The new Samsung Galaxy S21 phones come with noticeable changes, like the lack of a charger in the box and no microSD card slot, raising the ire of some Samsung fans.
Good news, though: the changes to the Galaxy S21’s interior could win some favors among workshops and DIY users. The technology channel PBKreviews has just given the Galaxy S21 a surprisingly favorable score for repairs.
The disassembly of the Samsung Galaxy S21 proved to be quite quick and painless. The rear panel came out whole (nothing broke) with a pry tool after applying heat, and many of the internal components were as simple to dismantle as removing a few screws and disconnecting a flexible cable here and there.
With the back plate removed, there are only 22 Philips screws that hold most things in place – that’s right, nothing too exotic to loosen. Even removing the back plate, you could use a hair dryer instead of a dedicated heating device, according to PBKreviews.
Many of the internal components come out as a single unit, making it easier to replace them individually. PBKreviews explained the process of removing the screen, but did not go through that in the video, so we will have to wait for some other disassemblies to see if it is tough enough for easy disassembly.
From one disassembly to another
It is difficult to make a direct comparison with the repairability of other devices, as PBKreviews did not include a numerical rating in all of its analyzes. It offered a 7.5 / 10 repair capacity for the Galaxy S21. Watching the disassembly of the Galaxy S20 FE similar, it looked like the previous phone was simpler to disassemble in some ways (especially the camera modules), but there was no explicit score to compare.
While not putting too much weight on comparing scores from different sources on different devices, the Galaxy S20 Ultra got only a 3/10 score from iFixit for repairs. So perhaps Samsung is making a better effort to design repairable devices and reduce consumption of products going to landfills, an environmentally friendly effort that aligns with excluding a charging block with phones.
However, not everything was so simple to dismantle. Noteworthy were the front camera, the fingerprint reader under the display and the battery – all placed or glued in place.
Still, the simplified repair facility is a positive thing to see on a smartphone that is likely to find its way into many pockets this year.