Galaxy Buds Live Teardown Is Revealing And Almost Painless
Given their size, it's almost too easy to take Truly Wireless Stereo or TWS earbuds for granted, that is until you remember how much a pair cost you. Still, considering how relatively cheaper these tiny accessories are compared to the smartphones they're paired with, some people probably see all but the most expensive buds almost like disposable products. Of course, that doesn't mean they can't be repaired and Galaxy Buds Live, a.k.a. "Galaxy Beans", owners will be happy to know theirs is one of the easiest to repair in the market.
Given their size, you wouldn't be alone in presuming earbuds are one of the hardest electronics to open and repair. That may be true for many TWS buds but all the Galaxy Buds Live needs to open up is a little pressure and a little prying. Amusingly, the buds' internals shows indubitable proof that even Samsung itself called these buds as "beans".
The rest of the teardown was almost a breeze even for the experts over at iFixit. All but one part is held in place with minimal adhesive and a single standard screw. The parts are modular and replaceable, except for the battery that has become a bit rare in the third-party battery market.
It wasn't as smooth taking apart the Galaxy Buds Live's charging case but it wasn't difficult either. The only gotcha was the battery assembly that had to be removed together with the rest of the charger's innards first. The battery was noted to be largest so far in Samsung's Galaxy Buds product line, not surprising considering how much it boasts of the Buds Live's total battery life.
iFixit gives the Galaxy Buds Live a repairability score of 8 out of 10, proving yet again that earbuds can be advanced while also being repairable at the same time. It would have probably been perfect if not for the batter supply issue but, other than that, it should give owners some confidence that their earbuds can be easily repaired if and when necessary.