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This teardown is not a repair guide. To repair your Samsung Galaxy Fold, use our service manual.

  1. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown, Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 1, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown, Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 1, image 2 of 2
    • We always like to review the hardware specs going into a teardown, and for once we get to copy our own homework. These look like nearly the same specs we jotted down back in April:

    • One 7.3" dynamic AMOLED Infinity Flex main display (2152 × 1536 resolution, 362 ppi), and one 4.6" super AMOLED cover display (720 × 1680, 399 ppi)

    • Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 64-bit octa-core processor

    • 12 GB RAM with 512 GB internal storage

    • A total of six cameras, from front to back: 10 MP "closed" selfie camera, 10 MP "open" selfie camera, 8 MP RGB depth camera, 16 MP ultra-wide rear camera, 12 MP wide-angle rear camera, 12 MP telephoto rear camera

    • Capacitive fingerprint sensor / Bixby button combo

    • USB Type-C power/data port (but nary a headphone jack to be found)

    • Oh! Looks like this fragile butterfly has put on a couple extra grams since we last saw it—13 grams, to be exact, for a total of 276.

  2. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 2, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 2, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 2, image 3 of 3
    • New for this release: detailed care instructions, including warnings against touching the touchscreen too hard, and exposing the phone to dust.

    • Looks like Samsung really wants us to take care of this thing ... it doesn't say anything about taking it apart though? So I guess we'll continue?

    • "When folding the device, do not place any objects, such as cards, coins, or keys, on the screen." We would never do that.

    • If you haven't seen one of these in person, here's how it stacks up:

    • In "folded" configuration, it's narrower, taller, and much thicker than a Galaxy S10+.

    • In "unfolded" form, however, it's ... big. Not quite iPad mini 5 big, but its bezels are tiny—so in terms of usable screen real estate, the two devices are actually pretty comparable.

    • It also folds more easily than an iPad Pro, and without the shower of glass shards.

    Would have been nice to see the iPad mini comparison with screens on, really get the idea of usable screen.

    Scott - Reply

  3. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 3, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 3, image 2 of 2
    • Samsung has shored up many of the leaky spots that previously plagued this phone.

    • Perhaps the most prominent entry point for display-killing debris was at either end of the fold, where a break in the hard plastic bezel left a big gap.

    • We're happy to see that Samsung added a small protective cover to close the gap and prevent our tools debris from sneaking in behind the screen.

    • When closed, the screen is protected—but the spine is still flanked by gaps that our opening picks hop right into. These gaps are less likely to cause immediate screen damage, but will definitely attract dirt.

    • It seems Samsung is trying to cover the most immediately threatening ingress points, but it's extremely challenging to completely seal off a phone with this many moving parts. It'll be interesting to see how future folding designs overcome this.

    You can see the crease in the middle of the screen in this picture with the pick on the bottom of the screen. Look at that? Yuck!

    JBDragon - Reply

  4. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 4, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 4, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 4, image 3 of 3
    • Did we mention it's thick? Folding phones are cool and all, but good luck fitting this thing into your skinny jeans.

    • The hinge area packs the bulk of the, uh, bulk—partly because the screen doesn't fold completely flat. It closes more like a binder than a book, making contact only at the outer edge.

    • Putting the fold on the inside rather than around the outside makes for a tighter radius and a whole different set of camera placement problems than, say, Huawei's approach with the upcoming Mate X.

    • In its unfolded form, the main screen sports a slightly raised bezel, meaning there's a noticeable lip around the edges that you can feel under your fingers. This likely protects the display when it's folded or resting face-down on a table.

    • Word on the street is that scandalous screen protector now extends all the way under this raised bezel, away from prying hands. Will that protect it from us, though? Probably not.

    • The phone ships un-folded—but fold it even once, and that crease becomes pretty easy to spot if you're looking.

    Ya, I can easily see the crease in the middle of the screen and that just blows. I think you’re better off to just get a normal phone and then a Tablet. Trying to be both just has too many negatives.

