IFixit tears down the Watch to find a small battery, sizeable taptic engine

An Apple launch isn’t complete without iFixit traveling to Australia and tearing down one of the fist publicly available devices. This time, the team took apart a Watch Sport model and discovered a few surprises under the hood.

First is the relatively small battery that Apple claims will deliver 18 hours of battery life. Unlike the Moto 360 and Samsung Galaxy Gear Live, the Watch has a smallish 205mAh battery as compared to the 300Ah in its competitors. The other major components inside the Watch are the S1 processor, which can’t be removed without destroying the device, and the sizeable Taptic Engine that provides the gentle tap you feel when you receive a notification.

One other nicety found inside the Watch is a new solar cell ambient light sensor that can be placed behind a display instead of surface mounted like it is in most smartphones and tablets. The company also uses a plethysmograph for its heart rate sensor, which looks and acts like a pulse oximeter, claims iFixit. Apple likely doesn’t take advantage of this feature as it could classify the Watch as a medical device and place it under the scrutiny of the FDA.

Though its processor is impossible to replace, other components like the display and the battery are replaceable, earning the Watch a Repairability Score of 5 out of 10. iFixit also notes the ease with which the strap can be removed and replaced.