Samsung’s new Galaxy A57 has quietly landed a win for the Right to Repair movement. An early teardown from PBKreviews awarded the mid-ranger a 9/10 for repairability, a standout score in a category where glued frames and sealed batteries often make even simple fixes a chore. The result suggests Samsung is rethinking how its mainstream phones are built—and who gets to service them.
Why This Teardown Matters for Everyday Phone Repairs
Most modern smartphones pack impressive specs but treat repairs as an afterthought. Batteries are bonded with aggressive adhesive, screens are fused to frames, and routine service can demand heat guns, solvents, and luck. PBKreviews’ 9/10 places the Galaxy A57 among the rare devices designed with practical disassembly in mind, especially notable in the midrange where cost pressures usually favor glue over screws.
This shift isn’t happening in a vacuum. Advocates like iFixit and repair coalitions have kept repairability in the headlines, and regulators are circling. The European Union’s battery regulation will require user-replaceable batteries in portable electronics within a few years, and multiple U.S. states have enacted right-to-repair laws mandating access to parts, tools, and documentation. For a company shipping hundreds of millions of phones, design choices like these scale quickly.
Inside the Galaxy A57 Design Choices That Simplify Fixes
The A57 still uses adhesive to secure the plastic back, so heat and a prying tool are needed for the first step. After that, it’s refreshingly old-school: 18 standard Phillips screws hold the internal covers and components, cutting down on proprietary fasteners and special bits. Under the motherboard shield sits a graphite thermal layer and a vapor chamber that’s larger than what its predecessor used, a nod to better sustained performance without complicating serviceability.
Modules such as the charging port, loudspeaker, and cameras appear largely separable, reducing the need for pricey whole-assembly swaps. PBKreviews also highlights thoughtful component placement—sensitive microphones and speakers are set back from common poke points, so a misplaced SIM tool won’t end in a costly micro-component replacement.
Battery Swaps Get Real With Easy-Pull Adhesive Strips
The star of the show is the 5,000mAh battery and how it’s secured. Instead of a wrestling match with alcohol and lift tabs that snap, Samsung used four easy-pull adhesive strips—one on each side—so the cell slides out cleanly. For owners, that means a realistic DIY battery change; for shops, it translates to faster turnaround and lower risk of damaging the pack or the frame.
That matters well beyond convenience. The UN’s Global E-waste Monitor reports tens of millions of tonnes of electronics discarded annually, with smartphones a visible slice. Making battery replacements trivial can extend a phone’s useful life by years. Environmental groups and EU research bodies have consistently found that adding even one extra year of use significantly cuts lifecycle emissions per device—small design tweaks with an outsized climate impact.
Small Design Touches With Big Payoffs During Repairs
PBKreviews points to several “nice-to-have” choices that become “need-to-have” when parts break. The rear camera lens covers can be replaced individually with targeted heat, without pulling the entire back. The front camera isn’t over-glued, so it’s serviceable with patience rather than brute force. These details sound modest, but they’re exactly the sort of issues that inflate repair quotes—or convince owners to give up and upgrade.
The rest of the hardware stays sensible. A familiar camera stack—50MP main with OIS, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro, and a 12MP selfie—sits alongside an Exynos 1680 built on a 4nm process. None of that directly dictates repairability, but better thermals and a modular layout mean performance and longevity don’t have to be at odds with fixability.
A Step Toward A Repair-Friendly Mainstream
Samsung has drawn criticism from independent repair circles over parts pricing and documentation in the past, and industry partnerships have ebbed and flowed. Even so, the A57’s internal design is a concrete improvement where it counts: it respects the idea that owners, local shops, and refurbishers should be able to keep a phone going without a maze of glue and proprietary hurdles.
No single model will solve e-waste or rewrite service policies. But a mass-market device that earns a 9/10 repairability score from a recognized teardown channel is a signal. If this approach spreads across Samsung’s lineup—and competitors take note—battery replacements and common fixes could become routine again, saving money for users and keeping working hardware out of drawers and landfills.
For buyers who keep phones for multiple years, the A57’s design choices may be as meaningful as its spec sheet. When the day comes for a fresh battery or a camera glass swap, this phone looks ready for the task.