    JBDragon - Reply

  5. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 5, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 5, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 5, image 3 of 3
    Tool used on this step:
    iOpener
    $12.99
    Buy
    • Right, so, this is supposed to be a teardown, and unfolding it doesn't count. Time to pick a point of entry and go for it. Arm iOpeners!

    • Experience tells us that Samsung likes to build their phones from the front, and stick the back cover on last—so we start there.

    • Once again a little heat from our iOpener softens the glue up nicely, and we slice off the first of the two outside covers. We're in.

    • Samsung's usual curved glass covers, like the one we recently pulled off the Note 10+, can be stressful to pry under, so the flat point of entry here is a welcome relief.

  6. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 6, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 6, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 6, image 3 of 3
    • Even lightly-glued back covers are a repair headache—but with that out of the way, these screws are a treat. Wacky phone design, meet mercifully boring ordinary Phillips fasteners.

    • Our first jab below the surface reveals pretty standard-looking Galaxy smartphone parts. First out: the wireless charging coil and antenna assembly.

    • This half looks like a pretty complete phone all by itself—it just needs a speaker and vibration motor.

    • So, what's hiding in the other half?

  7. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 7, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 7, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 7, image 3 of 3
    • Hey look, there's a phone attached to this phone! We set about opening this phone's second half, where a comparatively tiny notification screen is flanked by some seriously massive bezels.

    • This non-folding front screen comes off with a little heat and fairly little drama, for a Samsung.

    • It's helped by the flat edges and big bezels—which despite looking kinda funky, actually leaves ample room to pry without stabbing the delicate OLED panel in the process.

    • Flipping the display over reveals the OLED panel is made by Samsung, to the surprise of no one.

    • Along for the ride is Samsung's own S6SY761X touch controller, last seen in pretty much every Samsung teardown.

    • Winbond W25Q80EW 4 Mb serial flash memory

  8. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 8, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 8, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 8, image 3 of 3
    • One battery, two batteries, way-too-much-glue batteries. In typical Samsung fashion, they come out with isopropyl alcohol and a lot of swearing.

    • If dimensions are your thing, the taller, front-facing battery is 42.2 x 76.8 x 3.8 mm, and the battery in the rear-facing section with all the cameras measures 42.6 x 64.3 x 4.8 mm.

    • But really, here's the measurement that matters: 8.22 and 8.65 Wh, respectively, or 2135 mAh and 2245 mAh.

    • Those are each less potent than the 11+ Wh power packs in any of the S10 phones, but in tandem they provide 16.87 Wh of power.

    • That's less than most tablets, including the 19.32 Wh cell in the newest iPad Mini—but since this is technically a smartphone, that's ... impressive?

  9. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 9, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 9, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 9, image 3 of 3
    • Beneath the main board, a sign. Some friendly manufacturing QA professional has inscribed the copper heat sink with the letters TD—which, come on, can only mean Tear Down. Samsung? Is that you? Was this meant to be?

    • You probably could have spent your $2,000 USD on a pretty nice DSLR or mirrorless camera, so it's slightly appropriate that this phone folds six cameras into its frame. Consolation prize?

    • The only other time we've seen this many cameras in a smartphone teardown is Huawei's P30 Pro.

    • We line up the unblinking eyes:

    • Rear-facing 12 MP telephoto and 12 MP wide-angle cameras

    • Rear-facing 16 MP ultra-wide camera

    • "In-the-fold" 10 MP selfie cam (top) and 8 MP RGB depth cam

    • "Folded" front-facing 10 MP selfie cam

    Nokia 9 has five rear cameras plus one front camera for a total of six :O

    Gorilla - Reply

    I still remember when phones had one camera

    Gage - Reply

  10. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 10, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 10, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 10, image 3 of 3
    • Let's check out the left-side board.

    • Are those silicone seals around the flex cable connectors? It sure looks like it. We first spotted these ingress-protection measures way back on the iPhone 6s, but they're not a common sight on Samsung products. When the chassis isn't water or dust-proof, this is how you build in a little board protection.

