Apple Watch Ultra teardown suggests new, but trickier angles for repair
Apple Watch Ultra teardown suggests new, but trickier angles for repair
Enlarge / A new hard-sided battery inside the Apple Watch Ultra is easier to remove for DIY repairers. Accessing this battery is always a delicate operation and in a confined space, writes iFixit.
I fix it
Like the iPhone 14, the Apple Watch Ultra has a quietly revolutionary look that went unnoticed, at least until the folks at iFixit took the device apart. Apple's new category of wearables is "a potential giant leap in making the watch more repairable," writes iFixit, and it all starts with the screws.
Four pentalobe screws on the back of the Watch Ultra, unique among all of Apple's watch models, suggested the same type of front and back access that iFixit's iPhone 14 teardown revealed. But opening it from the back will almost certainly damage the Ultra's waterproof seal. And iFixit's experienced disassembly team also lost one of the strap release button springs during removal. Most disappointingly, there isn't much to replace on the rear other than the rear itself and its sensor array.
Enlarge / The promising but ultimately non-revealing screws, making their first appearance on an Apple Watch exterior.
I fix it
As such, an Apple Watch Ultra battery replacement will likely take days, not hours, and will be performed at a regional service depot, not a store, writes Sam iFixit Goldheart. "It's a missed opportunity: if Apple could put the battery under the [system-in-a-box], those new screws at the bottom could allow for battery swapping without going through the extremely well-sealed display."
Opening this screen was harder than usual for an Apple Watch, and it was hard enough. "The seams are tight, the leverage angle steep, the risk of separating the screen from the glass: high," writes Goldheart. But with Force Touch gone from Apple devices and antennas relocated in the screen and watch body, there's less accidental damage when you remove the screen.
The Ultra has an advantage in terms of repairability, however: its battery is encased in a hard shell, which greatly reduces the risk of fire due to damage or indiscretion and allows it to be removed without dissolving or forcing the adhesive inside the narrow confines of the watch. The battery also has a "hair" mark which iFixit estimates provides some pressure relief if the battery begins to swell. (You really want to leave room for lithium-ion batteries).
The (literally) biggest changes inside the Watch Ultra are its buzzers. The buzzing, water-ejecting Taptic Engine is 50% larger than in the 8 Series, and the dual speakers are 70% larger than those in the 8 Series, iFixit estimates. This might explain why Apple's "Siren" feature is limited to a not-quite-loud 80 decibels.
Enlarge / A new hard-sided battery inside the Apple Watch Ultra is easier to remove for DIY repairers. Accessing this battery is always a delicate operation and in a confined space, writes iFixit.
I fix it
Like the iPhone 14, the Apple Watch Ultra has a quietly revolutionary look that went unnoticed, at least until the folks at iFixit took the device apart. Apple's new category of wearables is "a potential giant leap in making the watch more repairable," writes iFixit, and it all starts with the screws.
Four pentalobe screws on the back of the Watch Ultra, unique among all of Apple's watch models, suggested the same type of front and back access that iFixit's iPhone 14 teardown revealed. But opening it from the back will almost certainly damage the Ultra's waterproof seal. And iFixit's experienced disassembly team also lost one of the strap release button springs during removal. Most disappointingly, there isn't much to replace on the rear other than the rear itself and its sensor array.
Enlarge / The promising but ultimately non-revealing screws, making their first appearance on an Apple Watch exterior.
I fix it
As such, an Apple Watch Ultra battery replacement will likely take days, not hours, and will be performed at a regional service depot, not a store, writes Sam iFixit Goldheart. "It's a missed opportunity: if Apple could put the battery under the [system-in-a-box], those new screws at the bottom could allow for battery swapping without going through the extremely well-sealed display."
Opening this screen was harder than usual for an Apple Watch, and it was hard enough. "The seams are tight, the leverage angle steep, the risk of separating the screen from the glass: high," writes Goldheart. But with Force Touch gone from Apple devices and antennas relocated in the screen and watch body, there's less accidental damage when you remove the screen.
The Ultra has an advantage in terms of repairability, however: its battery is encased in a hard shell, which greatly reduces the risk of fire due to damage or indiscretion and allows it to be removed without dissolving or forcing the adhesive inside the narrow confines of the watch. The battery also has a "hair" mark which iFixit estimates provides some pressure relief if the battery begins to swell. (You really want to leave room for lithium-ion batteries).
The (literally) biggest changes inside the Watch Ultra are its buzzers. The buzzing, water-ejecting Taptic Engine is 50% larger than in the 8 Series, and the dual speakers are 70% larger than those in the 8 Series, iFixit estimates. This might explain why Apple's "Siren" feature is limited to a not-quite-loud 80 decibels.
Enlarge / A new hard-sided battery inside the Apple Watch Ultra is easier to remove for DIY repairers. Accessing this battery is always a delicate operation and in a confined space, writes iFixit.
I fix it
Enlarge / The promising but ultimately non-revealing screws, making their first appearance on an Apple Watch exterior.
I fix it
