Repairing a damaged smartphone could be about to get a whole lot cheaper for some users.
Motorola has announced it will be teaming up with repair experts iFixit to provide official screen and battery repair replacement kits for a number of its devices.
The kits will cost between $40 and $200 depending on the repair needed, and will include both replacement parts and the specialist tools required to carry out the repair. On sale now are kits offering replacement batteries and LCD screens for a range of Motorola devices, including the Moto G5, Droid Turbo 2 and Moto Z Play.
Users will also be given an online guide to walk them through the process, which iFixit says can often be done entirely solo.
iFixit Motorola repair kits
iFixit is well-known online for its forensic guides to phone and PC repairs, as well as its famous strip-down features that examine new Apple products soon after launch to delve into the secrets inside.
The site has sold its own parts and repair tools online for some time, but the Motorola partnership marks the first time a manufacturer has fully endorsed its process.
It says that the move will help cut down on the growing mountains of e-waste generated by users throwing away broken or defective devices, noting that, "we simply don’t have time to carry on with this throwaway culture".
"For fixers like us, this partnership is representative of a broader movement in support of our Right to Repair," iFixit's Elise Barsch wrote in a blog post announcing the news. "It’s proof that OEM manufacturers and independent repair can co-exist. Big business and social responsibility, and innovation and sustainability, don’t need to be mutually exclusive."
"Motorola is setting an industry-leading example of a company that’s looking forward—not just six months ahead to next quarter’s margins, but decades ahead when devices are damned for the landfill."
