Android By Ryan Whitwam Apr. 9, 2014 1:37 pm
Samsung moved on from the original Galaxy Gear smart watch rather quickly, announcing the Gear 2 at Mobile World Congress in February. The Gear 2 doesn’t run Android, but it’s based on similar internals as the first Gear. Now that the device is nearing release, it’s been torn down to see what makes it tick.
The Gear 2 is not small when compared to all the devices you might want to strap to your wrist (regular watches included). However, it’s fairly svelte for a smartwatch. Even though the components are packed into the body of the Gear 2 very efficiently, iFixit has found that it’s actually surprisingly easy to take apart. There are four torx screws holding the case together, which are simple to remove. After that, the two halves of the watch can be pried apart with minimal force.
The battery and charging connector are on one half of the Gear, and the main board is on the other half connected to the screen. The two halves communicate with each other via spring contacts only, which makes it easy to get them apart without breaking anything. Samsung also helpfully included a tab on the 300mAh battery that reads “pull” for easy removal. The board comes away from the screen with a single cable that’s easy to detach.
On the main board is where you’ll find the dual-core ARM chip, 512MB of RAM, a gyroscope, and a few multimedia chips. Unfortunately, the 320×320 LCD and touch sensor are fused to the front of the Gear 2, making it more expensive to replace if the worst should happen. Even with that small annoyance, iFixit gave the Gear 2 a repairability score of 8, which is downright respectable for a smartwatch. Just like its phones, Samsung has designed the Gear 2 in a way that makes it easy to open up and fix.
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The Gear 2 is not small when compared to all the devices you might want to strap to your wrist (regular watches included). However, it’s fairly svelte for a smartwatch. Even though the components are packed into the body of the Gear 2 very efficiently, iFixit has found that it’s actually surprisingly easy to take apart. There are four torx screws holding the case together, which are simple to remove. After that, the two halves of the watch can be pried apart with minimal force.
The battery and charging connector are on one half of the Gear, and the main board is on the other half connected to the screen. The two halves communicate with each other via spring contacts only, which makes it easy to get them apart without breaking anything. Samsung also helpfully included a tab on the 300mAh battery that reads “pull” for easy removal. The board comes away from the screen with a single cable that’s easy to detach.
On the main board is where you’ll find the dual-core ARM chip, 512MB of RAM, a gyroscope, and a few multimedia chips. Unfortunately, the 320×320 LCD and touch sensor are fused to the front of the Gear 2, making it more expensive to replace if the worst should happen. Even with that small annoyance, iFixit gave the Gear 2 a repairability score of 8, which is downright respectable for a smartwatch. Just like its phones, Samsung has designed the Gear 2 in a way that makes it easy to open up and fix.
More...
