Apple TV 4K is 'super easy' to disassemble, Siri Remote is not

A new teardown video reveals that while the Apple TV 4K may be a relatively simple product to fix, the updated Siri remote proves far more problematic.

Apple announced the new Apple TV 4K during April's "Spring Loaded" event, showing off the refreshed set-top box with the A12 Bionic CPU, a new Siri Remote, and automatic color balancing via iPhone.

In a new video released by iFixit, we learn that while the new Apple TV looks like an opaque, black box, it's actually covered in translucent plastic. This plastic allows an infrared beam to pass through at nearly any angle, making it easier to control the device with the remote.

Like the previous Apple TV, this one also features a fan. This fan is notable as it is not powered by a cable but by metal contact pins on the heat sink.

Fan contacts on the Apple TV 4K - image courtesy iFixit

After removing some antenna pins and a few Torx screws, the iFixit crew member was able to remove the logic board. Below the logic board is the heat sink, which also pulls up with the removal of a few screws. Once the logic board is removed, it is easy to access the Apple TV 4K's power supply. The video notes that this teardown was "super-easy," as far as teardowns go.

The new Siri remote, on the other hand, is a different story. An X-ray shot of the redesigned remote shows a Swiss-cheese-style logic board taking up the top two-thirds of the remote, with a battery residing in the lower third.

While iFixit points out the only thing seemingly holding the new Siri remote together are two tiny pentalobe screws, removing them doesn't appear to do much, if anything.

Taking the bottom off the Siri Remote. You still have to pry the buttons off to get the motherboard and battery out. Image courtesy iFixit

To reach the battery, iFixit has to remove each button on the remote, allowing access to three Torx screws. Once the screws have been removed, a user would then be able to slide the remote's internals out and access the 1.25Wh battery. However, the battery is soldered to the Lightning port cables, which will likely make replacing the battery more hassle than it's worth.

AppleInsider recently reviewed the refreshed Apple TV 4K, giving it a 2.5 out of 5.

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