14 DAY TRIAL // While phone makers copying each other’s ideas is generally regarded as a bad thing, Samsung looking back at the iPhone 4 to improve the battery design on the new Galaxy S23 Ultra is good news.
Sure, it may be a little embarrassing that Samsung had to go that much in the past to look for a way to improve the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but at the end of the day, it’s probably better late than never, right?
Samsung has apparently used a battery adhesive handle on the Galaxy S23 Ultra to make the battery easier to remove.
The folks over at iFixit, whose teardowns and repair guides are totally impressive, claim the design is similar to the one that was used by Apple on the iPhone 14.
“Yeah, a lot of folks are using this non-stretch adhesive, the OnePlus 5 for example. But the first time we saw this was more than 12 years ago now—feel old yet?” iFixit’s Sam Goldheart explains in an analysis of the Galaxy S23 Ultra teardown.
“We didn’t have the easiest time pulling on this handle—I suspect that the wrong bits of the adhesive started to separate—but subsequent attempts went much better. And I gotta say, this is the most straightforward battery removal since the S6 and S6 Edge. The pull tab is even labeled! Samsung has finally admitted that yes, batteries can, and even should, be removed.”
Eventually, it looks like the whole industry is making phones easier to repair, and this can be only good news for customers. iFixit says the Galaxy S23 should be able to get a 6 out of 10 in terms of repairability with parts and repair manuals, and to be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised to see an announcement from Samsung on this front in the coming months.
