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The new Samsung Galaxy S21 phones feature noticeable changes like a lack of charger in the box and no microSD card slot, angering some Samsung fans.
Good news, however: Modifications to the Galaxy S21 inside may gain it favor with repair shops and DIY users. The technical channel PBKreviews just gave the Galaxy S21 a surprisingly favorable score for repairability.
The disassembly of the Samsung Galaxy S21 turned out to be rather quick and painless. The back panel came off in one piece (nothing broke) with a prying tool after the heat was applied, and many of the components inside were as easy to take apart as removing a few screws. and disconnect a flexible ribbon cable here and there.
With the backplate removed, there are just 22 Philips screws that hold most things in place – that’s right, nothing too exotic to unscrew. Even removing the backplate, you can use a hairdryer rather than a dedicated heater, according to PBKreviews.
Many internal components come together as a single unit, which simplifies their replacement on an individual basis. PBKreviews explained the screen removal process but didn’t walk through it in the video, so we’ll have to wait for more teardowns to see if it’s sturdy enough for easy teardown.
From one dismantling to another
It’s hard to make a direct comparison with the repairability of other devices because PBKreviews didn’t include a digital rating in all of their reviews. It offered 7.5 / 10 repairability for the Galaxy S21. Looking at the teardown of the similar Galaxy S20 FE, it seemed like the previous phone was easier to take apart in some ways (especially the camera modules), but there was no explicit score to compare.
While comparing scores from different sources on different devices shouldn’t be given too much weight, the Galaxy S20 Ultra only got a 3/10 score from iFixit for repairability. So, maybe Samsung is making a better effort to design repairable devices and reduce the number of products sent to landfills, a green effort that would align with its exclusion of a charging brick with phones.
However, it was not all so easy to take apart. Noteworthy is the front camera, the fingerprint reader below the display, and the battery – all attached or glued in place.
Still, simplified repairability is a positive thing to see on a smartphone that’s likely to end up in many pockets this year.
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