Cell phones have become more and more expensive and mimic many of the capabilities of computers. But while you leave your computer safely at home, your cell phone goes everywhere, generally in a pocket or tossed carelessly in a purse. This means you’re often facing broken screens, cracks, water damage, and all manner of mechanical issues and internal problems.
These leave you with three options: spend another $700 on a new phone, take it to a repair shop, or fix it yourself. A repair shop can charge almost as much as a new phone costs to undo accidents and fixing it yourself may be the cheapest but not the most lasting option. If you tend to be hard on your cell phones, you’re better off with a phone that’s easy to fix when something goes wrong. Here’s a look at the 5 most easily repairable smartphones based on iFixit ratings.
1. Fairphone 2
According to their website, Fairphones are built specifically to last longer and be more easily repaired. Covers are included in the design for extra protection and it even comes with spare parts. The Fairphone 2 design is made so that you don’t have to go buy a new phone or take it to a repair shop—you can just pop it open, pop out what’s broken, and put it back together yourself.
The Fairphone 2 comes with a 5 inch high definition screen and runs on an android operating system. With two SIM card inserts and the ability to replace your battery or increase your memory, you may never need another phone. So what’s the catch? It’s a European based company, and may not work well with your U.S. based service.
2. Motorola Droid Bionic
AndroidCentral calls the Droid Bionic from Motorola “another powerhouse Android smartphone.” This model has a 4.3 inch screen with qHD. Additionally, it has an 8 megapixel camera plus front camera. Essentially, all the bells and whistles you’d expect to get from your smartphone. PCMagazine even calls it the “fastest, most powerful smartphone for Verizon.”
Unfortunately, there’s a catch: Droid Bionic works with Verizon and not much else. Luckily, rumors are circulating that changes are coming to make it usable for other networks. But when it’s second only to a phone that comes with its own spare parts in repairability, that’s pretty good. It also opens fairly easily so you can fix things yourself.
3. Motorola Atrix 4G
This 4 inch touchscreen from motorola has been out since 2011, which means there has been plenty of time to fix its bugs. It comes with all your normal necessities plus fingerprint recognition and voice commands, although the camera is only about 5 megapixels. It has a sleek, rounded appearance and decent battery life. Perhaps the best part about this model is that the glass and the LCD aren’t fused, which means you don’t have to replace everything when you break the screen—and if you know you’re going to, this may be a great option for you.
4. LG G5
After the Europe-friendly Fairphone and Motorola’s older models, LG slides into fourth and fifth place with 2 of their newer models. The G5 came out in 2016, and like the Droid Bionic, it has a modular design which makes things easier to replace or fix. It has dual sim functions and a 5.3 inch screen. The screen is where the G5 starts to lose points in the fixable department. The display assembly is fused together, which means that if the glass or the LCD breaks, the cost climbs dramatically. Not the best option for someone who tends to break screens, but a potentially good buy for someone who likes to get inside the phone.
5. LG G4
The G4 came out in 2015, and it’s just a little bit bigger and a little bit less fancy. Like the phones of yesteryear, its backside and battery pop right off with no issues, which makes it easy enough to look behind or replace the battery. Unfortunately, it has the same repair issue as the G5: the LCD and the glass are fused together, which can make it difficult to replace those things easily. But also like the G5, a lot of its parts are modular, allowing you to take things out and replace them with a new piece.
