When PBKRevewis disassembled the the Zenfone 9 last year, the phone scored a below average 4.5/10 on the repairability score. Now that Asus has had a year to work on it, has the Zenfone 10 become easier to maintain? The latest teardown video explores just that.
Just below the polycarbonate back is one of the major upgrades for this year – the Qi charging coil (up to 15W). This assembly, which also contains the NFC antenna, snaps off easily to give access to the motherboard.
All three cameras are mounted on the motherboard. The video has an interesting close-up of the 50MP main camera that shows just how much the lens can pivot – this is the 6-axis gimbal stabilization version 2.0 (this is at the 3:25 mark).
Like its predecessor, the Zenfone 10 has a dab of thermal paste on the Snapdragon chipset that leads heat into the vapor chamber that then takes it to the display. Here’s a closer look:
Vapor chamber comparison: Zenfone 9 • Zenfone 10
So, has the Zenfone 10 design changed to allow for easier repairs? Unfortunately no. Screen replacements still require almost a complete disassembly of the phone. Changing the power button or fingerprint reader is tricky too, as their flex cable run under the battery, so you have to pry that out (it does have working pull tabs). In the end, the Zenfone 10 scored the exact same 4.5/10 repairability score as the 2022 model.
