Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G Gets Poor Repairability Score From iFixit

Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G packs in pretty much everything but the kitchen sink (and a headphone jack) and popular repair site, iFixit, has gotten its hands on the device and immediately got to disassembling it. However, the phone received a poor repairability score of just 3 out of 10. iFixit's biggest issues with the phone was that any type of repair, even simple ones, requires a complete teardown of the phone or at least half of it, which is not easy.

iFixit has detailed the complete, step-by-step teardown process on its site, along with images. In its conclusion, iFixit states that one good thing about the phone is that it uses equally-sized Phillips fasteners so you only need one screwdriver for taking it apart. It also states that many of the components are modular and are independently replaceable. The biggest issue though is that even for common display repairs, requires a complete teardown or replacing half of the phone. The battery is also glued down and replacing it is said to be very tough, especially since there are many cables to work around. The report also states that every repair involves ungluing the glass rear cover, which is very fragile.

The teardown and DIY repair site also discovered some interesting new design choices from Samsung, for the way in which the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G is put together. The motherboard is now at the top of the device, similar to the Pixel phones. Samsung has also used a stacked motherboard, one over the other, just like Apple does in order to save space. Also, since the bezel on the top of the display is extremely narrow, Samsung has placed the earpiece speaker in such a way, where it fires sound into a shallow metal chamber behind the display and that chamber channels the sound waves into the tiny grille along the top edge.

The 5G version of the Galaxy Note 10+ was recently in the news for scoring the highest number of points in DXOMark's camera tests, dethroning the Huawei P30 Pro (Review). It also got the highest score in the selfie test too.