Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Best Feature Is Also Its Biggest Repair Nightmare

With the Galaxy S26 teardown last week, we saw how easy it is to repair. We also saw how much Samsung improved the phone’s overall repairability. Now, a new teardown of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, courtesy of iFixit, reveals a familiar story. There are some improvements. However, major repairability issues still hold the device back. One of them might be the phone’s best hardware feature.

Galaxy S26 Ultra’s display is both the best and worst part

One of the standout features of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is its new Privacy Display. However, it also turns out to be the biggest repair nightmare. According to iFixit, the phone delivers a mixed experience. It combines thoughtful design choices with frustrating repair challenges. This is especially true when it comes to the display.

iFixit describes the phone as pairing a “brilliant display with a brutal repair”, highlighting how much it is to actually replace the screen. Removing the display requires extremely high heat, careful prying, and significant force. In some cases, the screen can even separate or break during removal. This makes it a risky repair even for experienced technicians. On top of that, the selfie camera is heavily glued to the display assembly. This further complicates the process and increases the chances of damage.

Not everything is bad, there are good parts too

To be fair, not everything is bad. The teardown shows that several components are actually easy to remove, including the back panel, battery (which was one of the biggest downsides of Samsung), USB-C port, and rear cameras. In fact, iFixit found that these parts are about as straightforward as possible to replace. This is thanks to modular design choices and better internal organization. However, these improvements don’t fully offset the bigger issues.

Despite the easier access to some components, the Galaxy S26 Ultra still ends up with a repairability score of around 5/10. This puts it behind competitors from Google and Apple. The reasons go beyond just the display:

• Difficult screen and selfie camera repairs
• Heavy use of glue in critical areas
• Limited access to official replacement parts

iFixit also points out that Samsung still struggles with parts availability and repair documentation. This makes real-world repairs harder than they should be.

Simply put, the Galaxy S26 Ultra feels like a device caught between two directions. On one hand, Samsung clearly improved battery removal, internal modularity, and certain repair-friendly components.

But on the other hand, the company still hasn’t solved issues, like difficult display repairs, overuse of glue in key areas, and inconsistent repair experience. The phone combines “thoughtful design choices” with “costly repair drawback,” as iFixit says.