The repair experts believe that while the original Apple Watch was awkwardly layered together and used too much glue, the Series 4 lineup feels "much more thoughtfully laid out," likening it to the iPhone 5.
Apple pundit John Gruber has compared this to the leap in design brought by the iPhone 4, and we might even go a bit further and call it an iPhone 5: a device that knows its priorities, and wants to look as elegant inside as out.
At first glance, the internal design of Series 4 models looks more or less the same as previous models, with the battery and Taptic Engine taking up most of the space. Dig deeper, however, and the changes become evident.
Image Credit: iFixit
Teardown highlights:
1.12Wh battery in the 44mm model, which is 20% less capacity than the 1.34Wh battery in 42mm-sized Apple Watch Series 3 models.
A thinner and longer Taptic Engine, but iFixit says it still takes up a lot of space that could have gone to a larger battery.
The barometric sensor may have been relocated to the speaker grille for access to the outside atmosphere. The sensor had its own dedicated hole beside the microphone on Apple Watch Series 3 models.
The new Apple S4 chip is secured only with screws, whereas the processor is also "fiercely glued" in previous Apple Watch models.
The golden ring is likely a streamlined antenna system, as iFixit says it has not seen the usual fiddly brackets or golden gaskets.
The entire rear casing pops off more easily.
The display is not only larger, but also thinner.
iFixit says the Apple Watch Series 4 is nearing iPhone levels of repairability, with the highly-glued display being the primary remaining obstacle. Beyond that, they say the battery is straightforward to replace.
Update: A previous version of this article said Apple Watch Series 4 models have 4% more battery capacity, as iFixit mentioned, but that was based on comparing a 44mm Series 4 model with a 38mm Series 3 model. 44mm and 40mm Series 4 models actually have 20% less battery capacity compared to 42mm and 38mm Series 3 models respectively, although Apple says battery life remains up to 18 hours.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has high expectations for Apple's first foldable iPhone.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said the foldable iPhone will be "the most significant overhaul in the iPhone's history."
"iPhone 4, iPhone 6 and iPhone X were clearly a big deal, but this is a whole new design," he said.
Like Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 7, the foldable iPhone will reportedly open up like ...
iOS 26.5 is now available for developers, and while it doesn't include any new Siri capabilities, there are some major changes for the European Union, and smaller tweaks for features available worldwide.
Suggested Places
In the Maps app, there's a new "Suggested Places" feature that recommends locations to visit based on trending places nearby and recent searches. When Apple launches ads in ...
Tuesday March 31, 2026 10:36 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today added the MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) to its "vintage" products list, meaning the device is now only eligible for repairs at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers if parts remain available.
The MacBook Air (13-inch, 2017) was the final MacBook Air model released before Apple redesigned the laptop and gave it a Retina display in 2018.
Apple also added all iPad...
Apple is hoping to 3D-print aluminum device enclosures in the future, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman revealed that Apple is pushing to move to 3D-printed aluminum enclosures for for future devices. The MacBook Neo relies on a new aluminum manufacturing process that saves as much metal as possible to drive down costs and speed up production....
Thursday March 12, 2026 6:43 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
A teardown of the new MacBook Neo by Australian YouTube repair channel Tech Re-Nu reveals what may be the most modular and repair-friendly Mac laptop in recent times.
The Neo is shown being taken apart in just six minutes, suggesting Apple has prioritized simplicity across the board, using standard Torx screws (T3, T5, and T8) and a clean cable routing design.
To open the aluminum body,...
Repair site iFixit did its traditional teardown on the MacBook Neo, and was pleasantly surprised with the laptop's repairability. "We haven't been as happy about a MacBook since 2012," says iFixit.
iFixit took apart the more expensive $699 version of the MacBook Neo that comes with a Touch ID keyboard, but both models are "suspiciously easy" to get into. The lower case is still held...
It’s always awesome to be reminded of the fact that these are tiny computers strapped to your wrist. Each one is probably more powerful than the computers used to render dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.
Of course there is waterproof. Anything made out of materials that contact with water doesn't affect is waterproof. The spoon I am currently holding is waterproof. Anything completely encased in material that isn't affected by water is waterproof. Encase something in (originally molten) glas and it is waterproof. With the right glue, you can waterproof a lot of things.
One can distinguish between seals that can be opened and closed and something that is sealed by filling a gap with a material that is liquid originally and thus can enter all nooks and crannies. In particular with water, due to its surface tension, if a capillary connecting the inside with the outside becomes small enough, it is hermetically sealed (of the course the surface tension translates into capillary pressure which then has to be compared to the ambient pressure, but if we limit ourselves with ambient pressures a human can survive in that is a very attainable limit).
Obviously we are talking about devices here and not spoons, rocks and stuff stuff like that. But if we are going to be absurd that spoon you mention isn't water proof (eventually stainless will corrode, it is just resistant) and the glass encased thing you made up would shatter at depth if there were any voids whatsoever.
Currently there is no industry standard in order for a device to classify as waterproof and thus "waterproof" can not be claimed as a product feature. Even things like dive watches/computers/etc are merely water resistant.
If the watch is waterproof and dustproof how does air pressure get to the barometer?
The barometer senses pressure, not dust and water. iFixit says they put it behind the speaker, open to the air. The sensor is waterproof and dustproof. It means it is not damaged by water and dust. It doesn't mean it doesn't get wet or dusty.
