DIY tech site iFixit gives the Samsung Galaxy S4 an 8 out of 10 for repairability. Watch the teardown video above, as well as a clip of the Galaxy S4 biting the bullet.
That 8 of of 10 score is high for a flagship phone, though it's not above and beyond most competitors.
Its predecessor, the Galaxy S3, also received an 8 out of 10, while the iPhone 5 scores a bit lower with a 7 out of 10. The HTC One, in comparison, received a dismal 1 out of 10.
The main feature that separates the Galaxy S4 from the iPhone is the battery cover. That pops right off on the Galaxy S4, allowing consumers to replace or swap out batteries any time they like. iPhones need to be taken in to have their batteries replaced by a professional.
The iPhone 5 and HTC One also have unibody designs, which make them harder to open. Some people complain about Samsung's build quality and its use of polycarbonate and plastic, but it's easy to open and easy to work with.
Only 11 standard screws hold the Galaxy S4 together, not proprietary hardware like on many Apple products. But there's a fair amount of adhesive, and like the Galaxy S3, the LCD is fused to the glass. That means most people will need to replace the entire frame if their screen shatters, or spend a few hours with a hairdryer or heat gun to separate the glass from the display.
Of course, there's a faster way to take apart your Galaxy S4: shoot it.
Tech Assassin is the inevitable culmination of ever-more intensive drop tests -- take a phone, prop it up, and fire a .50 caliber round into it. See what happens below.
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.
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