The gang over at iFixit recently got their hands on the HTC One to perform one of their famous detailed teardowns. Unfortunately it's not great news for HTC's latest flagship as it earned a measly one out of 10 in terms of repairability, the worst possible score.
The handset was cited for being very difficult (perhaps impossible) to open without damaging the rear case. This alone makes virtually every component hard to replace, especially the damage-prone display which is the most common repair on a handset. The team was able to get the case open after a lot of work but even still, the plastic bezel surrounding the aluminum case was permanently damaged.
The teardown experts also found the One's battery buried underneath the motherboard and adhered to the midframe - again, making replacement pretty tough. There's also copper shielding on a number of components that is hard to remove and replace if you even make it that far.
It wasn't all bad news, however, as the device surgeons praised the HTC One for its solid external construction. This ultimately will lead to improved durability - something one can only hope for given how tough repairing it is.
This of course shouldn't discourage your much if you've had your eyes on the HTC One as it's still one of the best Android handsets around. Up until the Galaxy S 4 was announced, one could argue that it was the most advanced phone running Google's mobile operating system.