mechanism independently will not be feasible. Instead, the entire main camera array will require replacement.

Despite these potential hurdles, iFixit awarded both the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max a provisional repairability score of 7 out of 10—matching the scores given to the iPhone 17 Pro and 16 Pro generations.

You can watch more of iFixIt’s findings in the company’s full teardown video below.