iFixit tears down Samsung Galaxy S5, rates it less repairable than its predecessor

The folks over at iFixit showed off just how repairable Samsung’s Galaxy Gear 2 smart watch is earlier this week, and today the site has shared its teardown of Samsung’s Galaxy S5 smartphone. The verdict? Smart watches are easier to repair, but so was Samsung’s Galaxy S4. For comparison, the site rated both the Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy S4 with an 8 out of 10 for ease of repairability. Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone was rated at 5 out of 10 by iFixit (which is more in line with Apple’s latest smartphone as the iPhone 5s was rated at 6 out of 10 by the site)…

iFixit notes that while the battery is easily replaced in the Galaxy S5 (because the back cover just pops off), repairing anything else requires removing the display and risks more damage to the device. The site also points out that removing the display requires a great deal of heat and prying given the amount of adhesive keeping the device together. You can view the full teardown including all of those exploded shots from iFixit.