While the Galaxy S25 Ultra boasts unexpected new AI skills, Samsung has also significantly improved its reparability, according to a couple of teardowns.
Breakdowns by iFixit and Jerry Rig Everything have found that the battery and modular camera setup should make it easier to complete simple repairs. But Samsung’s lack of repair guides remains a problem.
Firstly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra scores points for its new simplified battery release mechanism. Repairers can say goodbye to the use of isopropyl alcohol as the battery is encased in 4 pull tabs.
When ready to remove, each of these tabs can be pulled away – allowing the battery to fall out easily—making the Galaxy S25 “the most repair-friendly Samsung device in a decade.” iFixit praised this update as an important and necessary change, noting that Samsung batteries “have always been a sticky mess to remove.”
The flagship also scores points for its modular cameras. Each rear snapper module is removable and replaceable, making camera repair more affordable as repairs can be isolated. Damage to one module doesn’t affect others and can be independently replaced. This can be done with only a Phillips head screwdriver. However, this is only the case for the rear cameras. The selfie sensor is glued in place and difficult to swap out.
The back panel, too, can be removed with a clamp rather than using heat. The flatter design (instead of curved edges) should, in theory, make the display panel easier to remove, but iFixit found that it takes a lot of heat and patience to do without damaging the screen. If you do remove either panel, iFixit says you will need to source your own adhesive because neither is secured with clips or screws.
The praise ends here, as both reviews critique the Galaxy S25 for creating barriers to repair because of the following.
- Poor quality of repair guides.
- Lack of access to repair parts, often being sold in packages with unwanted parts.
- An artificial cap on the availability of parts (this may change if Samsung releases parts later in the year).
These issues have meant iFixit provisionally rates the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 5 out of 10 for reparability. That may change if Samsung releases better guides and makes parts more readily available. The most shocking thing about that score is that Apple’s iPhone 16 comfortably beats it with a 7 out of 10 rating.
Samsung and Apple swap places
For those that remember, Apple has long stifled independent repair with its practice of parts pairing, which disabled features if replacement parts were used without Apple’s authorization. Because of this, the iPhone 15 scored a repairability score of 4 out of 10 by Fixit. Apple reversed its parts pairing policy for the iPhone 16 and, as a result, now scores higher than Samsung’s device.
Despite not directly acknowledging new laws and heavy consumer criticism, it’s clear that the EU’s right-to-repair legislation has forced the hand of smartphone manufacturers. Having a removable battery is a key component of legislation, meaning these changes are mandatory rather than a gesture of goodwill. The phasing out of parts pairing for the iPhone 16 serves as a strong example of this push and pull between company and law.
Apple caving on parts pairing has meant that its other repair practices, which it introduced in the face of public and legal pressure, make the iPhone one of the more easily fixed devices on the market. For example, repair guides are publicly available—going as far back as the iPhone 12—contrasting significantly to Samsung’s attitude towards repair documentation. A surprising and major shift from just a year ago.
