Samsung partners with iFixIt to make self-repairs easier

The customer's right to repair their own devices is something one of the biggest names in the smartphone game embraces.

iFixIt, the premier online destination for tech repair information and parts, will be partnering with SAMSUNG to make it easier for tech savvy owners to repair their devices without paying a professional. The first devices to get this support will be the S20 and S21, as well as the Tab S7+.

People will be able to get their hands on authentic parts, the proper tools for repair, and easy-to- understand repair guides if they so desire, but the specifics are still a little unclear. The company said charging ports and display assembly will be the first things people will be able to fix this summer. Users who choose to do this can send their used parts back to the company for proper disposal.

When the program launches, the most recent flagship from the company, the S22, won't be supported. When asked if you can expect expanded device support eventually, a spokesman for the company gave a statement that sounded like it.

The self-repair program in the United States is currently focused on supporting the S20 and S21 family of products.

It's important for a couple of reasons that the company is on the self-repair bandwagon. According to an estimate from the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Forum, the cycle of buying, wearing out, and replacing a phone every three to five years is bad for the environment. If people can simply install a new charging port themselves instead of buying a whole new phone after the old port becomes faulty, that will be one less phone added to the e-waste pile.

Apple introduced a similar self-repair program late last year. Smaller startups like Teracube and Framework have made phones and laptops with sustainable and repairs in mind, but now the biggest tech companies are making it easier to fix devices, too. Everyone wins here.

Except for people who over charge for phone repairs. It's not good for them if regular people can fix their own charging ports.