The Pixel 5a 5G is one of the finest mid-rangers you can buy if you are on a tight budget, but you may have considered other aspects about it, too, such as repairability. After all, if something goes wrong, you will want to know if third-party repairs are possible on this smartphone. It can be done according to a fresh teardown, but the process is far from easy.
Pixel 5a 5G Has Battery Pull Tabs That Are Easily Tearable, Among Other Things That Make Repairability Difficult
The teardown was performed by PBKreviews, a YouTube channel that is slowly gaining recognition over timely disassembly videos. His most recent one was on the Galaxy Z Flip 3, and in this clip, we see how difficult it is to get inside the Pixel 5a 5G, assuming you will want to perform repairs or replacements yourself if anything goes wrong. Unfortunately, there are certain areas that will make the whole process difficult for you, especially if you have not garnered experience disassembling phones before.
Since the Pixel 5a 5G is IP67 dust and water-resistant, the handset is covered with adhesive on the side, so immediately, you will need to soften the adhesive with heat and use a couple of pry tools to lift the display assembly. After that is out of the way, you are greeted by a generously large 4680mAh battery, which is covered by a black graphene film.
Some parts of the Pixel 5a 5G require alcohol to be rubbed on before removing. The battery pull tabs also tore easily, so if that happens with you, exercise extreme caution when prying out the cell. Overall, PBKreviews gave a repairability score of 5 out of 10, highlighting that some parts of the Pixel 5a 5G were covered by tape, along with a slightly complicated screw configuration that made it difficult to get into.
Hopefully, Google will have a simple system in place for customers who want to get their Pixel 5a 5G replaced or repaired.
News Source: PBKreviews
