Although Samsung has a history of taking a more consumer-friendly approach to repairing devices, it hasn’t always been an easy task. And in some cases, Samsung doesn’t take the friendliest view of third-party components. The Galaxy S25 Ultra has taken a step forward, as iFixit has dubbed it the “most repairable Galaxy phone in years” in a recent press release. Here’s why.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra uses four small tabs to hold the battery in place. If you need to remove it, you just pull those tabs up and the battery releases with ease. It’s a much simpler method than iPhone’s electrochemical release, but there’s still a long journey ahead before Galaxy phones are as repairable as they should be.
iFixit suggests the change comes as a result of Right to Repair laws in Europe, rather than a desire to make the phone easier for consumers to work with. The company points out that every entry point into the phone — from the front or the back panel — will require additional adhesive during the repair process, something that can quickly become a sticky situation.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra does offer another advantage for owners, though. The modular camera setup makes it much easier to open the camera housing and replace internal components, and users can choose a third-party replacement part over an official Samsung one.
In total, iFixit gave the S25 Ultra a provisional score of 5 out of 10 for repairability. That’s a higher score than previous generations, but still lower than the 7/10 granted to the iPhone 16 Pro Max or even the incredibly high 9/10 given to the HMD Skyline. While the S25 is an improvement, Samsung still has room to grow in its next generation. Perhaps then it could do away with the adhesive mounting for the display and back panels.
