The folks over at iFixit recently tore apart the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S22 Ultra to determine how easy will it be to repair the new Samsung flagships. Unfortunately, neither device could impress the famed DIY (do it yourself) enthusiasts as they awarded the phones a repairability score of just three out of ten. The publication lamented Samsung’s refusal to include pull tapes underneath the battery. These magic tapes make removing the battery from its safe house much easier. But the Galaxy maker doesn’t like that idea. Batteries in Samsung phones are glued onto the body. Repair technicians will need to use isopropyl alcohol to dissolve the glue and carefully lift the chunky power units with the help of a suction cup. iFixit also believes Samsung could have made screen repairs easier. Well, it is still not too difficult but since screens are possibly the most commonly replaced parts in a smartphone, the company should have prioritized that. Mind you, those are not our words, but iFixit’s. Samsung has included an X-axis linear vibration motor in trio Galaxy S22 trio for improved haptic feedback. But the unit doesn’t get its separate place inside the phones. Instead, the company has housed it with the lower speaker in the same compartment. It surely affected the repairability score. The new report notes that Samsung doesn’t provide a public service manual for its latest flagships, at least not yet. And that isn’t helping the devices achieve a higher repairability score from iFixit.
Should you be worried about the poor repairability score of the Galaxy S22?
The short answer is no. Most of us are never going to disassemble or repair our smartphones on our own. Of course, hired technicians may charge more to repair a phone that is difficult to repair. But a poor repairability score should not be a reason for not buying the latest Samsung flagships. If you feel like the features and functionality offered by the devices are worth your money, do not look at these scores. That’s not to say Samsung should not consider a more repair-friendly design for its future devices. But that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker to most people looking to buy a new smartphone. There are devices like the FairPhone 4 for DIY enthusiasts.
