Galaxy S25 Ultra Teardown: Quick Battery Fix, Slow Progress on Repairability

When Samsung announced the Galaxy S25 Ultra, most of us expected the usual routine: better specs, minor design tweaks, and a new coat of paint to justify the next upgrade cycle. Instead, Samsung has delivered one of its most unexpected and intriguing flagships in years—at least where the phone’s repairability is concerned.

At a glance, the S25 Ultra sheds some of its Galaxy identity with a decidedly Apple-inspired twist in the rounded corners of the frame and the suspiciously iOS-like Quick Settings layout. As most tech reviewers have noted though, the S25 Ultra is mainly ultra iterative over last year’s flagship phone. This isn’t a bad thing, and we’d encourage manufacturers to drop the annual release cycle altogether.

But there is one redeeming quality in the S25 line of devices. Building on the S23’s pull tab mechanism that was designed to make battery replacement easier, this latest iteration of the pull tab is easier to operate still. As a result, the S25 Ultra could be one of Samsung’s most repair-friendly phones in a long time.

Apple Aesthetics, Samsung Logic

Last year’s S24 Ultra departed from curved screen edges, favoring a flat OLED that is both cheaper and theoretically easier to replace. This year, Samsung has reworked the frame for smoother edges, somewhat mimicking the look and feel of the iPhone’s metal band.

Visually, it’s a blending of two worlds: the big, no-nonsense Galaxy style remains, while the frame and corners echo Apple’s vibe. Love it or hate it, it’s a pivot that suggests Samsung isn’t afraid to borrow visual cues from Cupertino—although some might argue that Samsung’s had iPhone envy in one form or another for years.

S Pen Gets Dumber

One of the most surprising changes is the new S Pen. Fans of Samsung’s stylus are used to advanced features like Bluetooth connectivity for snapping photos or controlling media. But in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, that wireless magic is gone. The reason? Samsung claims that fewer than 1% of users relied on the Bluetooth features; which is apparently enough justification for them to remove it entirely, instead of improving it or just continuing to include it out of the kindness of their hearts. 

When we took a closer look at the new S Pen, we discovered that while the PCB and some familiar structures remain inside, the crucial chips and capacitor that once powered Bluetooth are absent. In other words, the hardware is partially there, but not populated.

There’s probably a few dollars worth of IC’s that Samsung saved here, though I’m willing to bet those savings aren’t realised (or desired) by the 1% that enjoyed remote camera shutters or media playback. Let’s not forget, this is a $1400 phone that Samsung is penny pinching over.

Whether that omission is a big deal depends on how reliant you were on the S Pen’s wireless party tricks. For everyday note-taking, drawing, or writing, you won’t miss the Bluetooth. But it still leaves some early adopters feeling shortchanged on the “Ultra” experience.

The Best Surprise Is on the Inside: A Truly Accessible Battery

Over the years, Samsung built a reputation for making battery replacements an adhesive-laden headache. Removing Galaxy batteries used to require a fair share of bravery, heat, and plastic pry tools—often accompanied by a silent prayer to the repair gods themselves.

This time around, Samsung has installed four neat sticky tabs that “hug” the battery cell. Those tabs peel up easily, releasing the battery in a few seconds without an ounce of extra glue. You can pop it right out with no fuss, no mess, and no special solvents. For consumers and repair pros alike, this is a breath of fresh air.

I would love to think that it’s a move that signals Samsung is listening to feedback, but our own experience suggests that this change comes in response to pressure from right-to-repair laws in Europe. Making the battery simpler to remove means a big win for longevity: as battery health degrades over time, owners can replace the battery more easily and keep their phones running in top shape without risking damage to other components.

Regardless of Samsung’s motivation for making this change, we’re chalking it as one more win for consumers and the planet.

Cameras Stay Modular

Samsung’s camera array is a hallmark of their Ultra lineup. The S25 Ultra packs a multi-lens setup, including an upgraded 50 MP ultrawide sensor that promises improved image quality. While it’s a point of hardware pride, it’s also noteworthy from a repair perspective: each camera module is independent and can be removed or replaced separately.

That means if one lens suffers a nasty bump or the sensor malfunctions, you don’t necessarily have to scrap the entire camera system or buy an expensive all-in-one replacement. Modular cameras are a repair-friendly approach that more manufacturers are adopting.

The selfie unit wasn’t so lucky though – it’s strongly epoxied in place. While we were able to get ours out unscathed, our teeth were clenched the whole time. It was a level of complication that’d scare a lot of folks away.

Right to Repair: A Mixed Bag

One of the biggest talking points around the S25 Ultra has been Samsung’s stance on the right to repair. The simplified battery removal process is a win for those of us who want to keep our devices longer. Moreover, Samsung hasn’t introduced any “parts pairing” headaches.

However, the broader picture isn’t all sunshine. Official repair guides are lackluster, unintuitive, and complicated. Parts availability can be spotty and excruciatingly expensive which undermines the concept of easily repairable hardware if you can’t source the components needed for a fix. We’re eager to see what Samsung releases for these devices—we’re hopeful they get better and better each year.

For every single repair, too, you’ll need to source replacement adhesive, since neither the back glass nor the fragile OLED secure with clips or screws. Overall, the necessary design changes needed to achieve a respectable repairability score simply isn’t there.

Upgraded Yet Underwhelming

Beyond the repair angle, the S25 Ultra’s core improvements feel more incremental than revolutionary. There’s a brand-new Snapdragon 8 Elite system-on-chip that promises faster performance, but in everyday use, you might not notice a huge leap unless you’re really pushing the phone’s limits. The upgraded 50 MP ultrawide camera, while impressive on paper, may not represent a jaw-dropping difference in typical photos, as some reviewers have noted. This leads to the consensus from many gadget critics: if you’re using a recent Galaxy phone, the S25 Ultra’s enhancements might not make it worth shelling out for. And it’s great to hear the tech community echo what we’ve said for years: skip the upgrade and fix the phone you already have. The environmental impact of extending the life of your phone is more significant than you might think.

Verdict: A Step Forward, But More Steps Needed

In the end, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra manages to deliver a surprising bright spot for repair enthusiasts: the pull-tab battery alone is a huge leap from the stickier adhesives of the past. Combine that with modular cameras and the continued absence of enforced parts pairing, and you have one of the most repair-friendly Galaxy phones that we’ve seen in a decade.

Still, the improvements only go so far. Samsung’s official repair resources are incomplete, and parts are often bundled together and priced to make the repair impractical. 

With these factors in mind, the S25 Ultra earns a provisional 5 out of 10 on our smartphone repairability scale—better than most Samsung flagships of the past decade, but still far from an ideal scenario where anyone can comfortably fix their own phone with readily available parts. Should Samsung decide to improve documentation, open up its parts catalog, and truly embrace the right-to-repair movement, we’d be the first to applaud.

Until then, consider the Galaxy S25 Ultra a strong step in the right direction—a phone that might actually stay alive in your pocket for a few extra years, thanks to more sensible internal design. And as phones continue to get more expensive, that extended lifespan is something worth celebrating.