Samsung and iFixit have finally launched their self-repair program, allowing owners of the Galaxy S20 and S21 series phones, as well as the Tab S7 Plus phone, to purchase replacement parts.
Self-study program announced for the first time Back in late Marchnot much has changed since then. Across three product lines (opens in new tab), you’ll be able to purchase a repair kit for the screen and battery, charging port, and rear glass; separate battery not included. New is access to a free online repair guide that tells you how to repair your phone with a step-by-step guide with images.
Repair kits
Replacement parts and step-by-step instructions are available on the iFixit website.
you go first iFixit’s Galaxy page and select model (opens in new tab). Prices between the S20 and S21 lines are basically the same. Charge port replacement costs $66.99. The rear glass kit is $76.99, and the base S21 model is $66.99. Display and battery kits will vary by phone. The cheapest is, again, Base S21 (opens in new tab) ($167.99), the most expensive of which is S21 Ultra (opens in new tab) ($239.99).
Prices vary slightly Galaxy Tab S7 Plus Tablet (opens in new tab)$226.99 for the display kit, $86.99 for the rear glass and battery assembly, and $66.99 for the charging port. Except for product-specific parts, each repair kit comes with the same tools: suction handle, iFixit Open Tool (opens in new tab)tweezers, and some drivers, to name a few.
Each repair kit also comes with a free return label, so you can ship old parts back to Samsung for proper disposal. iFixit even includes about How to Properly Dispose of Lithium-Ion Batteries (opens in new tab). You can’t throw these batteries in the trash because they can literally explode.We should also mention some repair kits such as S21 5G screen and battery pack (opens in new tab)Limit seven per customer.
Step by step
As for step-by-step instructions, Samsung has a handy login page (opens in new tab) for quick access. By iFixit’s own admission, repairs can be a bit difficult.This Galaxy S21 Ultra screen and battery replacement page (opens in new tab)For example, it is classified as medium difficulty and can take several hours to complete. Repairs include using one of the opening picks and suction handle to pry open the phone and disconnect some parts to replace the battery.
The instructions show everything in detail, but if you’re not confident doing it yourself, Samsung has other options.You can use Samsung’s store locator (opens in new tab) Find an authorized repair shop or mail-in number.
Just don’t forget to put your phone in repair mode to protect your data before bringing it in.
limited scale
The limited number of devices you can fix is a bit disappointing.It would be nice to have Samsung’s latest flagship phone Galaxy S22, in the program. The announcement did say plans to include more devices, but no date was given.
We reached out to Samsung to ask when more devices will be added, and whether replacement batteries can be purchased separate from the display kit. A Samsung representative got back to us with no new information to provide. The only way to get a new battery is to buy a display kit now. The company did reveal that “additional pieces will be added as the plan progresses,” but didn’t indicate any specific or precise timing.
Even so, it’s great to have these repair options. Samsung is finally joining the likes of Google and Apple in offering repairs to their phones.even Valve is doing the same with steam deck. These are major wins for consumers and the environment.
For iPhone users, we recommend that you review our Apple Self Repair Stories to learn more about their program.
