iFixit gives Microsoft's Surface laptop and tablet with Snapdragon SoC a very good repair rating

In a teardown review, iFixit disassembles the Surface Pro 11 and the Surface Laptop 7, showing that Microsoft has designed the devices to be very easy to repair. These are the first Snapdragon X laptops and tablets that iFixit has been able to take apartlthough the SoC and RAM cannot be replaced, Microsoft shows that a certain degree of repairability is certainly possible.

Repairing components in the laptops is particularly easy. There are only screws to loosen and Microsoft prints various notes on the components inside, such as which screwdrivers are required (Wayfinder markings). iFixit also praises the fact that the repair instructions are online right from the start. 

An interesting feature of the Laptop 7 is the magnetic holder for the lower notebook tray. Once the screws have been loosened, magnets ensure the correct positioning, which reminds iFixit of the Framework devices. The underside is therefore easily accessible. Replacing the SSD and the 54-watt-hour battery is therefore very easy if you are not afraid of loosening screws.

Of course, this does not come close to the simple removable battery systems of times long past, which was a specialty of Fujitsu notebooks down to lightweight 13-inch models until recently. It is a function that customers hardly demand any more. Nowadays, it is mainly highly specialized manufacturers such as Panasonic and Getac that still offer removable battery systems in notebooks, making it possible to take several batteries with you.

Access to the battery is much more difficult in the Surface Pro 11. This is because the display has to be lifted off the body, which requires heat. The adhesive is not too much of an issue, but according to iFixit, replacing it is no fun. Especially as the cooling system also has to be removed first, as the Snapdragon X requires quite complex cooling.

On the other hand, the SSD can be replaced without opening the device. In the event of product damage, the data can be saved quite easily on the go and possibly even transferred 1:1 to another device. The Surface Pro 11 is therefore superior to the Surface Laptop 7 in terms of storage, even though it is a tablet. 

iFixit gives both devices a solid 8 out of 10 points as a repair score, even if the Surface tablet is somewhat more complex to repair. However, tablets are generally more difficult to repair, which is reflected in the score. Hurdles such as glued displays are somewhat expected.

iFixit particularly emphasizes how much the company has changed in recent years in regard to repair rights. The first Surface Pro received a catastrophic repair rating of 1 out of 10 at the time, and the Surface Pro 7 achieved the same score in 2019. Only with the Surface Pro X (models 8 and 9 were not rated by iFixit) did this improve considerably with a 6 out of 10, and now 8 out of 10 for the Surface Pro 11.

According to iFixit, Microsoft is slowly catching up with companies that bring repair-friendly designs to the market in light of the efforts made to make its devices more user-repair-friendly.