Winners and Losers: Samsung lets us repair our own phones as E3 folds for 2022

It’s the weekend again, which means its time for another edition of Winners and Losers. 

This week saw OnePlus launch its 10 Pro smartphone in the UK, Sony reveal an array of new PS Plus subscription tiers, and Zelda fans dealt some bad news as Breath of the Wild 2 was put on hold until 2023. 

But, none of these earned the title of winner or loser. Keep reading to learn what news caught our attention this week. 

Winner: Samsung

This week, Samsung announced that Galaxy users would be given the option to repair their own phones and tablets going forward. 

The company has teamed up with iFixit to offer the service, which provides users with the genuine device parts, repair tools and step-by-step guides they need to fix their own devices. 

This includes display assemblies, back glass and charging port replacements. The company will also take back old parts to be recycled. 

The bad news for users in the UK is that the self-repair programme is currently only available in the US. Samsung is also starting slow with the Galaxy S20, S21 and Tab S7 Plus, but the brand plans to expand to support more devices and repairs in the future. 

The announcement comes just months after Apple launched its own Self Service Repair programme last November. 

The scheme, which, like Samsung’s, is currently only available in the US, gives iPhone users the opportunity to fix broken iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models at home. This means they can repair the display, battery and camera without voiding their warranty. 

Again, this is a rather slow start. Many of us are still hanging on to perfectly good Galaxy S10s, iPhone 11s and iPhone SEs (or even newer S22s) and would prefer to swap out a cracked display than fork out hundreds of pounds on a brand new phone. 

Its also a shame that these programmes are only available in the US at the moment. 

However, this is an optimistic sign of more flexible repair options to come, both across more Samsung and Apple devices and from other phone brands that might choose to follow in their footsteps, offering us all a cheaper and more sustainable way to fix our phones from home. 

Loser: E3 

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) this week broke the news that E3 2022 is cancelled. 

The trade group had previously announced the event would go virtual in response to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, but eventually made the decision to hold off on the show altogether. 

The ESA says it will be concentrating all of its energy and resources on delivering a “revitalized physical and digital E3 experience” in summer 2023. 

“Whether enjoyed from the show floor or your favorite devices, the 2023 showcase will bring the community, media, and industry back together in an all-new format and interactive experience”, promised the trade group. 

Of course, with many big players in the gaming industry, such as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo, having held their own live streams over the years, it does pose the question of whether we’ll actually be missing out on all that much this year? 

It’s easy to see why the ESA may want to take a step back and rethink how it can present E3 in a way that’ll allow the conference to keep its spot at the centre of the games industry.

Hopefully, it can come back stronger than ever in 2023.