Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have a new frame design, which could make repairing the devices’ screens or swaps of their batteries easier, according to a teardown analysis by iFixit, a parts vendor and gadget-repair advocate.
However, iFixit gives the new phones a poor repairability score: 4 out of 10. That’s in part because Apple uses software to lock parts to specific devices, making independent fixes more difficult or near impossible.
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, which went on sale Friday, have a new design that attaches the phone’s main parts to an aluminum frame, which is bonded to the titanium casing that users touch on the outside, iFixit found. Since the two most common smartphone fixes are replacing the battery and screen, the new design gives repairers easier access to those parts.
Apple highlighted the change in its announcement this month and also dropped the price to swap a cracked back glass plate to $149 or $169, versus $499 or $549 on last year’s Pro models. Screen repairs remain the same price, $329 or $379, depending on display size. Last year’s mainstream model of the iPhone 14 — not the pricier Pro — also had a design featuring removable back glass.
iFixit’s analysis also highlighted that Apple’s iPhones are using a Qualcomm X70 modem to connect to cellular carriers, after Qualcomm announced earlier this month that it would supply Apple with modem chips through 2026.
However, iFixit, a strong advocate for the right-to-repair movement, said that many iPhone parts, including the phone’s Face ID sensor, Lidar camera and wireless charging coil, are not replaceable without using an official Apple configuration tool to authenticate them.
“Parts pairing in these models extends beyond mere mechanical compatibility, requiring authentication and pairing through Apple’s System Configuration tool, further limiting genuine replacements to Apple-blessed ones and substantially impacting independent repair enterprises and the overarching issue of e-waste,” iFixit wrote in a blog post.
Earlier this year, Apple backed a right-to-repair bill in California, which passed in September. It requires manufacturers such as Apple to make rental tools, repair guides and authorized parts available to users to repair devices at home. In 2022, Apple introduced Self Service Repair, which allows repair shops and end users to rent professional-level repair tools and buy replacement parts from Apple.
The right-to-repair movement is closely associated with the environmental movement, because repairing gadgets and extending their lifespans helps to keep them out of landfills. Apple’s product announcements earlier this month heavily emphasized the company’s environmental work, including marketing models of its Apple Watch Series 9 as carbon neutral. Apple representatives did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The position was valued at about $160 million as of Wednesday’s close.
Tripadvisor shares have been flat since the start of the year after plummeting more than 30% in 2024. Last year, the travel review and booking company said it created a special committee to explore potential options.
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Starboard Value has gained a reputation for pushing for changes such as new CEOs and cost cuts by acquiring significant shares in companies.
People stand in front of an Apple store in Beijing, China, on April 9, 2025.
Tingshu Wang | Reuters
Apple iPhone sales in China rose in the second quarter of the year for the first time in two years, Counterpoint Research said, as the tech giant looks to turnaround its business in one of its most critical markets.
Sales of iPhones in China jumped 8% year-on-year in the three months to the end of June, according to Counterpoint Research. It’s the first time Apple has recorded growth in China since the second quarter of 2023.
Apple’s performance was boosted by promotions in May as Chinese e-commerce firms discounted Apple’s iPhone 16 models, its latest devices, Counterpoint said. The tech giant also increased trade-in prices for some iPhone.
“Apple’s adjustment of iPhone prices in May was well timed and well received, coming a week ahead of the 618 shopping festival,” Ethan Qi, associate director at Counterpoint said in a press release. The 618 shopping festival happens in China every June and e-commerce retailers offer heavy discounts.
Apple’s return to growth in China will be welcomed by investors who have seen the company’s stock fall around 15% this year as it faces a number of headwinds.
Since then, Huawei has aggressively launched devices in China and has even begun dipping its toe back into international markets. The Chinese tech giant has found success eating away at some of Apple’s market share in China.
Huawei’s sales rose 12% year-on-year in the second-quarter, according to Counterpoint. The firm was the biggest player in China by market share in the second quarter, followed by Vivo and then Apple in third place.
“Huawei is still riding high on core user loyalty as they replace their old phones for new Huawei releases,” Counterpoint Senior Analyst Ivan Lam said.
Chinese tech giant Baidu has bolstered its core search platform with artificial intelligence in the biggest overhaul of the product in 10 years.
Analysts told CNBC the move was a bid to keep ahead of fast-moving rivals like DeepSeek, rather than traditional search players.
“There has been some small pressure on the search business but the focus on AI and Ernie Bot is a key move ahead,” Dan Ives, global head of tech research at Wedbush Securities, told CNBC by email. Ernie Bot is Baidu’s AI chatbot.
“Baidu is not waiting around to watch the paint dry, full steam ahead on AI,” he added.
Baidu AI overhaul
Baidu is China’s biggest search engine, but — as is also being seen by Google — the search market is being disrupted.
Users are flocking instead to AI services such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek, which shocked the world this year with its advanced model it claimed was created at a fraction of the cost of rivals.
But Kai Wang, Asia equity market strategist at Morningstar, also noted that short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou are also getting into AI search and piling pressure on Baidu.
To counter this, Baidu made some major changes to its core search product:
Users can now enter more than a thousand characters in the search box, versus 28 previously;
Questions can be asked in a more direct and conversational manner, mirroring how people now use chatbots;
Users can ask questions through voice but also prompt the seach engine with pictures and files;
Baidu has integrated its AI chatbot features, which enable users to generate photos, text and videos, into the product.
“This is more aligned with how people use ChatGPT and DeepSeek in terms of how they look for answers,” Wang said.
Outside of China, Google has also been looking to enhance its core search product with AI, highlighting how search has been under pressure from the burgeoning technology.
Baidu on the offense
Baidu was one of China’s first movers when it came to AI, releasing its first models and ChatGPT-style product Ernie Bot to the public in 2023. Since then, it has aggressively launched updated AI models.
However, the Beijing-headquartered company has also faced intense competition from fellow tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent, as well as upstarts such as DeepSeek.
These companies have also been launching new models and infusing AI into their products and Baidu’s stock has fallen behind as a result. Baidu shares have risen around 2.5% this year, versus a 30.5% surge for Alibaba and a 20% rise for Tencent.
“This is a defensive and offensive move … Baidu needs to be aggressive and perception-wise show they are not the little brother to Tencent on the AI front,” Wedbush Securities’ Ives added.
