Earlier this week, we saw one of the first teardowns of the Samsung Galaxy S21 by PBKreviews. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S21 Ultra doesn't perform quite as well.

PBKreviews took apart the largest model of the Galaxy S21 and found that disassembly is not nearly as easy, giving it a repairability score of 6/10.

Disassembly of the S21 Ultra is not much different from the smaller S21, but there are a few details that complicate the disassembly and repair process: first, the back is made of glass, which is somewhat more difficult to safely remove than the more flexible plastic used on the back of the S21; second, the back of the S21 Ultra is made of a glass material, which is more difficult to remove safely than the more flexible plastic used on the S21's back; third, the back of the S21 Ultra is made of a glass material, which is more difficult to remove safely than the more flexible plastic used on the S21's back.

It is also quite difficult to remove the battery, as there is no pull-tab and it is held in place with adhesive; PBKreviews had to use isopropyl alcohol to remove the battery from the phone.

The main reason, however, is that the display cable is fixed to the screen, rather than removable as on the Galaxy S21; PBK noted that replacing the screen requires disassembling the phone from the back, removing the cable from the main board, and only then from the front PBK notes that replacing the screen requires disassembling the phone from the back, disconnecting the cables from the mainboard, and only then removing the screen from the front.

Teardown's more positive findings include the fact that the metal camera module can be removed from the back plate and the glass covers for each lens can be replaced since everything is held in place with adhesive. This means that, in theory, individual pieces of broken glass can be removed and replaced without having to replace the entire cover.

For the most part, the phone's internals are, as expected, nearly identical to the Galaxy S21. However, since this is an international model with an Exynos 2100, it lacks the mmWave 5G antenna that you get if you buy the Snapdragon 888 variant in the US

Also missing is the white foam ball on the top speaker that helps increase volume missing, suggesting that the S21 Ultra's secondary speaker is so powerful that it does not need it.

The Galaxy S21 Ultra incorporates the same dual-SIM reader despite being a single-SIM phone, although PBK had previously speculated that the dual-SIM capability is locked by the phone's software, regardless of the number of SIM cards, The reason for this is not clear.

However, despite all the advantages of buying the Galaxy S21 Ultra, including a larger battery and dual 3x and 10x zooming lenses, repairs will be much more difficult. If you value that above all else, I would recommend buying the standard Galaxy S21 instead. Also, if you insist on this model, we recommend that you get a solid case.