Samsung has announced that Galaxy device owners in the US can now make their own repairs to the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy S21 families, as well as the Galaxy Tab S7+, although the Galaxy S22 is absent for now.
The new self-repair program is being delivered in collaboration with online repair community iFixit and allows consumers wishing to make their own repairs to purchase genuine device parts and easy-to-use repair tools, at the same price offered to Samsung’s affiliated repair providers.
This could enable consumers to keep the best Samsung phone for longer without having to upgrade to a new device simply because they can't repair their old one.
"Key sustainability strategy"
Kyle Wiens, iFixit
“Making replacement parts available is a key sustainability strategy," says Kyle Wiens, Co-founder and CEO of iFixit. "We're excited to be working directly with Samsung and their customers to extend the lifetime of their phones.”
As well as being able to buy parts and tools, Samsung has given Galaxy owners full access to online repair guides that are designed to be helpful and instructive, providing both visual and written step-by-step instructions, at no extra cost. Consumers can also use iFixit’s community forum to ask any questions to help them better understand specific actions necessary to complete a self-repair on their Galaxy smartphones.
"Promote a circular economy"
Mark Williams, Samsung
“Samsung is continually offering more convenient options for consumers to extend the use of their devices, promote a circular economy, and minimize e-waste. Samsung Self-Repair is another way for customers to prolong the life of their devices, before they are recycled,” says Mark Williams, Vice President of Customer Care at Samsung Electronics America.
Recycling options for a "greener future"
Under the new self-repair program, Galaxy device owners can replace the phone screen, back glass, and charging ports, so probably the most likely fixes but no means an extensive fix list. Samsung say that in that future they plan to expand self-repair to include more devices and repair options from their extensive product portfolio.
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Happily, the new program makes it easy for US consumers to return their discarded parts for responsible recycling. The new display kits will come with a return label to ship discarded parts back to Samsung — at no cost to the consumer.
US exclusive
Currently the new self-repair program is only available to Samsung customers in the US, but iFixit has said the program will reach other nations in time but gave no specifics.
Rachael is a British journalist with 18 years experience in the publishing industry. Since working on www.digitalcameraworld.com, she’s been freelancing, and contributing to some of the world’s best-loved websites and magazines including T3.com and TechRadar.com and has also had a book, iPad for Photographers, published. She's currently acting as editor of 5GRadar.com - a website specializing in the latest cellular technology.
