{"id":96935,"date":"2025-10-22T12:13:19","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T12:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/96935\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T12:13:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T12:13:19","slug":"pixel-watch-4-repairability-puts-apple-garmin-and-samsung-on-notice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/96935\/","title":{"rendered":"Pixel Watch 4 repairability puts Apple, Garmin, and Samsung on notice"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Wear OS Weekly<\/p>\n

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\"Android\n<\/p>\n

My weekly column<\/a> focuses on the state of Wear OS, from new developments to the latest apps and features.<\/p>\n

iFixit says the Google Pixel Watch 4 is the most repairable smartwatch<\/a> available today. That doesn’t mean you or I should try to repair it, as the actual repair process is time-consuming and challenging. That doesn’t change the fact that repairability matters if we’re going to take smartwatches more seriously.<\/p>\n

Look at the official 118-page Pixel Watch 4 repair manual<\/a>. It’s extremely detailed on every step, safety precaution, part, and tool that you’ll need, including flowcharts for every part you’ll need to interact with to repair a specific part.<\/p>\n

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For mechanical nerds, or even laymen like myself, it’s extremely cool to see how the Pixel Watch 4<\/a> was jigsawed together with removable parts without compromising the IP68 protection; compared to the unrepairable Watch 3<\/a>, things won’t break if you take it apart. You just need the technical know-how to reassemble it.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

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Today’s best Google Pixel Watch 4 deals<\/p>\n

Smartwatch repair for dummies<\/p>\n

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\"A\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Michael Hicks \/ Android Central)<\/p>\n

For battery replacement, Google told me it aimed to make it as simple as repairing a quartz watch; you can remove the back with exposed screws in the band slot, using tools that’ll only cost about $10 on iFixit. The battery itself isn’t for sale yet, but let’s assume it’ll be no more than a Pixel phone battery ($30\u201350).<\/p>\n

You should use your one-year limited warranty first and let the pros handle it, Google said, but you can do it if you’re technically confident or past the first year. The iFixit guide<\/a> certainly makes it look straightforward.<\/p>\n

For every other component, though, they likened it to fixing a mechanical watch, something that’s not for the faint of heart.<\/p>\n

Inside the Pixel Watch 4: A Masterclass in Smartwatch Design – YouTube
\n\"Inside<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n

iFixit<\/a> gave the Watch 4 a 9\/10 rating for repairability, saying they were “inside within minutes” and had little trouble detaching the display from the replaceable gasket, then removing the Snapdragon W5 Plus Gen 2<\/a>. But they do that kind of thing for a living.<\/p>\n

Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android<\/p>\n

If you get something wrong during disassembly or reassembly, you’re left with an out-of-warranty bundle of parts; you’ll have to give it to a repair person and hope they can put Humpty Dumpty back together again.<\/p>\n

As someone who gets overwhelmed assembling Ikea furniture, I’ll pass. Still, the Pixel Watch 4’s repairability has proven that we can (and should) expect better from other brands.<\/p>\n

Smartwatch repairability matters, even if YOU can’t do it<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Google)<\/p>\n

If you’re lucky, you’ll never have to take advantage of the Watch 4’s repairability during its three-year software support window. A battery swap wouldn’t be too expensive, but iFixit suggested a new display will cost about $100, high enough that “lots of people won\u2019t choose repair” when they can upgrade instead.<\/p>\n

Still, you have the option, and local repair shops are more likely to offer their services if you can point them to extensive step-by-step documentation.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, iFixit gave<\/a> the Apple<\/a> Watch S10 a 3\/10, because it relies on tight seams and adhesive with no official guides; without Applecare, you’re out of luck. And iFixit cut ties with Samsung<\/a> in 2024 because it relies too much on adhesives that made replacement parts too expensive \u2014 though the Galaxy Watch Ultra got a solid 7\/10.<\/p>\n

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\"Garmin\n<\/p>\n

More expensive smartwatches are usually more repairable, but only by the manufacturer (Image credit: Michael L Hicks \/ Android Central)<\/p>\n

If I’m buying an $800 Apple Watch Ultra 3 designed to last for 5+ years of software support, I want someone to be able to take it apart and fix a faulty component, even if it’s not me or Apple doing it.<\/p>\n

The same principle applies to Garmin watches<\/a>; they’re more expensive than ever and use AMOLED displays that could show burn-in<\/a> after a few years. People love making Garmin watches last for years, but if something goes wrong, most non-Fenix Garmin watches allegedly use glue<\/a> for waterproofing, so you have to hope Garmin will send you a new model.<\/p>\n

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\"A\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Michael Hicks \/ Android Central)<\/p>\n

Repairability gives us more third-party backup options if warranty repairs are either unavailable or too expensive. It also reduces waste and makes it more likely that we could get a thriving refurbished market for older watches, with proper retrofits instead of skin-deep fixes.<\/p>\n

Smartwatches are still treated like accessories that get a pass in areas like repairability, and I can accept that for a $100 fitness band. But for expensive, rugged fitness watches or “Ultra” flagships that cost as much as a phone, I think it’s fair to ask that these brands stop taking design shortcuts, switch out glue for screws, and make repair guides and parts available at launch.<\/p>\n

If the Pixel Watch 4<\/a> did it, why not bigger, more expensive watches?<\/p>\n

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\"Google\n<\/p>\n

Fast and fixable<\/p>\n

The Google Pixel Watch 4 is one of the best Android smartwatches<\/a>. Aside from its repairability, you get satellite SOS for emergencies, dual-band GPS for accurate training data, and summonable Gemini using Raise to Talk. It has other key upgrades over the Watch 3 like a 3,000-nit display and improved battery life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wear OS Weekly My weekly column focuses on the state of Wear OS, from new developments to the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96936,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[203,61,60,80],"class_list":{"0":"post-96935","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gadgets","8":"tag-gadgets","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}