The rugged Apple Watch Ultra has now been torn down to pieces in order to determine what literally makes it tick, mere days after its official release. The enterprising folks from iFixit wanted to see what is inside Apple's toughest gear to date, which is rated to withstand a deep dive of 139 feet (110m), or double what Apple's "regular" Watch Series 8 is rated for.What they founds was... screws. Lots and lots of those keeping the watertight sealing together, but also fixing everything inside. For the first time, Apple allows itself to flaunt an exposed screw which it usually considers an ugly piece of underengineering.With a timepiece like the Ultra, though, the exposed screws are part of the design tale of stories adventurous stories created by the tough people (with giant wrists) who will begin writing the history of rugged Apple wearables from the ground floor.
As far as repairability goes, iFixit says that the Apple Watch Ultra is "almost repairable" as the screws make its chassis surprisingly easy to pry open considering its waterproofing chops and titanium shell.
Apple Watch Ultra display repair and battery replacement
Prying off LG's OLED display, however, is near impossible to do without shattering it, so, unlike the iPhone 14, the Apple Watch Ultra will be a tough nut to crack for repair shops if you damage its screen.
"Our teardown explores how the Apple Watch Ultra is, in many ways, an engineering marvel. With mindblowing case machining, a safely encased battery, and impressive use of space– next time, hopefully Apple will extend that marvelousness to making the watch sustainable," jokes iFixit.
Unfortunately, the easy removal of the ceramic backplate doesn't give you access to the battery and haptics motor, so one has to heat and try to pry off the display to get to those, working around the raised lip, presupposing cracks and breaks.
The battery itself is 542 mAh in capacity, which is nearly twice larger than the power units inside the Series 8 watches, explaining why Apple rates the Ultra at "up to 36 hours" of battery life
Opening the OLED panel also removes plenty of the adhesive needed for the water-resistance rating, so you'd better leave repairing the Watch Ultra to Apple's stores and certified shops.
View Full BioDaniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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