Samsung Galaxy Nexus teardown shows so-so repairability
updated 03:10 pm EST, Tue November 29, 2011
iFixIt tears down Galaxy Nexus, gives it 6/10
The Galaxy Nexus has gone under the tools of the iFixIt team for a comprehensive teardown. The handset shipped with the battery removed, proving it's fully user serviceable. At the same time, the 3.7V, 1,750mAh battery doubles as the NFC antenna, with the ribbons running on its rear side.
With the battery out, a Phillips #0 screwdriver is needed to open the phone further. A plastic opening tool and at least four guitar picks were then needed to pry the screen half away from the rear panel. The speaker and headphone assembly is held onto the mainboard by one screen, while the mainboard itself has some glue and a few screws holding it in place.
Glue also holds the front- and rear-facing cameras in place, with the front-facing one sporting a Winbond 8Mb Serial Flash Memory unit in line to help with data buffering. The rear speaker comes off relatively easily and components can be replaced individually.
The handset scores a six out of 10 for repairability, despite its small amount of glue and individually packaged components. It gets hurt by the tough removal process needed to access the internals and the fact the glass is fused to the display and frame.
