The teardown experts at iFixit have disassembled the Apple Watch Series 3, revealing how the company inserted LTE components into a Watch that is otherwise exceedingly similar to its predecessor.
iFixit noted that the aside from the red dot on the Series 3’s crown button, the device looked “eerily similar” to the Series 2 once it took its first peak under the hood after heating and slicing its display open. The display is unchanged from the Series 2 apart from the fact that it functions as a multifrequency antenna.
Additionally, much further into the teardown, the website unearthed a new section of RF chips (shown below). Among the silicon, it identified a ST Microelectronics ST33G1M2 32-bit MCU (microcontroller unit — similar to, but less sophisticated than a System on a Chip) with ARM SecurCore SC300 — which iFixit believes contains the embedded SIM.
Additionally, iFixit noted that Apple has subtly pumped up its battery to provide 1.07Whr (279mAh at at 3.82V) — nearly a four percent increase over the Series 2’s 1.03Whr provision. In an impressive feat, Apple managed this increase while allowing room for cellular connectivity components and still keeping the form factor essentially the same.
Many of the other design elements of the Series 3 are similar to its predecessor, and iFixit ended up giving the device the same repairability score — 6 out of 10 — calling the Apple Watch the “best of the bad” when it comes to wearables.
Check out the full teardown in the source link below.
Images courtesy of iFixit.
Source: iFixit
