iFixit has torn every major smartphone released in the last ten years. The repair site has recently released a disassembly of the Google Pixel 3 XL, giving an overview of the hardware used by the phone. Interestingly, iFixit discovered that the 3 XL uses an OLED panel from Samsung, not from LG.

When disassembling, iFixit mentioned that it was quite difficult to open the Pixel 3 XL, because of the abundant adhesion of adhesive foam. The process manager also broke some components (a ribbon cable and the speaker housing) while trying to disassemble the phone. It seems that Google has not placed repairability at the top of the list of priorities.

Some internal components include 4GB Micron LPDDR4X DRAM, 64GB Skhynix flash storage, the Visual Core Pixel, the Google Titan M security chip, and IDT's Qi wireless charging receiver. There are also some Qualcomm electronics, including the Snapdragon 845 main processor, some radios, and an audio codec chip.

The Samsung display panel

The most interesting discovery is that the Pixel 3 XL uses an OLED screen from Samsung. There was speculation that Google would stay with LG's POLED for the Pixel 3 XL, since Google has invested more than $ 800 million in LG's screen production sector.

Although LG's screens have improved considerably since last year (see our article on the V40), it seems that Google has opted for a safer option this time. The two Pixels 2016 used OLEDs manufactured by Samsung, while the Pixel XL 2017 had an LG POLED and Pixel, smaller, a Samsung screen. The type of screen used by the small Pixel 3 has not been confirmed.

In total, iFixit gave the Pixel 3 XL a repair score of 4/10. The phone uses standard Torx T3 fasteners with an easy-to-repair adhesive, but replacing the screen requires a complete disassembly of the phone.