Samsung has revealed the new Galaxy Watch 4 series alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3. There is the regular Galaxy Watch 4 and the more elegant-looking Watch4 Classic. They are basically the same in many ways. IFixit has opened the new Galaxy Watches to see what’s inside. The two are similar to the Galaxy Watch 3 so the internals may almost be the same with upgraded specs, features, and of course, the new Wear OS 3.0.
Let’s review the specs: Exynos W920, Mali-G68 GPU, integrated LTE connectivity, 1.19-inch or 1.36-inch circular Super AMOLED display, 330 PPI, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB onboard storage, and a 361 mAh battery for the c 46mm model. The 40mm Galaxy Watch4 comes with a 247mAh battery.
The usual sensors are available: gyro, accelerometer, light, geomagnetic, ECG, optical heart rate, and a bioelectrical impedance sensor. The Classic version comes with a Hall sensor. Expect IP68 rating with water resistance. The Samsung Galaxy Watch4 Classic features a rotating bezel.
To get inside the watches, open the back by removing four tri-point screws. Use a prying tool to remove the cover. You can see the rubber gasket that offers the IP68 rating. Inside you can see some flex cables and a wire plus an optical bio-sensing being handled by Texas Instruments AFE4500S.
More chips are found inside: Exynos W920 dual-core 1.18 GHz processor, 1.5GB RAM, Samsung Shannon 915 intermediate frequency IC, Broadcom BCM43013 ultra low power dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 combo IC, and Qualcomm Atheros QPA5580 power amplifier. IFixit gave the watches a repairability score of 7. To recap, it only needs a little heat to remove the display. Opening the back doesn’t require any heat at all. Batteries are more accessible now.
The watches are very modular. The Galaxy Watch 4’s display though is in the frame. It may not be removed without any damage.
