Samsung customers have always enjoyed an extensive global repair and service network. You'll find a Samsung-approved repair provider in most countries, so you could get service for your handset even overseas. Taking it to an official service provider is always the better option since you know that the work would be done with genuine parts. You can't be certain of that with third-party service providers.
On the other hand, there are a lot of users who prefer having the option to perform DIY repairs. Some do it as a hobby, others feel if something is easily replaceable, they might as well save some money on the repair bills. Understanding that there was a need to support those users, Samsung launched its self-repair program in 2022.
Samsung's self-repair program was initially launched in the United States only. The Galaxy S20 and S21 series as well as the Galaxy Tab S7+ were the first devices to be included. Samsung teamed up with iFixit to run this program, providing users with genuine parts, specialized repair tool sets, and detailed step-by-step guides to perform these repairs. You can buy parts like the back cover, charging port assembly, display assembly etc and obtain all of the necessary instructions to do the repairs.
Beyond making it easier for users to repair their own devices, Samsung said that this program would not only enable users to extend the life of their devices, but it would also promote a circular economy and reduce e-waste. There's a sustainability element to this program as well, which is commendable.
Samsung has expanded the self-repair program to over 40 countries since it first launched last year. A wide variety of devices are now covered in the program, including but not limited to the Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Book 2 Pro, and the Galaxy Tab S9 series.
In a move that gives off big DIY energy, the company has added foldable devices to it for the first time. You can now get genuine parts and guides to make repairs to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 yourself. This move will now bring ardent DIYers into the fold (pun intended) as well.
This is yet another way for Samsung to show confidence in its foldable phones. The market is only just waking up to the potential of foldables. For the average user who hasn't used one before, the biggest concern will be durability. They'll feel that perhaps you need to baby foldable phones a lot more than conventional devices, that they're more fragile and perhaps not well suited to the rigors of daily use.
Those who have used foldables for the past few years will tell you that those concerns are not as serious as they may seem. Samsung has made incredible improvements to the durability of its foldable phones. They've even been water-resistant for a couple of years now and Samsung continues to push the envelope on durability with every new model.
It's true that foldables are mechanically more complex than conventional devices. You have a mechanical hinge in there after all that makes it possible for the devices to fold in half. Then there's also the display panel that bends almost flat without breaking. Self-repair on such a device might seem like an impossible endeavor, but it's the beauty of Samsung's engineering prowess that it has not only made its foldables more durables every year, but it has continued to reduce manufacturing complexity.
Samsung has managed to do that to a point where it's now comfortable supporting customers who may want to make repairs to their foldable phones. It's providing them with all the goods to replace components like the speaker, back glass, charging port, display, etc, with specialized repair tools they get to keep and detailed instructions to help them along the way.
It's a testament to Samsung's vision of a future where foldable phones dominate, attaining normalcy for a form factor that many initially felt wouldn't grow beyond the initial novelty of it. Samsung is making it so that users don't feel they have to give any special treatment or care to their foldable phones, that using it or tinkering with it would be the same as it is for any other device.
