The Apple Watch Series 4 is about as popular as expected, needing around a month to ship from the manufacturer’s US e-store if you order it today, but if you’ve already received an early copy, it might not be a good idea to start tearing it down and verify its repairability.
We know you’re curious just how radically redesigned the beautiful new smartwatch is on the inside, but leave it to iFixit’s experts to offer you a complete look under the 44 mm hood of the larger 2018 variant.
A single proprietary tool is enough to remove the LTPO OLED Retina display, which means screen replacements are “difficult but do-able” at home... as long as you’ve done something like that before.
A familiar trio of cables holds the screen in place, and once those are removed, reaching the battery is... not as easy as you think. “Incredibly tiny” screws are “all over the place”, proving a moderate repair hinderance and major pain in the keister.
Skipping a few steps in the teardown process, we’re happy to inform you Apple was able to squeeze a little bit of extra juice into an impressively slim body. Namely, at least four percent more battery footprint than the Apple Watch Series 3, or 1.12 Wh (291.8 mAh at 3.81 V) capacity in total.
That 291.8 mAh cell is supposed to last “up to 18 hours” on a single charge, which is exactly the same advertised autonomy as that of the Series 3. But the dual-core S4 processor inside the Apple Watch Series 4 is allegedly twice as fast as last year’s S3. The good news doesn’t stop there, as the SiP (System in Package) is easy to remove with a screwdriver and a little patience (no glue), while its “secrets” are unfortunately impossible to “extract.”
Board-level repairs are a non-starter, which lowers the overall score to a 6 out of 10. That’s a perfectly acceptable repairability grade for an Apple device, tying the Apple Watch Series 3, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
Recommended Stories
Loading Comments...
COMMENT
All comments need to comply with our
Community Guidelines
Phonearena comments rules
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: