The new Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10 Plus, and Galaxy S10e have all been subjected to iFixit's teardown. The result? It's difficult to repair, scoring a paltry 3 out of 10 on the repairability scale.
While the device has been setting records in the display department, it isn't doing so well on this front.
iFixit Tears Down The Galaxy S10
The repair company made a step-by-step teardown for the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e and a video for the Galaxy S10 Plus.
From what can be gathered, it's easy to remove the back cover of the handset — just needs a bit of heating and cutting the adhesives. On top of that, there are no cables to look out for when lifting the rear panel. Notably, iFixit needed only one Phillips-head driver to remove all the screws, which is a big plus.
However, from there on out, things started to look bad. While most components such as the speaker, headphone jack, and cameras are still modular, the USB-C port isn't. Instead, it's soldered to the motherboard, meaning it's going to be tough to replace.
The battery is "mightily" glued down as well, and iFixit even had to use an adhesive remover just to take it out. Of course, it's still replaceable, but it's going to be difficult, not to mention that battery replacement is a frequent job request in smartphone repairs.
The worst part is the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner is glued to the display, and it breaks whenever the screen is removed, according to iFixit. In other words, users will have to get the entire front panel replaced should the sensor malfunction and vice-versa, which is likely going to cost a lot.
Phones Getting Harder To Repair
To reiterate, the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10 Plus, and Galaxy S10e got a 3 out of 10 in terms of repairability. That's one point lower than what iFixit gave the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S9 models, and it goes to show that Samsung flagships are becoming more difficult to repair by the day.
Good thing it has a preinstalled screen protector, though, just for that added layer of protection. It's also good news that an extensive durability test concluded that it's sturdy, but it also found that the ultrasonic fingerprint reader can't do its job anymore once the screen is cracked.
