iPhone gets a D– for repairability

The iPhone is the least repairable phone on the market, according to repairability experts. Phones from Samsung and Google aren’t far behind.

The latest repairability ratings come from an annual report titled “Fix failed» published today by the consumer advocacy group AMERICAN PIRG. A 2021 French law required products to be labeled with repairability scores, and US PIRG says this is the first report since then that actually shows which companies are or are not making progress. The answer is that repairability is progressing much more quickly in some places than in others.

The results were good for phones made by Motorolawhich got a B+. Google phones I got a C–. The verdict was worse for Samsung phoneswho got a D. Last on the list was Apple with a D–. Apple and Samsung did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Scores were better for laptops than smartphones, with Asus leading the way with a B+ and Apple bottoming out with its MacBooks with a C–.

The authors of the report hope that the publication of these low scores will encourage manufacturers to do better.

“Having these right incentives in place could push these companies to make really beneficial innovations,” says Nathan Proctor, senior director of the US PIRG Right to Repair Campaign. “Instead of finding new ways to shove AI down our throats, you can create things that last and that we can repair.”

Despite numerous right to repair Concessions made by companies, such as making their tools, parts and repair instructions publicly available, these rankings are lower than in years past, largely because of new information gleaned from European laws requiring repair scores to be printed on product packaging.

French law classifies products based on their ease of disassembly, the provision of documentation and tools, and the availability and price of spare parts. In 2023, the European Union adopted a law establishing the European Product Register for energy labelinga process that ranks devices based on key repairability factors, such as ease of product access and disassembly, battery endurance, ingress protection like waterproofing, and the durability needed to withstand repeated drops. Rankings range from A to F.

To establish its own ratings, the US PIRG compares the EPREL and French repair indices with other US-specific factors, such as whether companies actively lobby against the right to repair or are members of trade associations that do so.

“If you buy your equipment from a company that spends its money lobbying against your right to repair that thing, that doesn’t speak to their support or your ability to repair this problem,” Proctor says. “So we also award points for some of these legislative activities. »

Apple’s phones are scoring better than in years past, like when iPhones were awarded a Rating F in 2022. (iPhones got a C– in 2025.) The low grade for Apple phones comes down to software support and how EU laws track information about what companies enable in their products. Under EU laws, companies must self-declare how well their devices meet repair requirements. And these rankings tend to give quite low scores.

“When we graded a curve, Apple didn’t stand out in the wrong column,” Proctor says. “But why are we following a curve? We should just have products that last longer.”

According to Proctor, the ultimate goal of these rankings is to draw attention to the importance of repairability, accessibility and waste reduction.

“This is an emerging and vitally important issue on which we need better leadership from business and other public policy makers,” Proctor says. “We shouldn’t destroy all of our internet-connected devices every two years because they can’t be used with software. That’s totally unsustainable. That’s crazy. Let’s not build that world. That world is a dystopia.”

“I’m actually pretty confident that some of these issues will be resolved,” Proctor adds. “Apple engineers are good at creating things. They’re good at solving problems.”