Break, no fix: Apple and Samsung make repairs hard

Report findings

It has been reported that Samsung and Apple phones are harder to repair than rivals, according to a new ranking from the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund. PIRG's fifth "Failing the Fix" report uses EU EPREL criteria and France's repairability index to score devices on disassembly, repair documentation, spare-part availability and pricing, and software-update longevity. The headline: Motorola tops the phone list with a B+, Google scores a C-, Samsung lands a D and Apple bottoms out with a D-.

Rankings and what they mean

Laptops follow a similar script. Apple sits at the lower end with a C-, Lenovo manages a C, while Asus and Acer claim the higher ground with B+ and B grades respectively; HP and Dell land at B-. EPREL leans harder on ease of disassembly, which PIRG says better reflects whether a user — or a repair shop — can actually fix a broken battery or cracked screen without a full teardown. Who benefits when devices are glued shut? Not the consumer. Not the planet.

Why it matters

It has been reported that Americans could save nearly $50 billion a year if they could repair devices instead of replacing them, and that the average e‑waste footprint per person was about 11.2 kg last year. The UN has warned that e‑waste is growing far faster than recycling rates can keep up with. "We are inundated with overly disposable gadgets and then our landfills are inundated with them next," said Nathan Proctor of PIRG's Right to Repair campaign — a blunt line that lands with real sting.

Small wins, big gaps

There are some positive moves: PIRG notes Apple’s on‑device Repair Assistant and new calibration support for genuine parts in recent iPhone and iOS updates as a meaningful shift. But the group also claims — and it has been reported that — eight of the ten manufacturers surveyed belong to trade associations allegedly opposed to stronger repair rights, and software support cutoffs remain a covert kill switch for device longevity. Fixing a phone shouldn't require a PhD. Yet here we are, stuck between clever design and a landfill.

Sources: The Register