Recognition: David Imel / Android Authority
- The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has landed on iFixit’s teardown table.
- While improvements have been noted, the breakdown suggests the phone will continue to be as difficult to repair as its predecessor.
- The vanilla Galaxy S21 remains the S21 model to buy if repairability is a primary concern.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra hasn’t changed much from the replaced S20 Ultra, but Samsung has tweaked some key features. One thing that has apparently been forgotten is improving the device’s repairability.
Repair firm iFixit finally got an S21 Ultra in their last tear, suggesting that the trend towards hard-to-fix flagship Samsung phones is continuing.
For starters, the breakdown shows some improvements. For starters, the vibration motor and SIM tray swap places above the S20 Ultra, while the wireless charging coils with more windings are also thinner. This design could improve efficiency, iFixit notes. The S21 Ultra also has a much, much larger under-screen fingerprint sensor – 77% larger in fact.
However, these improvements don’t mean much to someone fixing the device, and that remains a difficult task. Although Samsung uses the same Phillips head screws in all of its key locations, it also uses a lot of glue. This includes behind the battery, the display, and along the back of the phone.
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Overall, iFixit gave the Galaxy S21 Ultra three out of ten points for repairability. This corresponds to the Galaxy S20 Ultra, but falls one point behind the Galaxy S21. The website praised the S21 standard for its plastic back and modular display cable.
It doesn’t go without saying that a phone will need to be fixed in the course of its life. However, if necessary, easy-to-fix devices have a better chance of getting back in your pocket. If you’re buying a phone for $ 1,199, better repairing than spending that number a second time.
For some, repairability may not be a factor in their purchasing decision. As for specs, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the Samsung to buy when the numbers on a data sheet are paramount. It’s a pretty solid phone too, as per our review details.
The Galaxy S21 Ultra undoubtedly offers an expanded list of features over the standard Galaxy S21. However, the latter is apparently the S21 phone to buy if repairability is a key factor for you.
But what do you think Do you value specifications over repairability? Vote in our poll above!