The 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 “Failing the Fix” released today by consumer advocacy group US Pirg. The groups say it’s the first report since a 2021 French law requiring products to be labeled with repairability scores could be widely used to show how companies are or are not making more repairable products. The answer is that repairability is progressing much more quickly in some places than in others.
The results were good for Motorola phones, which earned a B+. Google phones have a C-. The verdict was worse for Samsung phones, which earned 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 Pirg US 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 the many concessions companies have made regarding the right to repair, such as publishing their repair tools, parts and instructions, these rankings are lower than in previous years, largely due to new information drawn from European laws that require 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 passed a law establishing the European Product Register for energy labeling, a process that classifies devices based on key repairability factors, such as ease of access and disassembly of products, battery life, protection against ingress such as waterproofing, and the durability needed to withstand repeated drops. Rankings range from A to F.
To establish its own scores, 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 getting better scores than in previous years, like when iPhones received an F rating in 2022. (iPhones got a C- in 2025.) The low rating for Apple phones is due 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 more sustainable products.”
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 throw away all our internet-connected devices every two years because they can’t be used with the software. This is completely unsustainable. This is crazy. Let’s not build this world. This 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.”
