After their prompt EarPods teardown, the iFixit team wasted no time in disassembling the iPhone 5, which is hitting U.S. retail stores today, Sept. 21.
In its assessment of the devices it tears down, iFixit focuses on repairability, and this is where the iPhone 5 scores well: 7 out of 10 (10 being the easiest to repair), which is one point better than the iPhone 4S' score.
The glass and the display come off the device quite easily, and so does the battery, which is good news.
Unfortunately, the front glass, digitizer and LCD are all one component, which increases repair cost. Also, Apple still uses non-standard Pentalobe screws on the iPhone 5, and a lot of smaller components are soldered to a single ribbon cable.
Luckily, those downsides don't spoil the overall score for the iPhone 5 -- since a shattered screen is a very common cause for repair, the fact that it comes off the device first is very positive.