Samsung is adding 14 new devices to its self-repair program including the Galaxy S23 series, several laptops, TVs, soundbars, and even one of their projectors. With this update, users will be able to fix nearly 50 of the company’s products.
The full list of devices can be found in a post on Samsung’s website. It also details some of the serviceable parts. For smartphones, you’ll be able to fix the display, speakers, and charging ports just to name a pieces. Owners of a Galaxy Book2 Pro can repair the same parts as well as replace the batteries when they can no longer hold a proper charge. As for the projector we mentioned earlier, it’s the Freestyle 2nd Gen with Gaming Hub. Users can purchase a second remote control for the Freestyle in case the old one stops working, replacement speakers, and fresh circuit boards.
Something you need to know about these parts is you can only get them through the SamsungParts website; not iFixit. At the time of this writing, iFixit primarily focuses on offering service for Galaxy smartphones, tablets, a couple of Galaxy Book models, and nothing else. In this venture, the tech giant instead teamed up with distribution company Encompass to manage the website and provide parts.
Missing parts
The availability of the new parts is still rolling out. Current offerings are not completely uniform across all the announced hardware. At a glance, certain products are better supported than others.
For example, you can pre-order multiple components for the Freestyle projector, but for the Galaxy S23, you can’t purchase a single thing. All you get is an error stating “Not available for purchase”. At the very least, the listings each have a price tag attached so you have some idea of how much it’ll cost to spruce up a baseline Galaxy S23. Unfortunately, none of the listings reveal what the individual parts are. There are no pictures, plus the descriptions are not very helpful. They don’t offer any insight into what you’re getting.
However, interested customers may not have to wait long. Galaxy S23 listings on Encompass’ own web page claim components will be available on January 30. The same date is listed on the Freestyle project circuit boards.
Not fully released
It seems January 30 will be the official release date for the self-repair update. We certainly hope so because there is still a lot of information missing. Not a single device had an accompanying How-to guide on their respective listing.
We’re going to give Samsung the benefit of the doubt and assume all important paperwork will be released alongside everything else on the 30th. It’s hard to imagine the brand would allow people to purchase circuit boards for the projector without any sort of guidance. It doesn’t seem like something the everyday user can do on a whim. We reached out to Samsung asking for more information regarding the incoming self-repair program refresh – namely what will be available. This story will be updated at a later time.
Until then, be sure to check TechRadar's list of the best Samsung phones for 2024.