    • Meanwhile, here's the silicon we found on this board:

    • Samsung S2MPB02 camera power management

    • Samsung S2DOS05 display power management

    • Cirrus Logic CS35L40 haptic driver w/ digital signal processor

    • Cirrus Logic CS40L25 audio amplifier

    • Samsung S2ASL01 over-current protection (likely)

  11. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 11, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 11, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 11, image 3 of 3
    • SIM card PCB IC ID continued, plus bonus touchscreen chips:

    • Samsung S2DOS04 backlight controller (Likely)

    • NXP Semiconductor NCX2200 low voltage comparator

    • STMicroelectronics LSM6DSO accelerometer

    • STMicroelectronics FingerTip touch screen controller

    • GigaDevice GD25LH80C 8 Mb serial flash memory

    • Richtek RT8010 step down DC-DC converter

  12. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 12, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 12, image 2 of 2
    • Double the phone, double the fun! Found on the right side's main board:

    • Samsung K3UHAHA0AM-AGCL 12 GB RAM layered over Qualcomm Snapdragon 855

    • Samsung KLUFG8RHDA-B2D1 512 GB eUFS NAND flash storage

    • Qorvo QM78062, likely a RF Fusion front-end module

    • Qualcomm SDR8150 RF transceiver

    • Murata KM9705076 front end module (likely)

    • Maxim MAX77705C PMIC

    • IDT P9320S Wireless charging IC

  13. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 13, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 13, image 2 of 2
    • Main PCB IC ID, part 2:

    • STMicroelectronics ST33G1M2 32-Bit ARM Cortex-M3 secure microcontroller

    • STMicroelectronics STM32G071EB 32-Bit ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller w/ 128 Kb flash

    • Samsung S2MPB03 camera power management

    • Samsung S2MIS01 Magnetic Secure Transmission (MST) driver

    • Vishay DG2730 480 Mbps DPDT analog switch

    • Qualcomm QET5100 envelope tracker

    • NXP Semiconductor BGU8103 GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/COMPASS

  14. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 14, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 14, image 2 of 2
    • Main PCB IC ID, part 3:

    • ON Semiconductor FSA644 1.5 Gbps SPDT analog switch

    • ON Semiconductor FAN48618 1 A boost converter

    • Goertek MEMS microphone

    • STMicroelectronics LPS22HH pressure sensor

    • Likely OSRAM ambient light/proximity/color sensor with IR emitter

    • Seiko Instruments Hall Effect sensor

  15. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 15, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 15, image 2 of 2
    • And on the final flip side:

    • Skyworks SKY78160-51 low noise amplifier

    • Skyworks SKY77365-11 power amplifier module

    • Skyworks SKY13716-11 low band front-end module

    • Qualcomm PM8150C power management

    • Qualcomm WCD9341 audio codec

    • Qualcomm QDM3870 RF front end module

    • NXP PN80T NFC controller w/ secure element

  16. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 16, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 16, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 16, image 3 of 3
    • With all the interesting inner bits out of the way, we turn our attention to the star of the show: the foldable OLED display itself.

    • The interior bezel lip—still held only by light adhesive—comes up without much of a fight.

    • Normally we overwhelmingly prefer a light touch when it comes to adhesive. And yet, in this case, we can't help but worry these bezels may peel over time, exposing the screen to damage.

    • These bezels are super slim—when peeled up, they barely cover two millimeters of display.

    • With the bezels pulled up, you can see the new T-shaped plastic protection caps guarding either edge of the display's fold. A flexible gasket stretches over the gap, tucking under the tail of the T.

    • This is definitely an improvement over the gaping hole left here in the gen-1 Fold—but will it really keep all your pocket lint and Cheeto dust from working its way into that display? For that matter, what about ants? No really, what about ants?

    • Better hope you live in a bubble...

    what are the alternative to resolve this bezel issues then

    Capital M - Reply

    A bellows with thin metal ribs running in the length.

    DZDZigns LLC - Reply

  17. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 17, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 17, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 17, image 3 of 3
    • Now bezel-less, the screen is primed for prying off! We didn't need any heat last time, but today it seems Samsung isn't taking chances—they want this screen to stay put, and have added an extra sticky strip of black tar goop.

