CEO Tim Cook speaks at an Apple event at their headquarters in Cupertino
Apple Watch users report their smartwatches gives them faulty altitude readings during unusual weather conditions. (Photo: REUTERS/Stephen Lam)

Bigger components housed in a slim case are among the discoveries made during the iFixit traditional teardown of an Apple Watch Series 6.

A traditional teardown performed by iFixit on the new Apple Watch Series 6 revealed surprising discoveries. The latest smartwatch, which features GPS and LTE capability, is available for purchase on Friday, Sept. 18. The teardown showed that components, such as the batteries and taptic engine, are bigger yet snugly fit in the slim case of the new Apple Watch.

The new Apple Watch Series 6 with GPS and LTE model also features several modifications and tweaks to support its new features like the Blood Oxygen Monitoring. While the outer appearance of the Series 6 models looks like Series 5 models, they differ in several ways, particularly on the interior components.

For starters, the new Apple Watch Series 6 with GPS and LTE model opens up much like the iPhone. With past Apple Watch models, they open up from the top down. There is also no Force Touch gasket component in the latest Apple smartphone, making it easier to tear into the new model. As discovered by iFixit, the new Apple Watch features a more streamlined design and has fewer cables, which makes it easy for technicians to repair it.

Apple used a 1.17Wh battery in the new Apple Watch Series 6 with GPS and LTE model, which iFixit says is only a slight increase over those used in older-generation Apple Watch Series 5. This gave the new smartwatch the same 18-hour battery life which previous models also had.

The Taptic Engine in Apple Watch Series 6 with GPS and LTE models are also bigger, with slight modifications made on the frame like having a slimmer lip for adhesive. Observers say that this modification, along with the elimination of Force Touch, could be the reason for the thin look of the advanced timepiece.

 The display on Apple Watch Series 6 with GPS and LTE models attaches to the top of the sensor array, which was also modified to include new Blood Oxygen monitoring sensors. In all, iFixit expressed its approval with the ability of Apple to include new sensors, a bigger-capacity battery, as well as a larger Taptic Engine into its thin case.

According to iFixit, the real change with the Apple Watch Series 6 with GPS and LTE models is found in its interior components, not just on its health features. The new smartwatch earned a reparability mark of 6 out of 10. It owes its high score to easier screen and battery replacements. There are still small tri-point screws to look out for and flex cables that are directly mounted to the S6 package needed expert micro-soldering in case of an accidental tear. Overall, however, iFixit says that the interior configuration of components makes it easy to perform repairs or replacements to the device.