Samsung and iFixit have finally launched their self-repair program, allowing owners of a phone from the Galaxy S20 and S21 series as well as the Tab S7 Plus to purchase replacement parts.
The initial announcement of the self-repair program was made back at the end of Marchand not much has changed since then. In all three product lines (opens in new tab), you will be able to purchase repair kits for the screen and battery, charging port and back glass. standalone batteries are not included. What’s new is access to free online repair guides that tell you how to repair the phone through step-by-step guidance that includes pictures.
Repair kits
Both parts and step-by-step instructions are available on the iFixit website.
You start by going to iFixit’s Galaxy page and model selection (opens in new tab). The values between lines S20 and S21 are mostly uniform. Charging port replacement costs $66.99. Rear glass kits will set you back $76.99 in addition to the base model S21 which is $66.99. Display and battery kits vary by phone. The cheapest is, again, the base S21 (opens in new tab) ($167.99) with the most expensive being the S21 Ultra (opens in new tab) ($239.99).
The prices are a little different for the Tablet Galaxy Tab S7 Plus (opens in new tab). The display kit will set you back $226.99, the back glass and battery assembly is $86.99, and the charging port is $66.99. In addition to the product specific parts, each repair kit comes with the same tools: suction handles, iFixit opening tool (opens in new tab)tweezers and some driver to name a few.
Each of the repair kits also comes with a free return label so you can send the old parts back to Samsung for proper disposal. iFixit even includes instructions on how to properly dispose of lithium ion batteries (opens in new tab). You can’t just throw these batteries in the trash as they can literally explode. We should also mention that some repair kits such as S21 5G Display and Battery Pack (opens in new tab)limited to seven per customer.
Step by step
As for step-by-step instructions, Samsung has a handy landing page (opens in new tab) for quick access. By iFixit’s own admission, repairs can be a little tricky to do. The Galaxy S21 Ultra screen and battery replacement page (opens in new tab), for example, is listed as moderately difficult and may take you a few hours to complete. The repair involves using one of the handles and the suction handle to open a phone and disconnect some parts to replace the battery.
The instructions show everything in minute detail, but if you don’t feel confident doing it yourself, Samsung has other options. You can use Samsung store locator (opens in new tab) to find an authorized repair shop or mail the phone.
Just don’t forget to put your phone in repair mode to protect your data before bringing it.
Limited in scale
The limited number of devices you can fix is a bit disappointing. It would be nice to have Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S22, in the program. The announcement says there are plans to include more devices, but no date has been given.
We’ve reached out to Samsung to ask when more devices will be added as well as whether it will be possible to buy a replacement battery separately from a display kit. A Samsung representative got back to us, but had no new information to provide. The only way to get a new battery is to buy the display kit for now. The company did reveal that “additional parts will be added as the program grows,” but didn’t say anything specific or exactly when.
Even so, it’s great to have these repair options. Samsung has finally joined the likes of Google and Apple in offering repairs for their phones. Even So does Valve with Steam Deck. All of these are major wins for consumers and the environment.
For iPhone owners, we recommend checking out ours Apple Self Service Repair story for details on his schedule.
