Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: What is the actual state of reparability?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is 4.2 mm thin when unfolded, 8.9 mm when folded, and IP48-rated for dust and water resistance. Front: Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2, back: Victus 2. The foldable 8-inch OLED offers 2160 x 2480 pixels, 120 Hz; the 6.5-inch cover display is slightly larger than its predecessor. The Snapdragon 8 Elite provides plenty of performance, supported by up to 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of storage. UWB, DeX, USB 3.2 and Wi-Fi 7 are integrated, but the S-Pen is no longer supported. The triple camera includes a 200 MP main sensor (23 mm), 12 MP ultra-wide angle and 10 MP telephoto with 3x zoom; videos up to 8K/30 fps and HDR in UHD are possible. Two 12 MP front cameras (23 and 17 mm) enable UHD at 60 fps. A linear vibration motor provides precise feedback, while biometric features include a fingerprint sensor in the power button and face recognition. The software is Android 16 with One UI 8.0, which will receive seven years of updates.

According to iFixit (we report), the repairability of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (buy here on Amazon) is extremely poor. Even removing the battery is difficult, as the pull tabs do not work properly and repair professionals have to resort to solvents. Removing the cover display also proves to be extremely complicated, as the adhesive used is almost impossible to remove, even when heated. Replacing the flexible AMOLED inner display is particularly problematic: it requires the laborious removal of the plastic bezel, which is almost impossible without damaging the sensitive panel. iFixit also criticises the fact that neither repair manuals nor spare parts are available – not even for the predecessor model. Due to these factors, iFixit awards only 3 out of 10 points for repairability, a poor result.

iFixit's criticism is certainly not entirely unfounded in terms of the degree of difficulty. However, the repair manual for the Galaxy Z Fold7 is available for download from Samsung, and numerous replacement parts are already listed by Samsung, but are not yet available or priced - only EU and UK. This usually happens a little later, though. Spare parts are not yet available in the USA. Technically talented users can therefore repair a defective Fold7 themselves.