From ExtremeTech: The gadget surgeons at iFixit have been working to support tech repairability for years. In 2022, iFixit teamed up with Samsung to provide official smartphone repair kits and guides, allowing smartphone buyers to fix their aging gear instead of throwing it away. However, the company says it has been unable to make this program work due to Samsung's obsession with glue and high component prices. If you need replacement parts for Samsung devices, iFixit will still have some. In fact, you might get a better deal after the partnership is kaput next month.
The Samsung Repair Hub partnership began with great fanfare. iFixit already sold various replacement parts for phones, including Samsung devices, but the deal gave iFixit access to official components. It was also well-equipped to produce repair guides so people could use those parts to fix their devices quickly and easily. Issues began appearing soon after the announcement, though.
To start, Samsung only offered replacement parts for select phones, and it was slow to roll out parts for new ones. It also insisted on providing some components only as bundles with other parts. In general, Samsung's increasing use of glue to stick phones together has been an issue for repairability and hindered the Repair Hub program. For example, iFixit calls out Samsung's decision to only offer replacement batteries glued to an expensive display. Instead of spending $20-30 on just a battery, buyers had to spend $160 or more for a battery and a display they probably didn't need. Batteries degrade over time, so swapping in a new lithium-ion cell is among the most common repairs.
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