The short lifespans and rapid innovation cycles of electronic products result in the loss of valuable and critical resources (Bakker, Wang, Huisman, & den Hollander, 2014; Baldé et al., 2024). Strategies aimed at extending product lifetimes, such as design for repair, focus on improving the ease of manual disassembly (De Fazio, Bakker, Flipsen, & Balkenende, 2021). However, connections optimized for repairability can hinder the mechanical separation of materials during recycling. This highlights a critical trade-off: improving repairability can often conflict with recyclability, emphasizing the need for balanced design approaches that address both recovery goals. Navigating these trade-offs requires a deeper understanding of how materials and connection types in electronics affect circular strategies. This research aims to investigate tensions between repairability and recyclability by analyzing a diverse set of electronic products and relating the findings to their design architecture. This study seeks to inform design strategies that optimize for both repairability and recyclability, thus prolonging product lifetime while minimizing resource losses at end-of-life.