What you need to know
- iFixit posted a complete teardown of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which showcased the ease users would find repairing/replacing its battery.
- The video extends credit to the phone’s triple camera array as Samsung provided multiple modules, meaning each lens can be repaired separately.
- Despite the phone receiving a fair score, the difficulties concerning its screen repairability are striking.
Samsung’s latest Galaxy S Ultra model is taken apart in an iFixit video to determine its level of repairability.
The company posted a video of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s repairability, which showcased a few notable surprises. To begin, iFixit started by removing the back panel. According to iFixit, Samsung recommends that users conducting self-repair or other business apply heat before doing so. However, the back panel was removed using a strong clamp tool — though heat would likely make it much easier, per the video.
The teardown commends Samsung’s efforts at improving the repairability of its battery as users won’t have to grapple with auxiliary tools to remove it. The battery is held in place by four, sticky pull tabs. After those are removed, the battery literally “falls out.”
Next is the slightly redesigned triple camera array. This received high marks due to Samsung’s usage of “multiple modules” for the trio. iFixit states that if one camera becomes damaged, a repair center can fix it without having to chuck it away and redo the entire set.
Overall, the Galaxy S25 Ultra received a fair score of 5 out of 10 on iFixit’s repairability scale. The video specifically notes the difficulties around removing the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s OLED display, which comes with a warning: don’t remove it “unless it’s already broken.”
You watch iFixit’s complete teardown of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which goes in-depth about the internal changes to the S Pen and other repairable features.
On a related note, the folks at Android Police highlighted iFixit’s statement, which calls the S25 Ultra the “most repair-friendly” Galaxy phone. Despite it being the most “friendly,” there are clearly some issues Samsung needs to fix. Moreover, the publication also notes that while the Galaxy S25 Ultra improved in some areas, it still falls short of the 7 out of 10 score iFixit gave the iPhone 16 Pro.
Shortly after the S24 Ultra launched last year, PBKReviews conducted its teardown of the device. While different places have different opinions, PBK gave the past-gen Ultra a 9 out of 10 repairability score. That video specifically highlighted Samsung’s usage of pull tabs for the battery and how “easy” it is to access its screen and charging port for repairs.
Curiously though, PBK did state how difficult it was to remove the display “without damaging it.” The teardown didn’t appear to apply heat and only utilized a clamp tool with several other tools wedged beneath the screen to lift it.
It’s worth noting that iFixit cut ties with Samsung last spring as its repairability goals were misaligned. Much like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, iFixit highlighted how Samsung’s products are “too glued together,” which made it hard for the former to deliver the parts home repair consumers would need without a price spike.
iFixit made it clear that it would still attempt to obtain Galaxy product parts when it could; however, guides for home repair will no longer be made.
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