The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of the best smartphones to buy in 2026. The Privacy Display is genuinely impressive and one of the few true smartphone innovations we have seen in a while.
It brings top-notch performance, one of the best camera systems, and AI features that are quite useful. But iFixit just tore one apart, and the results are equal parts impressive and embarrassing for Samsung.
What’s good about S26 Ultra repairability?
Let’s start with the good things. The battery swap on the S26 Ultra is straightforward. Samsung has used a pull-tab adhesive system that comes away cleanly by hand, no tools or heat guns needed. iFixit called it better than Apple’s solution for pure simplicity, and honestly, it is hard to argue with that.
The USB-C port is also modular, meaning it can be replaced without disassembling the entire phone. The rear camera assembly is somewhat difficult to access, but it remains reasonably easy to repair. Overall, Samsung earns solid marks for repairability for battery, ports, and cameras.
Why did the S26 Ultra score only 5 out of 10?
Here is where things go sideways. Replacing the screen on the S26 Ultra is an absolute ordeal. The display connector is only accessible through the back panel, which means a cracked screen requires tearing down the entire phone.
During the teardown, even after heating the screen, it barely budged, and when it finally did, it cracked. It’s one of the hardest, if not the hardest, screen repairs we have seen on a phone in a while.
The selfie camera is glued in so aggressively that iFixit says there is a high chance of damaging the screen just trying to remove it. On a $1,300 phone, that is not a good stat.
And then there is Samsung’s parts catalog. There’s a dearth of repair parts, and when iFixit pulled up a listing from Samsung’s official repair website, it had no image, no description, just a part number. For a company this size, that is embarrassing.
What does it mean for Samsung Galaxy S26 buyers?
If you purchased or are considering purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, you’d better hope that you don’t break the screen or the front camera. The repair process is not only convoluted, but it’s also going to be costly.
I would recommend getting the Samsung Care+ plan that extends the warranty and includes damage protection. Without it, Samsung will likely charge high repair fees, and the complexity of the repair process makes at-home fixes impossible.
