Skip to main content

We crack open the Samsung Galaxy S8 with the help of iCracked CEO A.J. Forsythe

So you’ve got your hands on a shiny, Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus from Samsung. You’ll probably need a case, because one drop can do all sorts of damage to these all-glass phones.  But in case the S8 does take a tumble, how easy is it to repair? iCracked CEO A.J. Forsythe did a teardown with us to find out.
Recommended Videos

iCracked, if you’re not familiar with it, is a repair service company that has thousands of certified technicians in more than 600 cities in the United States. If you’ve shattered the glass on your device, you can set up an appointment for a technician to come to your home or work to repair your phone.

The company also has do-it-yourself guides, though Forsythe suggested the S8 might be best taken care of by someone who knows what they are doing. That’s mostly because the rear glass cover is prone to break during the teardown process.

One difference we found in the teardown is the battery — it’s housed in a “battery bay” to protect it from the rest of the electronics. This new change is likely an extra precaution after the massive recall of the Galaxy Note 7 last year, which spontaneously exploded due to battery defects. The battery on the S8 also has extra adhesive, so it’s incredibly difficult to remove.

From the vibration motor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, and the internal storage, Forsythe points out all the cool components that make up the Galaxy S8 in our video, in case you’ve never seen what the inside of a smartphone looks like.

iCracked technicians will be able to repair the S8 and S8 Plus within the next two months, and the estimated cost will be $200. The price is expected to go down as S8 parts become more prevalent.

Julian Chokkattu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Julian is the mobile and wearables editor at Digital Trends, covering smartphones, fitness trackers, smartwatches, and more…
The first Galaxy S27 details just leaked. Here’s what we know
samsung galaxy s24 fe review 18

The Samsung Galaxy S25 is due to release in January, and we've heard next to nothing about the Galaxy S26. Why, then, did we just get the first details on the Galaxy S27? The release is a full generation away, but Samsung is reportedly already working on the chipset.

Dubbed "Ulysses," this new Exynos chipset is still in the earliest stages of development. Mass production is planned in 2026, but a lot can happen between now and then. Tipster Jukanlosreve first noticed the news on the Korean site SEDaily. The article is written in Korean, but I found the translation to be easy enough to understand. Fair warning: Google Translate doesn't handle formatting well.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy S25: everything we know so far
All four colors of the Samsung Galaxy S24 next to each other.

Samsung releases many phones yearly, but its flagship models comprise the Galaxy S-series. The Samsung Galaxy S24 lineup was released at the start of this year, and as we creep closer toward the end of 2024, we're nearing tehe launch of the Galaxy S25 series.

What specs are we anticipating? When do we think it'll be released? Here's everything we know so far about the Samsung Galaxy S25.
Samsung Galaxy S25: possible release date
Dr. TM Roh at Galaxy Unpacked 2021 Samsung

Read more
Here’s what all Samsung Galaxy S25 phones could look like
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in Titanium Orange and in Titanium Silver.

January is just a few months away, and as we impatiently wait for the expected launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 — and the end of this relentless election cycle — we're clinging to every bit of news about the phone like a lifeline.

Known leaker @xleaks7 and Mokesciu Skaiciuokle released a short, 15-second video alongside images of the Galaxy S25 dummy models, giving us an idea of what the final model will look like.

Read more