iFixit praises Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra's battery pull tabs, but the screen is still difficult to remove

12 February 2025
We are not sure why Samsung removed the Bluetooth functionality from the S Pen - and we're even more confused about the way it did it.

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As long as I need to heat up the device's glue while trying to pry it open with special tools while being scared to damage the surface and the glass panels, my repairability score will remain 0. It shouldn't be that hard to make the back panel with screws so they can be easily removed just by unscrewing them.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • Fv1
    • 13 Feb 2025

    Anonymous, 12 Feb 2025Because the CIA and NSA needs to keep tracking people, cant... moreThis.

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      • Anonymous
      • YT8
      • 13 Feb 2025

      Anonymous, 12 Feb 2025cheaper to leave the pcb in than to take it out and have to... moremaybe next year people will know; they'll keep it or remove it.
      as they sell bluetooth enabled s pen. if that not meet their sales goal then later will be done.

        The S24+ got 8/10.
        I wonder why they couldn't do better here

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          • Jason
          • F10
          • 13 Feb 2025

          Another reason to decline letting Samsung spy on your user habits.

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            • Kamui
            • 8@T
            • 12 Feb 2025

            Wow, so Samsung decided to remove the components but not the PCB in the S Pen to save a few cents, doing an certain fruit company tactic of "we create the problem to sell you the fix by making you purchasing another, costly accesory". Only a detailed view of the pcb components will tell us if the hardware is still there to make the bluetooth s pen again functional, or it is completely removed, and only is the inductive sensor for detecting the spen when is inside the phone is populated... 🤔
            Oh, i forgot to check if the option to enable "multiple S Pen use" is present in the S25 Ultra, having another clue to the puzzle to solve.

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              • Anonymous
              • Sme
              • 12 Feb 2025

              and u still cant 2025 remove battery urself without voiding warranty... madness

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                • Anonymous
                • iJp
                • 12 Feb 2025

                LAKEWOLF, 12 Feb 2025Why didn't mobile phone companies just kept removable ... moreBecause the CIA and NSA needs to keep tracking people, cant do that with removal battery

                  They left the pen charger in the phone likely as a last resort
                  They wanted to see how people would react to the removal of Bluetooth and if worst comes to pass, release a Bluetooth pen seperately
                  They're probably aiming at completely removing the pen but obviously can't do it right away, they're testing the waters first by removing Bluetooth, next year remove the charger and by the S27, remove the pen if all goes their way

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                    • Anonymous
                    • PkF
                    • 12 Feb 2025

                    cheaper to leave the pcb in than to take it out and have to redo the pen mold. industrial packaging is weird sometimes.

                      Can't praise it for anything else, but at least it has battery pull tabs, what an insane innovation that is.

                        LAKEWOLF, 12 Feb 2025Why didn't mobile phone companies just kept removable ... more🤑💰📈

                          Why didn't mobile phone companies just kept removable batteries,just like the old days,it seizes to amaze me,my battery on my Cubót phone swelled up after 3yrs of charging, bought a new battery on eBay for £14 ,now my phone after 3yrs and 6 months has a new life 👍

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                            • Anonymous
                            • bJE
                            • 12 Feb 2025

                            Wish Motorola would use sticky tabs for easy battery removal just like what Samsung does.

                              • B
                              • Bennis
                              • yi{
                              • 12 Feb 2025

                              PomPomLover, 12 Feb 2025So if the phone craps out of warranty people should start p... moreNot quite,

                              But I see a lot of people with high end devices be very ignorant with them, then I turn a corner to see some random construction workers s7 in perfect condition

                                what do you mean by "we still don't know why they removed a useful feature"? they did that to bring it back in a couple of years/gens, to have something to add to their miniscule list of upgrades...

                                  Bennis, 12 Feb 2025You don't need to go true the pain of repairing it if ... moreSo if the phone craps out of warranty people should start praying (i.e beg Samsung)

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                                    • Anonymous
                                    • 3SI
                                    • 12 Feb 2025

                                    Anonymous, 12 Feb 2025The title is the exact same summary that could be said abou... moreSo even that they copied from Apple (slightly joking)

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • 3SI
                                      • 12 Feb 2025

                                      The title is the exact same summary that could be said about any iPhone (except the 16) for the last 4 years.

                                        • B
                                        • Bennis
                                        • yi{
                                        • 12 Feb 2025

                                        You don't need to go true the pain of repairing it if you take care of the $1300 device :))

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