C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Except for a again panel that wants warmth to come back off, the Galaxy S24 FE seems to be decently repairable.
- Most inner elements come out after eradicating just a few screws and detaching a cable or two.
- Solely the display screen seems to be significantly annoying to entry.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 FE simply launched final week, and we’ve bought to say: It’s actually working for us. The newest version of Samsung’s finances flagship household is hitting loads of the precise notes, and whereas it’s not going to distract us from the S25 over the horizon, it’s nonetheless an ideal entry to round-out Samsung’s Galaxy lineup this 12 months. In the event you love the concept of finances telephones like this however need to be sure Samsung’s new effort is as sturdy and repairable as you’d like, you’re going to need to try this in-depth teardown video.
The crew from PBKreviews are placing their S24 FE underneath the knife, and sharing the expertise with all of us over on their YouTube channel (through PhoneArena). Entering into the cellphone begins with the applying of light warmth, adopted by prying off the rear glass. The wi-fi charging coil and NFC antenna aren’t constructed into the rear shell right here, and as an alternative come off as a part of their very own daughter board that additionally features a warmth spreader for the cellphone’s chips.
From right here, it’s fairly simple to start out pulling out extra of the sub-assemblies that make up the cellphone’s {hardware}: high speaker, 5G antenna, backside speaker, and extra. The selfie cam separates simply from the principle board, to which the three main cameras keep connected. One other warmth spreader and thermal compound are employed to maintain the principle SoC and RAM cool.
Samsung makes use of some prolonged ribbon cables to stretch throughout the S24 FE’s battery, reaching all the way down to a sub-board for USB and the interface for the cellphone’s show. The battery itself appears moderately replaceable, and comes out with no ton of fuss. Different elements down right here, just like the vibration motor, appears simple sufficient to entry, however changing the display screen understandably seems to be like a little bit of a chore, requiring disassembly on each side of the cellphone’s physique directly.
Below the battery, we are able to lastly see the final main element of the S24 FE’s cooling system, as its vapor chamber is revealed. In comparison with the Galaxy S23 FE, it’s clear that Samsung is essentially sticking with the identical inner design it is aware of, however trying on the two side-by-side it’s clear the place adjustments have been prioritized — like shifting to a bigger vapor chamber.
Total, PBK provides the cellphone a repairability rating of 8.5 our of 10, emphasizing each the benefit of battery alternative, and the overall availability of appropriate spare elements as highlights.
