In the future, repairing your smartphone may be more difficult (and more expensive). It will more likely be if your smartphone has a Samsung displaysadopted not only by the brand’s devices, but also by Apple’s iPhones.
The forecast is based on one request of the same Samsung sent toUnited States agency of commerce. Samsung’s request is that it come import blocked of all the non-original OLED screens used to repair smartphones, since this practice would cause damage to Samsung, as well as making the investments made in vain.
Samsung Display, alone, would be able to cover the request for spare parts for all the companies it serves (Apple, therefore, and all the others that choose Samsung panels for their devices). In the documentSamsung denounces several companies that would have produced the spare parts “in its place” and presents the complete list of infringed patents.
Samsung screens are designed to integrate seamlessly with OEM smartphones that have chosen Samsung Display as their supplier. In general, the most important thing is that the spare parts are safe and original, but the consumer knows that the cheapest solution is almost never that of the original spare part. For this reason, at least for some, it is important that the market is not monopolized by Samsung (or whoever), in order to always guarantee the right to reparationeven for those who cannot afford an original spare part.
The absence of competition, in general, could make the repair less convenient, given the higher cost of “branded” parts than those produced in China.
On the other hand, Samsung’s position is understandable, because the spare parts have been produced without authorization and this is to all intents and purposes illegal. It remains to be seen what the US department’s response will be and whether Samsung’s move will be followed by other manufacturers.
