In the past, upgrading your phone every couple of years was feasible. Phones back then weren’t as expensive as they are these days. Now, most of us tend to hold onto our devices a little longer than usual. This is where a device’s longevity, not just its specs and features, plays an important role. Unfortunately, don’t expect the Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 to be an easy phone to repair.
Galaxy Z Fold 7 repair will be difficult
In a recent teardown of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 by the folks at iFixit, they discovered that the handset is far from easy to repair. For starters, the repair was made difficult by the fact that the phone features a dual battery design. Also, in order to reach the batteries, you’d have to remove the back panel and the ribbon cables.
You’d also have to remove a variety of screws and disassemble the lower assembly and USB-C power. Samsung is also using a pull tab method to remove the battery. Based on the video, this looks incredibly difficult and painful. Remember, this is only for battery removal. It seems that removing the inner foldable display is even more difficult.
iFixit had to remove the rubber bezel surrounding the display first before applying heat to remove the panel. Also, the amount of twisting and prying required means that you should only do this if your display is completely busted. Doing so on a working display will most likely end up destroying it.
Ultimately, the Fold 7 gets a 3/10 in terms of repairability. We can’t say we’re too surprised. The handset is more about showing off Samsung’s tech prowess and its display technology, less about a phone that’s designed to last. Sure, Samsung advertises that the phone can withstand a ridiculous amount of folds, but is that enough?
Not all bad news
That being said, while the Galaxy Z Fold 7 looks like a nightmare for repairs, it’s not all bad. First of all, the phone is fantastic. It’s the best iteration of Samsung’s foldables we’ve seen so far. It’s like Samsung finally listened to what its customers have been telling it.
Secondly, even though the phone won’t be easy to repair, it looks quite durable. A recent torture test by JerryRigEverything found that the Fold 7 was a pretty tough cookie. It managed to survive the tests thrown at it. This means that if you take care of it properly, it should last you quite a while.
Samsung hasn’t stated how much repairs or replacement parts will cost. However, based on the Fold 6’s repair costs, expect to pay at least $400 for the inner display.
