If you live far from a Samsung repair facility or equivalent, it can be a hassle to ship your phone and wait, especially if the phone is in somewhat working order. For example, you might only have a cracked glass back cover or an old battery that depletes quickly, but the phone is still functional.

The Samsung self-repair program is available now and might be for you, depending on the type of repair you need. Back covers, screens, batteries, and USB ports can now be repaired for seven devices, including all six Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S20 models, plus the Galaxy Tab S7+.

The repair consists of a kit with all the tools and parts you need, plus instructions done in collaboration with renowned iFixit. The prices depend on the nature of the repair, but we generally find them reasonable.

Samsung even offers the possibility to send replaced parts (for free) to be recycled. As of late, Samsung has been on a roll with their green initiatives, including recycling fish nets. The company was also among the first to use eco-friendly packages and ink.

That said, Apple and others have also done things in that direction, including their self-repair program, which appeared in April. However, Apple’s self-repair covers more items and may require customers to rent advanced equipment. Samsung is focusing on common and easy repairs. We’re curious to see if both would converge eventually.

People would argue that companies aren’t doing this only for the customer’s convenience, and these initiatives could be ways to handle laws such as New York’s “self-repair” law. That could also prevent additional legislation from being pursued in the future.

In any case, it is a positive development and is probably the result of high-profile legal battles about the right of the consumers to repair their property. Eventually, the ease of self-repair could even become a sway factor in people’s decision to purchase. Would it?

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