iFixit Shares Apple Watch Series 10 Teardown

Repair site iFixit today disassembled the 46mm Apple Watch Series 10, giving us a look at the components inside Apple's thinnest Apple Watch to date.


Apple used an enclosed case for the Series 10, a move that allowed for a the thinner design without impacting the sensor lens assembly. Tolerances in the Apple Watch are super tight, which makes it difficult to get into.

The Series 10 has a 327 mAh, 1.266 Wh battery inside, with a soft pouch as prior models have had. Though Apple changed the adhesive in the iPhone 16 models, that's not the case in the Apple Watch, and it uses traditional adhesive.

iFixit took a close up look at the OLED display, and there wasn't a noticeable difference between the Series 9 and the Series 10. Apple tweaked the Series 10 display to allow for wider viewing angles, but it's not a feature that can be seen internally.

iFixit gave the Apple Watch Series 10 a 3 out of 10 repairability score because it's so difficult to get to the battery and to replace the glass at the bottom.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18

Apple Announces iOS 18.2 Launching Today With These New Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 5:23 am PST by
Apple has announced that iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 will be released today following more than six weeks of beta testing. For the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, the update introduces additional Apple Intelligence features, including Genmoji for creating custom emoji, Image Playground and Image Wand for generating images, and ChatGPT integration for Siri. There is also ...
iphone 17 pro concept render cameras

Major iPhone 17 Pro Redesign Backed by Supply Chain Info, Claims Leaker

Thursday December 12, 2024 4:36 am PST by
Next year's iPhone 17 Pro models will reportedly feature a major redesign, specifically centering around changes to the rear camera module, and now new supply chain information appears to confirm the striking change, according to a Chinese leaker. iPhone 17 Pro concept render Late last month, The Information's Wayne Ma claimed that the rear of the ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 17‌ Pro...
m4 mac mini hands on

Cloud-Based M4 and M4 Pro Mac Mini Models Now Available

Wednesday December 11, 2024 7:34 am PST by
Developers now have access to cloud-based M4 and M4 Pro Mac mini units via MacWeb, a Silicon Valley-based provider of cloud services. The company has launched three configurations of the new Mac mini, powered by Apple's M4 and M4 Pro chips. Developers and IT teams can rent these machines for tasks ranging from basic development to advanced artificial intelligence modeling, providing an...
macOS Sequoia Night Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.2 With New Apple Intelligence Features

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:02 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.2, the second update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that was released in September. macOS Sequoia 15.2 comes over a month after the release of macOS Sequoia 15.1. Mac users can download the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Sequoia 15.2 adds Image Playground, an app that lets you create...
macbook air m2 13 inch

macOS Sequoia 15.2 Confirms New M4 MacBook Air Models Are Coming

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:54 am PST by
Apple today made a mistake with its macOS Sequoia 15.2 update, releasing the software for two Macs that have yet to be launched. There is a software file for "Mac16,12" and "Mac16,13," which are upcoming MacBook Air models. The leaked software references the "MacBook Air (13-inch, M4, 2025)" and the "MacBook Air (15-inch, M4, 2025)," confirming that new M4 MacBook Air models are in...
maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 With Genmoji, Image Playground, Siri ChatGPT and More

Wednesday December 11, 2024 10:03 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2, the second major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates that came out in September. The new updates come over a month after Apple released iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Seeds Second Release Candidate Versions of iOS 18.2 and More With Genmoji, Image Playground and ChatGPT Integration

Monday December 9, 2024 10:06 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 updates to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, a week after releasing the first RCs. The first iOS 18.2 RC had a build number of 22C150, while the second RC's build number is 22C151. Release candidates represent the final version of beta software that's expected to see a ...

Top Rated Comments

BorisDG Avatar
9 weeks ago
The teardown remains conservative and basic. They should conduct a more in-depth analysis of the SiP, given their expertise and resources. I'm puzzled as to why this hasn't been done. The last "true" was for the S6 here ('https://d3qgsclz5jxnm0.cloudfront.net/media/note_images/image_002_HQIw1Wu.jpg'). The only cool thing was the OLED screen under the microscope.

So, they actually increased the battery capacity slightly, while making the watch slimmer. S9 45mm has 308 mAh battery.
It's thinner, but wider (more squashed). Also the SiP was said to be also thinner.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
frost_horizon Avatar
10 weeks ago
So, they actually increased the battery capacity slightly, while making the watch slimmer. S9 45mm has 308 mAh battery.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheMountainLife Avatar
10 weeks ago
Impressive. Wish the app development and excitement for smart watches was still there. Feels like it died around 2019.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NT1440 Avatar
9 weeks ago

Why Apple waste such a huge precious space for this TAPTIC ENGINE ?

Signals could be given through lowest frequencies (vibration) of loudspeakers – right ?

Instead everybody would be happy with longer battery time (now poor 18 hours)

Sometimes engineers don't realize the tree while looking into the woods...

Thanks :apple: ;)
Speakers will never give you the sensation of a tap. Apple decided from day one that was the experience they wanted and developed the Taptic Engine specifically for that.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheMountainLife Avatar
9 weeks ago

Why Apple waste such a huge precious space for this TAPTIC ENGINE ?

Signals could be given through lowest frequencies (vibration) of loudspeakers – right ?

Instead everybody would be happy with longer battery time (now poor 18 hours)

Sometimes engineers don't realize the tree while looking into the woods...

Thanks :apple: ;)
Its easy to criticize engineering decisions when you aren't one. A speaker in the form factor of a watch definitely couldn't give the same sensation as a tap. Running, swimming, sleeping or any other activity you wouldn't even notice it.

Apple could easily create a true performance watch that matches the battery life of Garmin WHILE still selling the feature packed model like the ones now but I guess their profit predictions aren't worth it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Crowbot Avatar
9 weeks ago

Why Apple waste such a huge precious space for this TAPTIC ENGINE ?

Signals could be given through lowest frequencies (vibration) of loudspeakers – right ?

Instead everybody would be happy with longer battery time (now poor 18 hours)

Sometimes engineers don't realize the tree while looking into the woods...

Thanks :apple: ;)
I don't think the speaker output could be as forceful as an actual moving object. And I imagine the taptic engine would hold up longer for this task.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)