Guy Builds New iPhone From Scratch And You'll Weep At How Little It Cost To Make
An adventurous iPhone enthusiast decided to save a few bucks and build his own iPhone 6s from scratch instead of ordering one from Apple.
Shockingly, it was a huge success.
Scotty Allen, a techie who loves to travel, spent multiple months in and out of China trying to piece together his own iPhone from recycled parts found in various street markets and hardware stores.
Before embarking on the construction of his one-of-a-kind iPhone, Allen decided he needed four main parts: the shell, the screen, the logic board and the battery.
Seems easy enough, right?
(I'm kidding.)
After planning out all the parts he needed to acquire, Allen began the search for used (but functioning) pieces he could build his iPhone with.
Of course, the process he went through is extremely detailed, but I'll give you a quick summary of the steps he took to achieve the final product.
First, Allen tried to acquire a shell for the phone. He visited back alley markets and eventually found a dirty shell -- so he ventured to a nearby store to buy a rose-colored back instead.
After finding the shell, he met with an iPhone part-buyer named Frank who helped him plan out the touchscreen (yes, he made that from scratch, too).
During the video he used to document his journey, the duo went to a hardware store that helped them piece together his touchscreen.
Out of the entire process, constructing a logic board gave him the most trouble.
At first, Allen thought he'd be able to piece together his own logic board, but soon realized it would be too strenuous of a task.
After speaking with a professor at a phone-making school in China, he decided to buy a refurbished logic board at a market nearby. Unfortunately, he hit a bump in the road and the logic board didn't work -- but he returned it and was given a new one.
After piecing together the shell, the screen and the logic board, Allen went to another market and purchased all the teeny, tiny pieces needed to completely build an iPhone (camera lens, buttons, screws, etc).
He was eventually able to build the phone using the products he bought, and guess what?
IT WORKED.
After months of hard work and dedication, Allen's phone turned on and he was able to use it like a regular iPhone.
At the end of the video, he held his device for the camera like a proud father holds his son.
He did it. He built his own, fully-functioning iPhone. We're proud of you, Scotty!
Now, I'm sure you're all wondering how much money it cost him to make it.
It's been reported the total cost of Allen's iPhone parts that were used in the final product was $231.
That's less than half of the amount of money an iPhone 6S costs if you buy it from the store. Crazy, right?
However, Allen did spend around $1,000 on parts for the phone -- but he only used $231 for the final device. Now that he knows how much it costs, he can make new ones without spending the extra money on parts that won't be used.
Watch his entire process below.
At the end of his video, Allen suggests that anyone can build a phone if they follow directions properly.
Allen said,
It's totally doable if you have access to parts, some basic tools and some good advice or instructions on how to do it.
Well, I'm happy he thinks highly of our abilities, but I doubt I could ever put together an iPhone from scratch. Heck, I can't even build a dresser without it crashing to the ground -- so I'm going to stay away from technology.
Citations: How I Made My Own iPhone – in China! (Strange Parts), Guy builds DIY iPhone 6s for less than half the price of a new one (iDownload Blog)