    • The screen is still adhered only along the outer edges—probably to allow the screen to float as it opens and folds.

    • For once, the relative difficulty of replacing the screen is not even our biggest beef. You wouldn't even have to drop this thing to break it, meaning screen replacements seem inevitable, and that's a scary thought.

    • Samsung generously offers to replace it for just $149—but only once, so make sure you use a light touch.

    • Granted, using plastic instead of glass as an OLED substrate means this display is less likely to shatter—but there are other modes of failure.

    • A single ultra-wide display cable connects the display to the board.

    • That means The Verge's reported "jelly scrolling" was probably due to the display driver software, not a split display.

    • Could they have updated the display driver for the second launch? Absolutely! Did we turn ours on to test before we took it apart? You ask too many questions.

  18. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 18, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 18, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 18, image 3 of 3
    • Well, well—this must be the reinforced screen we've heard so much about. And we do indeed find an extra metal layer, like chainmail armor between the backing plates and the display.

    • Backing the new notched armor layer are the aforementioned metal support plates, whose edges are adhered to the phone's frame. This leaves the center spine free of adhesive for a wider-radius fold.

    • All this metal makes the display surprisingly rigid, even when separated from the chassis.

    • Once removed from the chassis, the display looks completely flat, with no fold or scoring in sight.

    • The "Advanced Polymer Protective Layer" on top of this flexible display—the one that caused all that ruckus before—is still not to be removed. But at least Samsung has removed temptation by extending it just about all the way to the edges of the screen.

    • We still can't believe that this layer wasn't hidden from the get-go. It looks so similar to the pre-installed screen protectors that ship with Galaxy S10 phones. Did they really think no one would pick at it?

    • We're guessing that removing this layer still kills the display, and since Samsung asked nicely, we'll leave it in place ... for now.

    It is interesting to me that the crease goes away once the screen is disconnected. That almost makes me think the crease is caused less by the folding itself and more by how the parts are supporting the screen.

    Dillan - Reply

  19. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 19, image 1 of 2 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 19, image 2 of 2
    • Next we notice that the hinges, formerly bare, are newly covered in tape—probably to block debris from sneaking in through the pick-sized gaps in the outer spine.

    • Dirt and debris can still get into the hinge and potentially gunk it up over time, but at least it will have a harder time making its way to the display. As we all know, anything lodged between the fragile display and its hard metal backplate can become a fatal pressure point.

    • Enough staring at tape—let's rip it off and check out the hinges hiding beneath.

  20. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 20, image 1 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 20, image 2 of 3 Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 20, image 3 of 3
    • Next up: the magic hinge that makes all of this folding wizardry possible, looking pretty similar to the last Fold we saw. Let's count it down:

    • Four spring-loaded clasps lock the display in the "open" position. The system is well-engineered and likely to last a long while.

    • Two hinges, secured to the spine—one at the top and one at the bottom—allow for some horizontal play in order to absorb any torsion force.

    • One center hinge, which sports a gear system. This distributes the opening force equally, ensuring that the two halves of the phone open synchronously.

    • The two well-routed flex cables serve as a corpus callosum between the phone halves. Each end of the cable is held securely in place before the bend, giving the cable room to flex freely.

    • Routing flex cables through hinges is a serious reliability concern over the long haul. This one looks designed to hold up—but if it doesn't, at least the cable itself is modular, unlike some others we've seen.

    Hello..

    Would like to ask how if we had problem with one of those flex..?

    It possible to change and replace..?

    Tks.

    Chandra Alam - Reply

    • And here's that beautiful spine in motion!

    • At the top: the single rounded sliding hinge.

    • Just below that: one of the springy clasps, for latching the phone open.

    • And towards the bottom: the gear array, stabilizing the center and distributing force.

    • Samsung says they folded these phones more than 200,000 times, and with this hinge system we don't doubt it. But we think it's safe to say that humans aren't quite as gentle as Samsung's robots are? Plus, even a different robot couldn't achieve the same results.

