The Galaxy S7 improves in almost every area compared to the Galaxy S6. It gets a bigger battery, support microSD expansion, better camera and dust/water resistance as well. To find out what makes it tick on the inside, ifixit has teardown a unit for your viewing pleasure.
While physically it looks similar to the previous version, the new Galaxy S7 is actually harder to repair with a repairability score of just 3/10. As comparison, the Galaxy S6 scored 4/10, while the S6 edge scored just 3/10.
The Galaxy S7 like its former model use glass for front and back. There are no screws so you’ll need to remove the back panel that’s secured with glue. The internals are easily replaceable with its modular components including the battery, cameras and the headphone jack. With Galaxy S7 having IP68 water resistance, it has rubber linings to keep water out from its internals.
For longer gameplay without overheating, they have also taken a closer look at the S7’s liquid cooling. The thin copper strip is less than a milimetre thick and weighs less than half a gram. In another video, cutting this copper strip reveals no visible liquid inside, but it does dissipate heat to its outer frame.
Overall, ifixit found the S7 to be a tougher device to fix. Despite its modular components, the display needs to be removed if you need to replace the microUSB port. Since it uses glass for both sides, it is more prone to cracks if you were to drop the device. Another challenge is that it’s almost impossible to replace the front glass without destroying the actual display.
While the device looks good, we suggest that you invest in a case or take up a device protection program that covers damages and theft. Since we are getting only the S7 edge in Malaysia, we can only assume that it could be harder to repair than this.
