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 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

iPhone 17 vs. iPhone 16 Wi-Fi Speeds: New Study Reveals the Winner

Tuesday November 18, 2025 10:53 am PST by
A new study has revealed that the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air achieve significantly faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, thanks to Apple's custom-designed N1 chip. The study was conducted by Ookla, the company behind the popular Speedtest website and app. It said the results are based on global, crowdsourced Speedtest user data...
macbook black friday

The Best Early Black Friday Mac Deals

Tuesday November 18, 2025 7:32 am PST by
We're getting closer to Black Friday, which lands next week on Friday, November 28. In the lead-up to the shopping holiday, we're tracking a few lowest-ever prices on Apple's most popular Macs, including the M4 MacBook Air and brand new M5 MacBook Pro. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment,...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...

Top Rated Comments

BorisDG Avatar
15 months 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)
NT1440 Avatar
15 months 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: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
frost_horizon Avatar
15 months 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
15 months 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)
TheMountainLife Avatar
15 months 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
15 months 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)