  21. Samsung Galaxy Fold Teardown: step 22, image 1 of 1
    • Despite its improvements, this beautiful butterfly's life was still tragically short.

    • For the most part, it looks like Samsung quietly made all the durability quick-fixes we suggested in our original Fold teardown! You're welcome, Samsung.

    • We found covers over the gaps on either side of the display crease and tape around the inside of the hinge, both working to keep debris away from the backside of the display.

    • For further reinforcement, there's an extra layer of metal bonded to the back of the display.

    • Last but not least, the screen protector is slightly larger, hiding its tempting edges beneath the plastic bezel.

    • That said, this thing is still pretty fragile. We'll have to see how it holds up in the real world, but for now we can't help but wonder: why weren't these revisions a part of the first Fold? It took reviewers (and us) less than a week to figure out the phone's weak points. Why ship something they must have known to be so easily breakable?

    • While the phone is easier to get into than some, it still seems alarmingly fragile—a bad sign for repair.

    Hi,

    I have accidentally broke (i think) flex cable that route through hinge of my galaxy fold 2 and causing no sound (on certain angles) and leave sim card undetected (also on certain angle) but when fully closed all those above are return to it's full function. Is there somehow i can fix the flex cable without replace a complete set (costly) of inner side screen and frames?

    Thanks for advise

    Foldeinstein - Reply

    Meest voorkomende klacht van de telefoon op internet is dat de fold niet meer 100% opengaat.

    Maar bv 80 of 85%, alle reparatie bedrijven inclusief Samsung bieden dan alleen de optie voor het compleet vervangen van het scherm.

    Kan het ook gerepareerd worden door het scherm te verwijderen zoals hierboven en de hinge te reinigen?

    Norman Uittenbogaart - Reply

  22. Final Thoughts
    • A single Phillips driver takes care of all the screws.
    • Many components are modular and can be replaced independently.
    • The mechanics involved in the fold are likely to wear over time, causing stress to hinges and display, necessitating eventual replacement.
    • The fragility of the main display means you'll almost certainly be replacing it before long—a pricey repair.
    • Battery replacements are possible, but unnecessarily difficult—solvents help, but risk damage to the display supports.
    • Glued-down glass both front and back means greater risk of breakage, and makes repairs difficult to start.
    Repairability Score
    2
    Repairability 2 out of 10
    (10 is easiest to repair)

Taylor Dixon

Member since: 06/26/18

66,782 Reputation

94 Guides authored

37 Comments

Now how did you get your hands on that little thing? Aren’t the folds supposed to be in the hands of tightly controlled tech reviewers? Don’t you risk being sued by samsung?

Pierre Gabory - Reply

Sued by Samsung? Since when did disassembly become illegal? Have I missed something?

charkel -

Disassembly is legal. Trafficking in stolen goods is not.

Aaron Wright -

The moment the phone goes on sale, they have teams around the world that fly, drive and swim to go get them. These devices were announced and released … to the public, but they were pulled.

They’re not a flagship devices, hense there isn’t the hype and fan fare around them like a S10 and such.

Cameron Walker -

What would you recommend Samsung do in order to protect against ingress of debris at the hinge (including the small gap between the screen protector and the display when partially open)? Would some kind of silicon or mesh be sufficient? Just trying to theorize what could be done to resolve the issue.

Brodie Woods - Reply

I think the same…maybe using both, silicon and a mesh (like those on some speakers of other phones) could help with outer holes, but the problem with the screen remains - when opening the Fold, any particle there will almost certainly break the screen. So, maybe a foam or other soft material between the screen layer and its plates could absorb the small particles. These, and extending the top layer that people are peeling under the bezel, I believe, could have avoided some of these problems. Best regards.

Carlos Trentini -

I vote for over-engineered screw auger that ejects dirt back out the hinge when it’s rotated…

stephenprokopchuk -

Not make a folding phone….

This isn’t going to work yet or The Chinese Government, Sorry, I mean Huawei would have theirs out now/ relatively soon.

