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Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 gets high repairability score in iFixit teardown

The folks at iFixit are once again ripping apart the latest devices. This time Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1, officially launched just last week, gets the teardown treatment. It scored relatively high for repairability compared to the industry’s leading tablet, the iPad. Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10.1 came in at 8 out of 10—that is in comparison to the newest iPad’s 2 out of 10 score.

* Major players on the motherboard include the following:
        * Samsung Exynos 4 Quad 1.4 GHz processor with integrated 3D graphics
        * Wacom W8008 (we assume this is used for S Pen input)
        * Atmel mXT1664S touchscreen controller
        * Samsung KLMAG2GE4A NAND flash memory
        * Wolfson Audio WM1811AE audio codec
        * F0514A 430 1201KP411

iFixit shared a few of the highlights:

* A few Phillips screws, a few clips, and we’re in! We like this combination: the screws are enough of a hassle to keep out meddling kids, but will by no means deter anyone who needs to fix anything inside.

* Our first look inside the Note 10.1 greets us with a cornucopia of connectors. By our count, there are 16! Having a lot of connectors is a huge boon for repairability. When components can be easily accessed and removed, repairs cost less and customers are more apt to fix their devices.

* Neither the 5 MP rear camera nor the 2 MP front camera are notable in and of themselves, but the fact that they are independent components (as opposed to sharing a single cable) is pretty cool.

* The battery is quite easy to remove, even though a few cables have to be disconnected first. It’s rated at 3.7 volts, 7000 mAh, and 25.90 watt-hours.

* Just like in the new iPad, the battery in the Note accounts for a large portion of the device’s weight. It weighs in at 136 grams, roughly 23 percent of the 594-gram device.

* The EMI shields in the Note are screwed in. We don’t recall seeing that before, and we’re quite thankful we don’t have to bust out the soldering iron and dental picks (no, seriously) in order to uncover the chips underneath. Props to you, Samsung.

* In addition to protecting important motherboard components from electromagnetic interference, it appears that these EMI shields also serve as the Note’s heat sinks.

* Just like all of the components that we disconnected in the first few steps, the dock connector can be removed by simply detaching a connector and unscrewing a pair of screws. More points for repairability!

* Repair enthusiasts everywhere rejoice! The front glass and LCD can be separated and replaced individually.

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Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jordan Kahn

Jordan writes about all things Apple as Senior Editor of 9to5Mac, & contributes to 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, & Electrek.co. He also co-authors 9to5Mac’s weekly Logic Pros series and makes music as one half of Toronto-based Makamachine.