The Huawei Mate 40 Pro is so mired in strangely hardy glue that the display shattered during iFixit's teardown

It's what's inside that counts. That was the conclusion when we reviewed Huawei's Mate 40 Pro earlier this year, which was spectacular from a hardware perspective, but hamstrung by the absence of the Google Play Store. iFixit's teardown of the premium handheld seems to have reached the same conclusion. Technically impressive, …

[DavCrav]

" iFixit commended Huawei's decision to use pull-tabs on the phone's battery, which makes servicing this component straightforward."

You mean, once you've smashed the screen to get to it?

"iFixit ultimately gave Huawei a repairability score of four"

What the hell do you need to do to get a score of less than 4? It explodes if you undo a screw?

Edit: I've re-read it and it seems they smashed the screen getting to different components. But it also said they had a lot of trouble removing the backplate. So I'm still confused as to how easy it genuinely is to change the battery,

[Bronek Kozicki]

non-standard screws; replacing battery requires actual total disassembly (as opposed "you need to remove some difficult parts first") or battery is on strong glue; replacing ports is near impossible.

Microsoft Surface Duo got a score of 2, Motorola razr 2020 got 1 ; these things are near impossible to disassemble. Have a look at https://www.ifixit.com/smartphone-repairability :)

[Magani]

I did it Huawei

Given the exposure about the cosy relationship between Huawei and the CCP, and the potential for backdoors, who would buy one?

Asking for a friend, you understand.

[Barry Rueger]

Re: I did it Huawei

Absolutely would. We have a P20 and a P30 in this house and they are hands down the nicest , and most rugged, phones we've owned.

As far as the glue, one rule of building stuff like portable electronics is "if it can't move, it won't break." Given that 99.99% of smartphone owners will never, ever have a phone serviced it makes perfect sense.

If lots of glue keeps the phone secure until the three year upgrade then Huawei has made the right choice.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I did it Huawei

Chinese heh,,

[Terry Barnes]

Re: I did it Huawei

The number of phone repair shops in the High Street where I live suggests strongly your ‘99.99%’ is some way off the truth. Five shops for 31,000 people would mean each shop has a single customer every other month.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: I did it Huawei

On the other hand, I use those sort of shops on rare occasions for accessories, and that's generally why others are there too. There's usually at least a couple of phones on the work bench, but I wonder how much of the "repair shops" business is repairs and not sales of cases, chargers, screen prtectors and batteries?

[Roland6]

Re: I did it Huawei

>but I wonder how much of the "repair shops" business is repairs and not sales of ...

According to the owner of my local repair shop, the market has changed over the years and they do rely more on the accessory sales now. Increasingly, he is simply sending phones away to authorised repairers for anything that requires removal of a glued-on cover/case.

[Lazlo Woodbine]

Re: I did it Huawei

Given the number of people I see with smashed screens, I guess most of their business is screen replacement

[Roland6]

Re: I did it Huawei

>I guess most of their business is screen replacement

You would have thought so, but replacing screens on say an iPhone is no longer a relatively quick and simple job, so costs more (in real terms) than doing the same for an older clip&screwed together phone.

SO one of the reasons you are seeing so many smashed screens is that people aren't getting them repaired and are simply living with the phone, as the next upgrade is just a few months away...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I did it Huawei

Yes to Huawei.

I've had a Mate 20 Pro for a while. It's outlasted two other Nokia handsets in this household that are newer purchases. It's excellent.

And, of course, most phones are made in China anyway.

My thoughts go to the Trump Huawei bans.

On the one hand, the Mate 40 Pro is Google-free. In many ways, that's a huge attraction. There is a Huawei app store, so it is easy to get apps from there, without the Google data-harvesting (the Mate 20 Pro has the Huawei store *and* the Google Play store installed by default).

On the other hand, the Mate 40 Pro is Google-free. So I'll be limited to *only* getting apps from the Huawei app store. So I'll miss out on some apps I currently use. Yes, there is probably some side-loading fix for that, but it's risky and difficult, and I'm lazy.

Really, I just want another Windows phone. Anything else is a grudge purchase, when the Mate 20 Pro eventually needs replacing.

[The Original Steve]

Re: I did it Huawei

@AC

Totally agree. My Mate 20 Pro is out of contract as of last week after 2 years of solid service and I'm thinking of just going SIM free. Sincerely miss my Lumia 950 XL too.

Real shame about the P40 Pro being sans GMS, if only for a few key banking apps.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I did it Huawei

you sound like me. I had various windows phone my 950XL was my last I then got a Mate 20Pro which was a fab phone, I've just given it to my wife and got a oppo findX pro which is ok, if it wasn't for the trump google ban I would have had a Mate40 :o(

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I did it Huawei

"...to *only* getting apps..."

Why?

Other stores are available, eg https://f-droid.org/

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: I did it Huawei

@Magani

I bought one. Just to spite Trump.

Cheers.. Ishy

[Zebo-the-Fat]

Re: I did it Huawei

Ohh.. Chinese backdoors... they may be able to read the text saying "I'll be home in 20 minutes" Good luck to them if that interests them!

(Don't use the phone for banking or anything else sensitive.... so not worried)

[seven of five]

Plus points for Phillips screws?

Phillips heads are an advantage? Are we talking about the same all-slightly-different heads which are unable to transfer any torque and do slip out of you screwdriver unless you happen to have the very same make as the manufacturer OR some ridicously expensive "made in Germany" precision ones?

Give me Torx heads anytime. Good ones (not more expensive than PH ones) can even grip a screw downwards.

[Anonymous Coward]

Given that most people can't be trusted to open a newspaper these days, what is a realistic expectation when it comes to servicing and repairing a device the vast majority of the population (and I include myself in this) simply don't understand.

How many people even in here could adequately explain how a rechargeable battery works? Or a flat panel display?

Most people would struggle to describe how a toaster works, and even those who could probably wouldn't be able to build their own. (Yes, it has some wire that gets hot when you run a current through it. But how does the mechanism for holding the toast down work? How does the timer work? What type of wire is best? What current should be applied? Is AC better than DC? What is AC and DC? Can I use a shark mounted laser instead?)

It's a nice sentiment that you should be able to repair something you own, but that stopped being realistic for most people at least a hundred years ago.

[My other car WAS an IAV Stryker]

"It's a nice sentiment that you should be able to repair something you own, but that stopped being realistic for most people at least a hundred years ago."

I remember family trips to various motor shops to get the old furnace fan motor cleaned out and/or re-wound. My dad was handy enough to change oil on both cars and tractors* and do various repairs (sweating pipe especially) but not to dive into electrics.

* Everything more complicated was left to licensed mechanics: brakes, steering, suspension, ignition, etc.

My career is electrical but it's all "knowledge work" with very little hands-on, so I can't handle motors either. A while back he did teach me the oil changes**, but I've never had to sweat pipe and don't intend to learn unless I have to (especially since I know compression fittings).

** I stopped a few years back when a neighbor got crushed and died changing his own oil. Now I only jack up the car to remove the front tire to open the underbody panel to change headlight bulbs -- what a process!

[Andy The Hat]

Seems that for most stuff I'm a hundred years old then ...

[ThatOne]

> What is AC and DC?

Rock band?

[Anonymous Coward]

There's always one. :)

[jgarbo]

Did iFixit ask Huawei

Anyone ask Huawei about glue, repairs, parts? The Chinese want to sell stuff, gain market share. How? Hi-Qal, repairable (keep customers for next upgrade), stuff that works. iFixit are slack. In Bangkok, we fix Huawei gear easily. Of course it helps if you speak Chinese. So learn it...