Gadgets

Samsung Gear Fit: Another Wearable Hits the Teardown Table

Rounding out the Samsung-o-Rama, today we focus on taking apart the Gear Fit. This little gus has quite the unique construction, given its general shape. But our wrists are round and it’s supposed to look like a band—so that’s to be expected.

Samsung Gear Fit teardown

What does that unique shape entail? For starters, a motherboard that’s split into three separate pieces, and joined together via interconnect cables. This design enables the motherboard to be curved, so it can be stuffed into the rounded case. A curved AMOLED display rests on top of the unit, and unfortunately you have to pry it off to gain access to the internals. Enough stylish compromises net the Fit a mid-pack 6 out of 10 repairability score.

Teardown highlights:

• “Hey, does this watch have an easily removable band like the Gear 2?” “Maybe, give it a shot.” “…Yes.”

• On the hunt for screws, we take a peek under a promising cover… Only to find a hole. Perhaps for a microphone? Whatever it is, it’s no help in the opening procedure mystery. Looks like we’re gonna need a little help.

• Adhesive softened via iOpener, a little gentle prying and slicing is all it takes to separate the curved display from the body, hinging on its data and digitizer cables.

• A small metal strut supports the back of the motherboard and holds the battery in place, ensuring your Fit is fit for active duty.

• The 210 mAh battery hides under the motherboard, but is easily replaced after a bit of digging. While pretty deeply buried, the battery is still equipped with a friendly and useful pull tab. We’ll call this “fairly” user-replaceable.

• Motherboard highlights:

  • STMicroelectronics STM32F439ZIY6S 180 MHz, 32 bit ARM Cortex CPU
  • Macronix MX69V28F64 16 MB flash memory
  • InvenSense MPU-6500 6-axis gyroscope / accelerometer
  • Broadcom BCM4334WKUBG dual-band 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0+HS, FM receiver combo chip
  • Maxim Integrated MAX77836 (the same chip we found in the Gear 2—likely the micro-USB interface controller and Li+ battery charger)
  • Melfas 8FM006A (likely touchscreen controller)
  • Texas Instruments 1211A1 standalone USB transceiver chip