iFixit’s Galaxy S20 Ultra teardown reveals the phone’s expensive guts

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra has been torn apart to reveal just how difficult it is to repair.

iFixit this week published its teardown of the company’s most expensive glass-sandwich phone, which retails from R26 999 in South Africa.

It noted a few things in its dissection.

Firstly, Samsung’s aircraft carrier-sized camera hump is there for a reason. The primary 108MP sensor is nearly double the size of the iPhone 11 Pro’s 12MP sensor.

What also occupies acres of space within the phone is the periscope lens. Like the P30 Pro, the S20 Ultra’s mechanism is mounted sideways and flat to reduce its footprint.

Samsung’s mainboard is also a thing of beauty. It resembles a piece of lichen, with various arms reaching into space not occupied by camera or battery. It’s a work of art, really.

Other interesting things iFixit points out is how difficult it is to pry the rear glass and screen from the device, both bolted down using strong adhesive. Even the 5000mAh battery is held inside its frame by masses of the stuff.

While this means the phone’s pretty well put together, it’s a nightmare for those trying to repair it. So much so that iFixit gave the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra a 3/10 repairability score.

How bad is that? Well, iFixit gave the even more fragile Galaxy Fold a 2/10.

Feature image: Samsung