iFixit has just released its detailed guide to dismantling the Galaxy S21 Ultra after having already tested the classic Galaxy S21. The most expensive smartphone in the range nevertheless receives a mediocre repairability score of 3/10 against the 4/10 rating for the base model. A stern note that contrasts with the official repairability index of the smartphone.
Credits: Unsplash
Let’s be clear and honest: the repairability of smartphones is important, but they are mostly designed as highly integrated objects,which allows them to always push the limits of what a mobile device can do in a very small footprint. Over the years, we have become accustomed to the difficulty of opening smartphones, atleast without suitable hardware. There is usually a lot of glue,and the glass panels (screen and back) that complete the sandwich are particularly fragile.
So when iFixit disassembles a high-end smartphone, it often gets a score below average. It is noted that this is not the case for all devices either, far from it. The latest iPhone 12 and 12 Pro and the Google Pixel 4a, to name but a few, all received an iFixit rating of 6/10, the OnePlus 5, a score of 7/10 – and of course, unsurprisingly, the Fairphones all receive a score of 10/10. But Samsung is rather subscribed to iFixit notes under 5/10, especially since switching to ultra-integrated Galaxy S8 style design.
Galaxy S21 Ultra has a mediocre 3/10 iFixit repairability index
As you can see in the video at the end of the article, the Galaxy S21 had an already pretty mediocre repairability score of 4/10. But according to the latest guide published on the site (video dismantling should be available in the next few hours) the Galaxy S21 Ultra is even worse. It is noted that iFixit is making a lot of effort to highlight progress compared to the previous generation. In particular, there is a reorganization of the components on this model that plays in favor of a more efficient smartphone,notes iFixit.
The S21 Ultra also offers a fingerprint sensor under the screen 77% larger than other models. But this is clearly not enough to compensate for a design that independent repairers and the most daring individuals will surely hate. iFixit gives it a score of 3/10. In the right points, the site appreciates that all screws are of the same type which avoids having to buy specialized tools. The interior design is on the whole rather modular.
But in comparison, the S21 had a polycarbonate back significantly less risky to remove and replace than the fragile and expensive glass back of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. iFixit also notes that the Galaxy S21 had a modular connector that made it easier to replace the screen – which is no longer the case on the Ultra. There is also quite amusing the contrast between the severity of the iFixit rating and the score obtained by the smartphone as part of the official repairability index.
Samsung, however, believes that the S21 Ultra’s official repairability index is close to 10/10
The Galaxy S21 Ultra has an 8.2/10 rating identical to that of the Galaxy S21. It is noted, however, that the official repairability index of the latest iPhone 12 (6/10) fits their rating perfectly on iFixit. Just as the Pixel 4a index (6.2/10) corresponds to their iFixit rating (6/10). Could this already be a sign that some manufacturers will abuse the system and inflate their repairability index?
The details of the rating are now available on Samsung’s support site, which makes it possible to assess the compliance of the score with the obligations of the legal provisions. It should also be noted that the rating of the repairability index as required by the Act requires Samsung and other manufacturers to do so does not cover exactly the same thing as the rating criteria applied by iFixit.
Read also: A repairability index has been on electronic devices since January 1, 2021
It should be noted, however, that this index is intended to help consumers choose products that are easier to repair. However, one wonders how Samsung smartphones deserve to be rated almost as high as the last Fairphone (10/10) when the user can not even easily open the device. In the first year of the repairability index, there are no penalties for manufacturers and distributors not offering this index to their customers. Sanctions (the nature of which is not yet specified) could only be applied from 2022.
Therefore we will have to remain very vigilant to see if some do not inflate a little their note. For now, it is noted that Samsung is the only brand to obtain a repairability index so far removed from the rating given by iFixit, at least in the manufacturers that published their index. It is not necessarily said that the two notes should be the same – but because both systems note repairability (including iFixit, which also sells spare parts and tools directly to customers) it seems difficult to conceive that the result diverges as much. In detail, and by scrutinizing the rating grid, we realize that the control points of the repairability index have some room for improvement.
For example, for updates, Samsung gave itself a rating of 10/10 under “Information on the nature of updates”, without comparing the duration of support (3 years at Samsung, 6 years at Apple, for example). The criterion “Time for availability of technical documentation and advice on use and maintenance” is also very vague. In the end, it appears that the overall score is less useful for comparing products of different brands in comparison to the detail of the specific criteria that make up it. It remains to be seen whether in doing so we have actually created an index that helps consumers make better choices, or not.
Source: iFixit