I have a feeling they too are having issues with production.

Sean Smith -

this is actually what ended up killing my fold 2. they never resolved it

rya ovxx -

Interesting that there's no visible crease when display is taken out of phone. What causes the crease to be apparent when in use?

jt tech - Reply

It’s shocking to me that they thought this was worth releasing. I know Samsung has been cavalier about rushing things to market, but even for them this seems much. This needed at least another year or two in the kitchen.

Nick - Reply

Does anyone know what the material composition of the display? Especially the bendable plastic?

Mark Pacz - Reply

Thanks for iFixit team’s great analysis. I would like to know the detail photo of component on FPC of foldable OLED , could you please help to take a detail shot on it?? great thanks!

tenzoo - Reply

Two well-routed flex cables serve as the corpus callosum between the phone halves.

Well written! I appreciated this interesting analogy… as well as the link to the Wikipedia article for “corpus callosum” so I could easily look up what it meant.

nahlers - Reply

The good news is that none of the devices supplied to reviewers has caught on fire. Since this is Samsung we are talking about, that’s definitely progress.

nuncestbibendum - Reply

That's a terrible thing to say about a Mighty Ruler.

John Gary Morgan -

When taking photos of up close objects, be sure to set your camera to a higher aperture like 8f+

When you use low aperture that creates a blur in the background, you want that in a portrait of a person for example, but with a bit of technology you want to see the whole photo clearly.

brendan.harris - Reply

Barring the flexible display this phone is basically two phones connected together with a neat little hinge.

Sorry! Sorry, I don’t mean to make light of all the time and effort it took the engineers&researchers to create that display but considering this problem I think more then a few technical reports and suggestions were ignored by the people upstairs.

I am kind of curious as to why Samsung went with this design though.

I mean don’t get me wrong, the display looks COOL, but if the idea was merely to give consumers bigger displays that could still fit in their pockets then why go with this instead of a phone design with an add-on port? Imagine a smartphone with an add-on port to the side consisting of an optical transceiver for data and induction coil for power transfer that are normally dormant until that phone and another are locked into a folding case that enables the ports to link those phone together, the primary doing all the work while the secondary acts as just a additional display and battery.

James Barnhill - Reply

there have been multiple attachments for phones like that already, the bottom line is no one carries additional accessories with them for phones. There’s a reason modules for phones havent worked out

Aditya Singh -

I think the hinges need a sealant to keep ALL foreign-objects out, including sand.

DD Braugh - Reply

I liked the teardown, and then I saw the Repairability Score 2. Looked again over the teardown, mostly nicely done, no shattered panels, no fancy screws. So why only 2 ? I read again the score, it’s Repairability Score not Reliability Score. It might have a rough start but on my books it’s a solid 8 if not higher. You should fix it.

clau_sav - Reply

It’s not a 8/10 but maybe a 5 or 6? I think the rating got influenced by the *expected* lifetime of some important parts. Does iFixit uses some chart how to award a rating? Or is this more kind of a subjective rating?

LastDawn -

Did you try putting the Fold back together? Does it still work?

Dinan Blueje - Reply

They removed the protective film from the screen which damaged it.

Jordan GW -

Carbon nanotubes with Aramid fibers can solve this in a a dual helix hexagonal pattern with parts machined from aircraft grade 2 titanium. Copper can be used in between as spacers for reducing friction and for a smooth hinge movement. A positive it is also conductive if required to pass energy from point a to b. With modern machining, they don't need glue and could benefit by keeping the front fascia thin and flats but build up the sides and back with extra protection. A mix of some soft grip nice touch material for spastic feeling, and perhaps a shock absorbing plastic underneath. Then they can keep the screen and aluminum as is, just needs to beef up the hinge and protect the movement with the correct materials. Its not rocket science, Samsung. Call me, I'll help you just cause I feel like it.

