Galaxy S7 gets full step-by-step teardown from iFixit, repairability score worse than last year’s model

Whether you’re the curious type or a strong independent smartphone user that likes to handle repairs your damn self, the folks at iFixit are giving us a crystal clear look at the inner workings of Samsung’s latest flagship: the Galaxy S7. They discovered a few interesting tidbits about the phone, some of which include:

• Many components are modular and can be replaced independently.
• Unlike the S6 Edge, the battery can be removed without first ousting the motherboard—but tough adhesive and a glued-on rear panel make replacement more difficult than necessary.
• The display needs to be removed (and likely destroyed) if you want to replace the USB port.
• Front and back glass make for double the crackability, and strong adhesive on the rear glass makes it very difficult to gain entry into the device.
• Replacing the glass without destroying the display is probably impossible.

In the end, iFixit gave the Samsung Galaxy S7 a repairability score of 3 out of 10, which is only slight worse than last year’s Galaxy S6 which received a 4. In either case, if you’re looking to replace a faulty component or just swap in a new battery after a year or 2 of use, you will certainly have your work cut out for you.