A Samsung Galaxy S7 phone
Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have been regarded the most difficult phones to split open from 2016  David Ramos/Getty Images

The year 2016 saw some amazing smartphone reveals like the Galaxy S7 range, iPhone 7 and the Google Pixel. But the failure of the Galaxy Note 7 dominated headlines forcing users to think about repairs and replacements more seriously especially when investing in an expensive flagship device.

iFixit conducted a teardown of the top flagships from 2016 and ranked the Galaxy S7 range as the most difficult to repair while LG G5 was the easiest. The website even gave these models ratings out of 10, based on ease-of-disassembly that is crucial when repairing phones.

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LG G5: The phone may not have sold as many units as expected but its modular components and their ease of removal makes it the easiest flagship to tear down and repair. It got a rating of 8 out of 10.

Google Pixel and Pixel XL: The much talked out Google phones got a 7 out of 10 given its components are also repairable. However, it scored a notch lower than the G5 as the phones are difficult to open without breaking the screen.

iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: The iPhone 7 range gets the same score as the Pixel range as its battery and screen replacements are easy. However, not every hardware store can fix these models as taking them apart requires four different screwdrivers.

iPhone SE: The budget version of the iPhone is easy to repair in terms of screen and battery but its Touch ID is quite vulnerable making it susceptible to breakage while attempting to repair the phone. The Apple device scored a 6 out of 10 in terms of repairability.

Galaxy Note 7: Although the flagship model was discontinued due to its faulty batteries, it has still been included in the list. It scores a rather low 4 out of 10 as it has only select modular components, which do not include its battery that is difficult to replace.

Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge: The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are considered among the best phones of 2016 but score the lowest on this list, a mere 3 out of 10 as they are extremely difficult to repair. According to their teardown report the screen's glass is glued extremely tightly to the device making it very difficult to open.