A new video shows off the insides of the Samsung Galaxy S4, in a meticulous teardown that gives the new smartphone high marks for repairability.
"Our source told us that the Galaxy S4 is incredibly easy to fix -- even easier than the Galaxy S III. Why? The source explained that several components can be easily replaced, including the microSD card slot, the SIM slot, the microUSB charging port, the camera module and more. That's great news for potential Galaxy S4 owners that are worried about problems down the line," TechnoBuffalo writes.
The Galaxy S3 received a 7 out of 10 for repairability from the DIY tech site iFixit, so we'll see how they weigh in on the S4, but according to this latest teardown, it should score even better.
Unfortunately, the glass screen is still fused to the display, making repair or replacement very expensive, since the entire module needs to be swapped out, unless you have a heat gun and a lot of time on your hands. On the S3 that runs about $200, so expect a similar job on the S4 to be about the same.
Still, many phones manufacturers these days are embracing a "look but don't touch" aesthetic that actively discourages or prevents at-home repaurs. Both the Apple iPhone and the HTC One have unibody designs that are nearly impossible to open without causing damage. Samsung may get flack for "cheaper" plastic bodies, but they're more user-friendly.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 1.6GHz eight-core Exynos 5 Octa processor or a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor (depending on country), 2GB of RAM, a 5-inch 1920x1080 Full HD AMOLED display at 441 ppi, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p HD video, a 2-megapixel front facing camera, internal storage between 16 and 64GB, an SD card slot that can accommodate an additional 64GB, a polycarbonate body, Smart Pause and floating touch tech and runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
Check back for the latest info on the Galaxy S4 as it becomes available.