Moto X iFixit Teardown Shows Ample Glue, Scores 7 Out Of 10

The folks at iFixit have tore their way into Google's Moto X, laying its innards bare for all to gawk at while apprising the setup like a wizened surgeon. At the end of it all, though the handset did earn some elements of criticism, iFixit found it to be mostly easy to repair, giving it a score of 7 out of 10 while finding the amount of glue to be most bothersome.

Inside, we get a look at the X8 MobileComputing System, as Motorola calls it, which features the two processing cores, the two language and contextual learning cores, and the quad-core GPU. The system seems to be completely covered over, but some thought was put into place regarding DIYers, such as the ribbon cables being structured in such a way that taking off the back won't put you at risk of tearing one out.

The Moto X's bragging points come by way of cable connectors and pressure contacts that make it easy for DIYers to replace certain components, such as the speakers and cameras. In addition, the use of a single T3 screw size makes for easier removal of screws, eliminating the need to hunt for different tool sizes.

The criticism starts with the battery, which the folks at iFixit say is taped in place and harder to get at than most would prefer. In its defense, however, it isn't buried too deeply, so there isn't much fighting to perform once the back cover comes off. And then there's the digitizer, which is fused to the display. While the midframe can be replaced on its own, the fused components means higher repair cost if the screen cracks.

The downside is the ample amount of adhesive and glue that is used, particularly with the back cover, making opening the handset not terribly easy. Overall, though, the Motorola Moto X scored near the top of the list. Those who find reason to crack their handset open will be able to do so, and after some wrangling with the adhesive will find it fairly simple to proceed.

SOURCE: Android Community