Is Samsung’s Latest Smartwatch Just an Apple Smartwatch Clone?

When it comes to mobile devices, Apple is the brand with the name-brand recognition. Apple’s iPhone arguably grabs more attention than Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones. In the area of smartwatches, the differences are probably even more stark, with Apple’s Smartwatches garnering considerably more attention than Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch.

When Samsung recently unveiled the Galaxy Watch Ultra, the new flagship device of its smartwatch line, some simply dubbed it as a clone of Apple’s flagship Watch Ultra. The electronics repair site iFixit got their hands on Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra to tear it down, and their reviewer did note that Samsung’s smartwatch bore some similarities in appearance to Apple’s Watch Ultra. But those similarities disappeared once he started taking apart Samsung’s watch.

The reviewer noted many design details that give Samsung’s Watch Ultra an edge in repairability over its Apple Watch Ultra rival. While the reviewer was annoyed with having to remove a cosmetic bezel to access Samsung’s smartwatch screen, he did find other components reasonably easy to access, often by loosening Philips screws instead of the proprietary screws on Apple’s watch. He concluded that any similarities between the Samsung and Apple premium watches are only skin deep.

Related:5 Cool Features of Apple’s New Smartwatches

The reviewer gave Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra a conditional 7 out of 10 for repairability, on the provision that Samsung provide access to parts and repair manuals.

You can view the video here.