The Self Repair program, launched in the United States in 2022, is coming to Europe. On an online store, Samsung now sells spare parts for its smartphones and computers, in addition to its televisions, washing machines, dishwashers and vacuum cleaners.
Forget the name Self Repair, make way for Self-Repair. Since June 19, 2023, Samsung France has offered a store on its website dedicated to the purchase of spare parts for its products. A major step forward in an industry that has often opposed repairs, but which is making more and more efforts since the United States and the European Union are looking into the subject. In the case of Galaxy smartphones, the best-selling in France, Samsung starts with the top of the range with parts dedicated to its S20, S21 and S22.
Simpler repairs than at Apple
Before Samsung, Apple had launched its own repair store in 2022. If Samsung seems to have been inspired by it with its own initiative, the prices charged by the Korean manufacturer seem more reasonable, especially since they do not impose the rental of bulky repair kits to disassemble its products.
In the case of a Galaxy S21 + for example, you can replace a screen for 171.60 euros, the front camera for 40.18 euros or the USB-C port for 32.89 euros. Rates rather in line with the reality of the market, although a little high for some. On the other hand, Samsung does not seem to have the battery in stock for this product, which is a bit silly due to its higher risk of depletion. The Galaxy S20 + does have replacement batteries, at 37.84 euros each. This is reasonable for a genuine battery.
Obviously, the Samsung France Self-Repair page does not just sell products. Many tutorials are offered, for example, to diagnose a problem yourself.
Regarding the repairs themselves, a dedicated page exists on the Samsung site, but it lacks clarity. Samsung will have to simplify this process, since it is very difficult to find a battery repair guide on its site today. We would, for example, not be against manuals corresponding to the products in the basket, to save time. Otherwise, there are always the guides from the iFixit site.
In the United States, Samsung had just partnered with iFixit to launch its repair program at home. In Europe, the brand has chosen ASWO, a German electronics specialist.
We can only hope that the Korean will quickly extend its self-repair program to its best-selling mid-range smartphones, so that its initiative has a real ecological impact. Anyway, hard not to welcome the initiative. A world where consumers are encouraged to repair rather than replace can only be better.
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