We live in a disposable society these days where the cost of repairing items is often close to the price of purchasing that item again new. Much of this is due to the difficult nature of accessing the internal parts of the devices without breaking them on the way in.
The good news is that according to iFixit the new Samsung Galaxy Buds are an exception to what is usually the rule in 2019. Tearing down the Galaxy Buds iFixit found that they were “actually somewhat repairable”.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds are not held together by huge “globs” of glue and the batteries are actually replaceable. iFixit were able to tear them apart AND put them back together without too much of a fuss — although pulling them apart had a high likelihood of denting the plastic outer shell.
- The external assemblies are held together with clips instead of glue, making for a mostly non-destructive entry process involving some common prying tools and a Phillips screwdriver.
- The earbuds use coin-cell batteries that are relatively easy to find online for future replacements. The charging case battery is easier to replace, but will most likely be more difficult to source.
- Adhesive is also used to keep many of the internal components together, though it’s not excessive and can be reused for reassembly.
In the end they gave them a 6 our of 10 which doesn’t seem great but it speaks volumes of how unrepairable other products are.
It is good to know that the Samsung Galaxy Buds are repairable, If only more companies managed to have this with their products. Hands up those who would bother getting them/anything repaired these days.
