These Tech Brands Are 2026’s Biggest Losers When It Comes To Repairability

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The U.S. Public Interest Research Group(PIRG )Education Fund has actually been releasing its yearly Failing the Fix scorecard given that 2022. The report designates a repairability rating to a few of the most popular phone and laptop computer producers, utilizing information from a French law passed in 2021, referred to as the repairability index. According to PIRG, this year’s scorecard likewise consists of information collected under the European Union’s brand-new European Product Registry for Energy Labelling(EPREL)guidelines.
The EPREL guidelines imply that particular electronic devices items offered in Europe need to abide by minimum requirements like resistance to drops, batteries that fulfill a minimum of 800 charge cycles, transparent info on disassembly and repair work of the gadgets, providing parts for 7 years, longer software application assistance, and offering service center access to software application and firmware.
These guidelines presently use to smart devices, tablets, and cordless phones. For PIRG’s 2026 scorecard, the information notified updates its ratings for mobile phones. Information from France was likewise utilized for laptop computers.
The group likewise subtracted points for business that come from trade groups or company that lobby versus right to fix policies, and granted indicate any business that has actually supported right to fix legislature. This is an essential metric, as best to fix laws in the U.S. have actually been a war of attrition, with high profile suits playing out of years, like the one with John Deere over different repair work limitations on its heavy devices– a suit it eventually lost, to the tune of $99 million in repair work funds to farmers.

Apple and Samsung are 2 of the mobile phone market’s greatest gamers, and both were at the bottom of the scorecard for mobile phones: Samsung with a D, and Apple with an even worse D-. Apple’s iPhones and Samsung’s Galaxy gadgets are both infamously tough to fix. Both continue to rely greatly on adhesives, and Apple has a fondness for utilizing a range of screws, a few of which are exclusive, along with a history of parts matching.
Apple still limits a great deal of aftermarket parts, limits Face ID replacements, and its Activation Lock anti-theft system is connected to a number of parts, which successfully locks them out of being gathered for repair work. In spite of the low ratings, both Apple and Samsung have actually made some concessions for independent and self repair work.
Since the iPhone 16 line and iOS 18, Apple’s integrated Repair Assistant enables utilized Apple parts to be adjusted on-device and utilized for repair work. The more current iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro likewise made significant enhancements for fundamental repair work by utilizing electrically launching adhesive, basic screw types, and enabling access to Apple parts and repair work paperwork.
Samsung introduced its own self-repair program in 2022, and has actually continued to broaden on its brochure of parts and services. Current gadgets like the Galaxy A57 and Galaxy S25 Ultra have actually been applauded as a few of the most repairable Galaxy gadgets in years.
When it comes to laptop computers, Lenovo scored a C, and Apple got a C-. PIRG kept in mind that it has actually not seen any significant enhancement in laptop computer repairability from in 2015.