Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7: The Most Unfixable Phone Ever Made
Hello everyone. Let’s talk about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, a marvel of modern engineering if your definition of “marvel” includes the kind of puzzles that send hobbyist repair technicians into existential crises. Thanks to iFixit’s delightful teardown-which I can only describe as part horror show, part endurance test-we now have a clear picture that fixing this thing is about as enjoyable as performing open-heart surgery in a blackout, with oven mitts on.
The Battery Booby Trap
Let’s start with the battery removal system, an area where one might hope for sensible engineering. Nope. Instead, Samsung gives us the “pull tab” method-an approach that sounds nice on paper until you realize it needs the kind of force usually reserved for opening pickle jars your gym bro tightened for fun. Pull too hard, and congratulations, you’ve either ripped the tab or bent the battery. And because lithium-ion cells don’t take kindly to contortions, this is less “cute design flaw” and more “accidental barbecue starter kit”.
To even get there, you’ve got to navigate a medieval labyrinth of screws, cables, and press connectors. Imagine playing a Dark Souls boss fight where the boss is a PCB that just won’t die, and each hit you land spawns another screw somewhere else. Fun!
Camera Repairs? Full Teardown or Bust
Break your camera? Prepare yourself mentally, physically, and spiritually. Samsung has designed the camera modules so thoughtfully (read: sadistically) that any replacement requires complete disassembly of the device. That’s right-everything has to come out. It’s like deciding to change a car’s spark plug and discovering the manufacturer hid it under the fuel tank, behind the transmission, and wrapped it in bubble wrap sealed with superglue.
The Inner Display – The Final Boss
Ah yes, the pièce de résistance of Samsung’s repair nightmares: the inner foldable display. This delicate, pressure- and torsion-sensitive panel is the kind of thing a surgeon would refuse to operate on without signing fifty NDAs. The bezels? Glued down like Fort Knox, forcing iFixit to resort to “uncomfortable means” of removal-a phrase that could just as well describe a root canal or a family dinner with politics on the menu.
Samsung helpfully suggests you should only remove that inner screen if it’s already damaged. Translation: accept the $589 replacement cost and move on with your shattered pride and equally shattered credit card balance.
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 received a 3 out of 10 repairability score. That’s not a score-it’s a cry for help.
Why iFixit Finally Had Enough
In a not-even-remotely-shocking twist, iFixit cut ties with Samsung in 2024. Why? Because their “ideals over repairability” didn’t align-which is corporate-speak for “you keep gluing everything together, and we’re tired of looking like we condone it.” When even the professional repair community throws in the towel, that’s not a sign of cutting-edge design; that’s a flashing neon warning that says, “Abandon all hope, ye who enter with a Phillips head screwdriver.”
The Verdict – Buy at Your Own Risk
The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is an impressive piece of technology to look at, but in the cold light of practical ownership, it’s a high-risk investment. It’s the gaming equivalent of a permadeath run in your favorite roguelike-one wrong move and you’re staring at a game over screen with nothing but regret and a hefty repair bill. And given the fragility of that inner display, the odds of hitting “game over” aren’t small.
For the average consumer, that 3/10 repairability score means more than an inconvenience-it means dependency on expensive official repairs and an ever-present anxiety about accidental damage. For tinkerers and DIYers, it’s an outright insult. At $1,800, you’re paying for an elite flagship smartphone that doubles as an unrepairable luxury paperweight the second something goes wrong.
If you enjoy high-stakes gadget ownership, the Fold 7 might be your adrenaline fix. If not, you might want to wait until Samsung produces a foldable you can repair without summoning the patience of a saint or the skill of a neurosurgeon.
Overall impression? Technically impressive, practically maddening. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Article source: This Galaxy Z Fold 7 teardown might give you night terrors over its repairability
