Samsung Galaxy Watch
BACKGROUND
In the age of Galaxy smartphones and tablets, Samsung adds a Galaxy Watch to its universe. There was already some gear floating in space, forming a belt around the Samsung sun, but a few months ago, this new celestial body emerged. Today we’ll go where no tinkerer has gone before, and probe the depths of this timepiece with a teardown.
MAJOR TECH SPECS
• 1.3-inch (33mm) circular Super AMOLED with 360×360
display (1.2-inch/30mm on the smaller 42mm version)
• Dual-core, 1.15GHz Exynos 9110 processor
• 1.5GB RAM and 4GB internal memory (768MB RAM for the
Bluetooth version)
• Wireless charging and 5ATM IP68 water resistance
• 472mAh battery (270mAh for the 42mm version)
KEY FINDINGS
• A quick survey reveals twin mechanical buttons on one side, with a small hole for the mic. On the far side, we spot three holes for the loudspeaker. There’s also a heart rate sensor cluster at the bottom, plus a small opening on the rear, possibly for a proximity sensor or pressure valve.
• The standardized 22mm arms are easy to detach, and reveal access to a five-pin port. Is that a USB+1 for emergency wired charging and service? Equipped with our Precision Bit Driver with swivel cap, we tackle the tri-point screws, which seem to be attracted by three magnets that handle docking to the wireless charging stand.
• Expecting a booby trap, we’re surprised by the long ribbon cable connecting the heart rate sensor to the internals. The blue rubber seal around the Galaxy’s edge might need replacing before reassembly, if damaged, but there’s no glue so far. We also spot rubber gaskets for the mic, ambient light sensor, and pressure sensor.
• After disconnecting the display, this nucleus separates into a few smaller elements. There is still no sign of glue. The display’s flex cable carries the ambient light sensor, which peeps through a small hole in the display. The display on our 46mm version has a diameter of 33mm.
• The computational center looks like a bug’s head, with two button cables as antennae. There’s little else on this side, save for two blocks of resin. Structural integrity comes from a midframe, which also houses the power source.
• We return to the back cover in search of satellite components. Equipped with a halberd spudger, we probe the heart rate sensor and NFC antenna. The four photo cells of the heart rate sensor are gathered around the light source. The last parts to come out are the service port and the loudspeaker, held fast by two Phillips screws, with a rubber gasket for ingress protection.
• Repairability score: 8 out of 10 (10 is the easiest to repair). Display repair is prioritized. No overlapping design of cables, no fragile ZIF connectors. Despite being waterresistant, the opening procedure is straightforward and glueless. The battery only uses mild adhesive, but the motherboard must be removed for access. A lot of components are modular, so can be replaced separately— except for the twin button cables. The glass digitizer and screen are fused together—meaning a full replacement is quick and easy, but glass-only repairs are impractical.