The new iPhone 16 and 16 Plus may look similar on the outside, but there are some major changes on the inside. And the coolest by far is one you’ll probably never see.
In its customary teardown, iFixit has discovered several small changes to the internal layout of parts, including a new L-shaped logic board and the removal of one of the mmWave 5G antennas. Most of these changes are due to the batteries, which are both larger than the iPhone 15 models and have “a hard steel case instead of a soft pouch.”
But the coolest feature is hidden under the battery. iFixit discovered that the batteries are secured by a smart adhesive “that can debond when you pass an electrical current through it.” Not only does that mean it will stay in place until an electric charge is applied to it, it also means “no more reliance on finicky, brittle adhesive strips, just a consistent, easily repeatable process.”
There aren’t even pull tabs. The way it works is the adhesive stays stuck until a 9V current runs through it. Like a car battery, you’ll need to attach an alligator clip to the silver tab on the battery and another to the grounding screw by the USB-C port. Hook it up to a power source and wait about a minute and the battery will magically release from the case.
Then when you replace it with a new battery, the substrate layer will rebond to the case. You can watch it in action in the video below.
Author: Michael Simon, Executive Editor, Macworld
Michael Simon has been covering Apple for more than 20 years. He started covering rumors with Spymac when the iPod was the iWalk, and has owned nearly every iPhone Apple has ever made. He lives in Connecticut with his wife, son, and far too many gadgets.