iFixit gives Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 a 4 out of 10, and says Watch repair falls short of ten states' lawsiFixit gives Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 a 4 out of 10, and says Watch repair falls short of ten states' laws

iFixit has torn down the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 and given both a repairability score of 4 out of 10.

The two scores arrive by different routes. The Ultra 4 has scored 4 for four generations running, and iFixit says it did not find a single meaningful repairability change. The Series 12 earns its 4 as a one-point rise on the last base model iFixit scored, thanks to two changes inside.

What changed inside the Series 12 and Ultra 4?

On both watches the only way in is still through the screen. iFixit heated the Ultra 4 for about ten minutes before it could lift the display, and says the Series 12's tighter tolerances needed enough force to worry the team about cracking the glass. The four pentalobe screws on the Ultra's underside only reach the sensor assembly, and removing them compromises the water seal.

The Series 12's improvements come after that. A stretch-release adhesive tab lets the battery be pulled free rather than levered out, and a simpler press connector replaces the old zero insertion force connector and its tape. iFixit notes the trade-off: replacing the screen now means removing and replacing the battery as well. Both watches use the S11, which iFixit says has a CPU architecture based on the A20 Pro.

Is Apple breaking right to repair laws?

That is iFixit's claim, and it is a claim, not a ruling. Ten US states have passed electronics right to repair laws. iFixit's reading is that because Apple runs its own Apple Watch repair and battery service, those laws oblige it to offer the same parts, tools and documentation to owners and independent shops, and that Apple's Self Service Repair programme offers none for the Watch. It says it believes Apple is out of compliance in all ten states and is collecting owners' reports to put to state authorities. No state has said so, and Apple has not responded publicly.

iFixit also contrasts Google's Pixel Watch 5, which it scored 9 out of 10: two Torx screws and a gasket hold the display, and the battery comes out with a few more screws.

Our take

Of the two findings, the legal argument matters more than the score. A 4 out of 10 on a sealed, water-resistant watch is what everyone expected. The pattern elsewhere in Apple's range is going the other way: AirPods scored above zero for the first time in ten years last month, and the iPhone has gained screwed-in batteries and parts sold direct. The Watch is now the product where the only repair route ends at Apple, and that is the gap iFixit is aiming at.

iFixit's case is strongest on batteries. A watch with health features that someone relies on daily, and a battery that is a consumable, makes a mail-in service with days of downtime a real cost. Its own teardown shows a battery swap is entirely possible. The weak point in the argument is that state laws carry their own definitions and exemptions, and whether a watch with FDA-cleared features falls inside each one is exactly what Apple would contest. iFixit's own article flags that Apple has not settled whether it treats the Watch as a medical device.

We at APPDOOK would not expect a quick outcome. What is realistic is that the Series 12's pull tab is the start of the same slow progress the iPhone went through, and that pressure from a state attorney general, not a teardown score, is what moves Apple to sell Watch batteries to the public. Not every iFixit opening is gentle on Apple's newest hardware either: the iPhone 18 Pro display frame broke on three of the four units iFixit opened.

Also for Apple Watch owners: a Japan-only challenge on 10 October

Apple has set its next Activity Challenge for Japan only, 9to5Mac reports. On 10 October, any workout of at least 30 minutes earns an award and Messages stickers, whether it is logged in Apple's Workout app, a third-party app that writes to Fitness, or Apple Fitness+, which launched in Japan earlier this year.