The big picture: Samsung launched its self-repair program in the US in August 2022, enabling its customers to repair their Galaxy smartphones at home by purchasing officially sanctioned components and tools, complete with online self-repair guides. The company has now expanded the program to include a slew of home entertainment devices, including TVs, monitors, soundbars, and more.
Some of the new devices added to the program as part of the latest expansion include the Galaxy S23 series smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5 foldables, the Galaxy Tab S9-series tablets, and the Galaxy Book 2-series laptops. Samsung also added several home entertainment gadgets to the program, including 20 visual display products, such as the Freestyle 2nd-gen projector.
In addition to the aforementioned devices, a slew of monitors and select 2023 soundbars are now also part of the program, enabling users to replace HDMI and optical cables, as well as parts related to power, sound and wireless communication. The best aspect of the repair process is that in most cases, you will not even need expensive tools to replace the damaged parts. Instead, they will be serviceable using common tools like a Phillips-head screwdriver.
Overall, 14 Galaxy smartphones, tablets, PCs, and other gadgets have been added to the list, allowing many more people to conveniently repair their Samsung devices themselves or get them repaired at a third-party repair shop. With the inclusion of the new gadgets, the updated program now offers self-repair options for nearly 50 Samsung devices across multiple segments, such as personal computing, home entertainment, electronic accessories, PC peripherals, IoT, and more.
In a statement, the Vice President of Customer Care at Samsung Electronics America, Mark Williams, said that the expansion of the program will supply DIY enthusiasts with "more options for a wider array of products to extend the life of the products they love." Samsung did not reveal anything about its plans to further expand the self-repair program in the future, but we expect newer gadgets like the Galaxy S24-series smartphones to be added to the list at some stage going forward.
Tech consumers and Right to Repair advocates have long been demanding that tech companies sell spare parts for their products to allow users to repair their gadgets and appliances themselves. After resisting those calls for years, tech leaders like Samsung, Apple, and Google are finally introducing self-repair programs, thanks largely to regulatory pressure, and we expect the trend to continue for the foreseeable future.