Detailed teardown of the US version of Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max: Using plastic spacers instead of SIM card trays

Repair site iFixit today shared an in-depth teardown video of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, providing a detailed look at the inside of the device. Notably, the teardown shows Apple replacing the SIM card tray on the U.S. model with a plastic spacer.

All four iPhone 14 models sold in the U.S. no longer have a physical SIM card tray and have moved entirely to eSIM. the teardown confirms that instead of using the internal space freed up by removing the tray for other components or added features, Apple has filled the gap with a square piece of plastic. Outside of the U.S., all iPhone 14 models still come with a SIM card tray in this space.

iFixit has provided a close-up image of the iPhone 14 Pro Max motherboard with the faster A16 Bionic chip soldered to it and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X65 modem, which offers 5G and satellite connectivity.

While the standard iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus can be opened from the back and feature a more serviceable design with an easily removable display and back glass panel, these design changes do not extend to the Pro version of the model. The iPhone 14 Pro Max can still only be opened from the front, and the back glass does not support removal. The internal design of the device remains largely unchanged from the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The iPhone 14 Pro model does not have a removable back glass, making it more expensive to repair. The Apple Store charges $3,598 and $3,998 to repair a broken back glass on iPhone 14 Pro models without AppleCare +, compared to $1,298 and $1,548 for standard iPhone 14 models.

iFixit shared a teardown of the iPhone 14 earlier this week, praising the device's easier-to-fix interior design. iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are the first iPhone models since the iPhone 4S that can be opened from the back of the device. iFixit gave the iPhone 14 a 7 out of 10 for repairability, the highest score since the iPhone 7 in 2016. That's the highest score (out of 10) since iPhone 7 in 2016 - in other words, it's the easiest generation of iPhone to repair in six years.