iFixit teardown: Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 both score 4/10 for repairability

In the Ultra 4 teardown, iFixit's Shahram Mokhtari applied heat to the screen and used a metal pick to pry it open, exposing the battery and the Taptic Engine. He said replacing the 2.444 Wh battery, up from 2.313 Wh in the Ultra 3, still requires removing the screen, which remains a significant repairability drawback. The four screws on the bottom of the case provide access only to the sensor assembly on the underside of the back cover and the S11 chip on the case itself. Once the screen is unglued, removing the battery and disconnecting the display's press connector is relatively straightforward if the initial step is done carefully enough to avoid slicing flex cables underneath. The Ultra 4 scored 4/10, the same as its predecessor.

The Series 12 teardown showed a slight improvement. Apple added stretch-release adhesive and a pull tab that make the 1.461 Wh battery, up from 1.403 Wh in the 46mm Series 11, easier to remove. The Series 12 still requires prying off the glued display, and Mokhtari said tolerances around the screen are even tighter than on the Ultra 4, requiring enough force that he was concerned about damaging the screen. Apple replaced the ZIF connector and tape used for the display on previous models with a simpler press connector. The tradeoff is that replacing the screen now also requires removing and replacing the battery, Mokhtari said. The changes were enough for iFixit to give the Series 12 a 4/10 score, a one-point increase from the last base-model Apple Watch it scored.

For comparison, iFixit gave Google's Pixel Watch 5 a 9/10 repairability score. The Pixel Watch 5's display can be removed with two Torx screws and a gasket, and its battery can be removed without dealing with adhesive, according to iFixit. iFixit's teardown video of the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 is available on its channel.