AEROBUTT EYEANDERSTEIN - Reply

and thanks to your suggestions the phone might just end up costing 4000 dollars instead of 2000, cost-effectiveness of materials is a thing buddy, thats why engineers dont run businesses

Aditya Singh -

This is a perfect example of synthetic versus real world testing. Of course repeatedly folding the display in a controlled environment worked fine - this flexible OLED tech is the reason this phone took almost a decade to engineer. But this display doesn't exist in a vacuum; the real world is full of lint, sand, and dust. That's why phones have shifted towards the "sealed slab" design - the reduction of moving parts and points of ingress have worked wonders for their durability.

The Galaxy Fold feels like an over-engineered solution to a problem that Samsung created themselves. By placing the flexible panel on the inside of the Fold, they not only had to add extra cameras and another display to make it useful when closed, but also created massive points of ingress. And for what gain? The outer display looks incredibly outdated, and the need for all these extra components is likely why the Fold is so outlandishly expensive.

Caleb Kamrath - Reply

You know the foldy parts of a surface pro keyboard? Why not make the phone like that? Everything stamp-sealed,reinforced, but flexible?

Sure it makes it harder to repair, but we are already at a 2…so go for the gusto and make a smooth seamless case to screen seal that flexes but allows nothing in? Screen definitely needs more work though!

Dan Osbon - Reply

Like on the “original” review, you are continuing to misunderstand the meaning of word “repairability” with reliability. For sure the reliability seems low but it was quite easy to open and access the internals, if you consider other offenders like MS Surface line. Try to use a dictionary next time.

clau_sav - Reply

The best repair is one you never have to make in the first place. A device that needs constant repair does not deserve a high “repairability” score.

Jeff Suovanen -

What does mechanical wear have to do with the reparability score? You can easily repair it or not. How many times you need to repar it has nothing to do with the reparability. Same goes for the screens "pricy repair" (Can you name a price? $100/ $600?) Again, how does this affect the repairability score?

ReeteshT - Reply

Yeah.. No thanks

John Grzeskowiak - Reply

Can i ask what is the hole on top of the right side of the phone when the phone is opened and screen facing you. its like a sim tray hole, i made a mistake by pushing the sim pin due to my bad eyes and realize its not the sim tray after noticing there is no tray coming out. I am worried i might have damaged something. Testing of the phone so far seems ok, but on using the samsung test code only one mic is working, ironically its the mic on top thats working and not the bottom hole next to the usb as when i speak into the mic on top the voice is louder on playback, where the bottom mic hole next to the usb c talking close to it does not change the volume of playback. please let me know on your tear down observation are there anything directly underneath this hole that i could have damaged?

Please let me know and many many thanks!

Charles C.

Charles Choong - Reply

Hi Charles!

The hole you are referring to is a microphone hole, but don’t worry—the microphone isn’t damaged. (Reference image) The red arrow points to the inlet hole and channel, and the red box marks the actual microphone on the motherboard. Sound enters into the channel, turns at an L-bend, and passes through a waterproof membrane in order to reach the microphone. Inserting the SIM tool would push against the end of the L-bend. The waterproof membrane and microphone are out of reach. For more details, check this blog post.

Arthur Shi -

Comment reparer le circuit de reseau fold

Cisse Mory - Reply

Wat een klote telefoon. Na paar weken al binnenscherm defect. En hij vouwt niet verder los dan 90 graden. Zeer onhandig. Garantie is slecht. Heb telefoon opgestuurd. Totaal zonder schade aan telefoon en ik krijg fotos terug van een krasje in het frane waardoor ze niet gratis willen repareren. Heel slecht. Raaf de telefoon zeker NIET aan. Ik heb er reuze spijt van.

sanharib maraha - Reply

Le mauvais indice de réparabilité, indique juste les éléments que les ingénieurs Samsung ont ajoutés pour la consolidation, la protection, notamment de l'écran principal et de la charnière de l'appareil. Sa durabilité.

Nota bene, tout ne peut pas être réparé individuellement, il ne viendrai à l'idée de personne (enfin j'espère) d'intervenir sur la montre ou le tableau XIX° du grand-père. Il faut savoir aussi parfois laisser la main à un spécialiste.

Mes Courbes - Reply

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