Dell XPS and Amazon Kindle easier to repair than the iPad, Surface Pro

iFixit, known for ripping apart devices to reveal what they hold within, has released its new reparability guide for tablets. Engineers at iFixit disassembled and analysed each tablet to give them a reparability score between 0 and 10 (ten is awarded to the easiest to repair tablet). This guide reveals that the Dell XPS is the easiest to repair with a score that reads 9 followed by the Amazon Kindle with 8 out of 10 and Google nexus 7 with 7 out of 10. On the lower end of the ladder are Apple and Microsoft tablets – iPads with rating of 2 out of 10 and the most difficult to repair Surface Pro with 1 out of 10.

The Dell XPS is extremely easy to open and one can effortlessly remove its battery. It has colour-coded screws and labeled cables inside. On the flip side, it has the LCD infused to the glass. The Amazon Kindle sings to a similar tune as its easy to open with no proprietary fasteners. It has a simple design with standard Philips screws, but the glass panel is infused to the frame. Google’s Nexus 7 is also easy to open device with easily replaceable battery and no proprietary fasteners, but the LCD does not separate from front glass.

Microsoft Surface Pro is difficult to repair

Apple’s iPads (iPad 2 onwards) have scored really low – 2 out of 10. The key problem with the iPad mini or the new iPad is excessive use of adhesive; the parts have been miserably glued together; which makes it very difficult to separate or repair. Instead of screws or fasteners, Apple opts for buckets of glue. There are also high chances of cracking the screen during disassembly. On the other hand, the LCD is extremely easy to remove once the front panel is opened in the iPad 3 and iPad 4. The iPad mini has some hidden screws, which further complicate the process of disassembling it.

Microsoft’s Surface tablets are difficult to repair. The Surface RT is still at a better position than the Surface Pro which has lowly score of 1 out of 10 and takes the last position in iFixit’s reparability guide. The Surface RT is difficult to open and the LCD is fused to the front glass. The Surface Pro follows the iPad and has tons of adhesive holding the device in place. Opening the surface Pro risks shearing the display cables.
 
So, techies who love to repair gadgets or often indulge in quick device teardown should probably not lay their hands on the Microsoft Surface Pro.