iFixit teardown shows Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is difficult to repair, gives it 3 out of 10 for repairability
Don Reisinger / CNET :
Context & Ripple Effects
iFixit's teardown of the Galaxy S6 Edge lands in a stretch where its scores were becoming a de facto scorecard for flagship design choices. The S6 Edge's 3/10 sits at the low end alongside the Nexus 6P's very poor repairability, while modular designs like LG G5's 8/10 and the Fairphone 2's rare perfect 10 show what a repairable flagship looks like by contrast.
First-order effects
- Samsung's curved-glass, glued construction makes screen and battery replacement costly on its newest flagship — a direct service-cost problem for owners and third-party shops handling S6 Edge repairs.
Second-order effects
- Rivals gain a marketing wedge: LG G5's modular design earned an 8/10 from the same teardowns, giving LG a differentiator to pitch against Samsung at launch.
Third-order effects
- Samsung doubled down rather than reversed course — the following year's Galaxy S7 teardown found glued components making it even harder to repair than the S6 — pointing to a durable split between sealed flagships and modular outliers, and foreshadowing the friction that later ended iFixit and Samsung's two-year repair partnership entirely.
The trend: Flagship smartphone design is polarizing between sealed, glue-heavy builds and modular alternatives, with iFixit's repairability scores turning that trade-off into public competitive pressure.