While Samsung remains stubborn on allowing third-party display screens, its new flagship S23 Ultra shows some signs of being more repairable.

Spencer Chin, Senior Editor

May 26, 2023

The right-to-repair issue continues to be a hurdle to owners of many smartphones for the two largest smartphone suppliers, Apple and Samsung. Some of Apple’s latest phones are downright next to unrepairable, while Samsung is trying to prevent third-party vendors to import replacement phone screens into the U.S. So what is the story with Samsung’s newest premium smartphone, the S23 Ultra?

In a bit of good news for a change, Samsung is at least trying to make this smartphone slightly more DIY-friendly. In this latest iFixit teardown video, “S23 Ultra Teardown: Right to Repair Forcing Samsung Towards Repairable Design,” the reviewer discovers that the phone incorporates a pull tab to help pull out the battery, making replacement a bit easier. The reviewer also noted the phone does not have software locks that would prevent third-party repair.

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However, other aspects of the S23 drag down the phone’s overall repairability. For one, the reviewer noted that excessive amount of glue holding some parts together. No repair instructions or manuals are available. And, as noted earlier, Samsung remains embroiled in the patent suit to keep out third-party displays screen vendors.

You can learn more about the repairability of Samsung’s S23 by viewing the video.

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About the Author(s)

Spencer Chin

Senior Editor, Design News

Spencer Chin is a Senior Editor for Design News, covering the electronics beat, which includes semiconductors, components, power, embedded systems, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, and other related subjects. He is always open to ideas for coverage. Spencer has spent many years covering electronics for brands including Electronic Products, Electronic Buyers News, EE Times, Power Electronics, and electronics360. You can reach him at [email protected] or follow him at @spencerchin.

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