Pixel 9 Pro teardown: Dual-entry design aids durability, easy-to-replace USB-C [Video]

A teardown of the Pixel 9 Pro XL from iFixit today goes into the design changes that Google implemented this year to improve durability and repairability.

Instead of having to remove the screen before getting access to anything else, which was the case on Pixel 6-8 Pro, the Pixel 9 Pro XL adopts a dual-entry design where both the front and back can be removed independently. As such, if you want to replace the battery, remove the rear glass panel and go from there. 

This won’t be an issue if your screen is already cracked, but iFixit had trouble removing that component without damaging. It’s described as “fragile,” but otherwise the top glass is easy to remove.

Similarly, removing the battery with the “sliding saw-style pull tab” continues to be difficult, which is a common complaint every year.

Meanwhile, the dual-entry design introduces a mid-plate that the screen is attached to, while the other components rest on the other side. That plate — which has a big hole in the middle covered by a heatsink for the screen (and possibly the battery) — provides additional structural rigidity, with Google touting the phones as being “twice as durable as Pixel 8.”

Notably, the USB-C port is now on a separate daughterboard (along with the SIM card) that allows for easier replacement if that component ever goes bad. (The vibration motor is placed above the port.)

L-R: USB-C, vibration motor

As such, the mainboard is not elongated (or vaguely E-shaped without the middle) and now just a rectangle at the top with the three cameras. This video doesn’t dive into the vapor chamber.