Overview
After about a year, Motorola launched the Moto 360 Gen 2, priced from 1,999 CNY. While the overall styling continues the round case language of the first generation, the second-generation design reflects a more mature balance between industrial design and internal electronic integration. This evolution is closely tied to advances in compact electronics, particularly the use of HDI PCB technology, which enables higher component density, shorter signal paths, and more flexible internal layouts within the limited volume of a smartwatch.
Teardown Unit
The teardown unit examined by eWise Tech is the 46 mm men's model, model number 306L.
Exterior and Strap
The watch ships with a 22 mm leather strap from Horween Leather and a stainless steel buckle. The strap includes a quick-release lever to simplify strap changes.
Rear Case and Wireless Charging
The Gen 2 rear case uses two materials: glass and polycarbonate. The first generation used a single polycarbonate rear that was relatively fragile and prone to wear. In Gen 2, the outer ring of the rear case is polycarbonate, while the wireless charging contact area is glass. The two parts are bonded with waterproof foam adhesive.
With the glass back removed, the wireless charging coil and the centrally located heart-rate sensor are visible. The charging coil is soldered to the mainboard via two copper wires.
Battery and Antenna
The battery is an LG-manufactured lithium-ion cell, rated 3.8 V and 400 mAh, model SNN5962A. The mainboard shield housing is made of black PC material. The housing bottom contains an LDS-formed Bluetooth 4.0 antenna.
Internal Layout and Components
When the wireless charging coil is removed, it is apparent that it is affixed to the mainboard with a relatively weak adhesive layer. The heart-rate sensor is positioned at the center of the mainboard. On the first-generation Moto 360, the charging coil and heart-rate sensor were connected together and linked to the mainboard via a connector; in Gen 2 the coil and the heart-rate sensor are separate.
The front of the mainboard is covered by a shielding frame and a metal shield. Except for the heart-rate sensor, almost all chips are located under the shield.
Display Module
Removing the display differs from the first generation. To detach the display, the side power button and its retaining nut must be removed first, then the metal bezel on the front must be heated, and the display module pushed out from the front to separate the stainless steel case and the protective glass. Because a yellow steel ring is embedded inside the stainless steel case, the display module does not separate as a single unit like in Gen 1. Engineers required considerable effort to extract the display module, and its removal caused panel deformation and flex cable breakage.
The 46 mm model uses the same 1.56-inch TFT panel as Gen 1, but the resolution is increased from 320 x 290 to 360 x 330, yielding a PPI of 233 and a slightly finer image. However, like the previous design, the ambient light sensor forces a noticeable black area at the bottom of the screen.
The touch controller remains the Atmel MTX112S. The front glass uses third-generation Corning Gorilla Glass.
Mainboard and Key Chips
The mainboard is manufactured by COMPEQ. Most components are mounted on one side of the PCB. The system-on-module moved from TI's OMAP3630 in the previous design to Qualcomm's APQ8026 for Gen 2.
Mainboard components include:
- Hynix 512 MB DRAM in PoP packaging
- 4 GB flash memory
- Qualcomm APQ8026 quad-core application processor
- Qualcomm PM8226 power management IC
- ST STM32L476JG ultra-low-power MCU
- TI BQ51052B battery management IC
- Analog front-end AFE4404 for heart-rate sensing
- Broadcom Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A4WP wireless charging and FM combo chip, which handles Bluetooth connectivity and A4WP wireless charging in the Moto 360
Summary
Overall, the Moto 360 Gen 2 retains a similar design to the first generation but includes several user-focused refinements. Moving the crown to the upper-right improves comfort and usability in some wearing positions. The quick-release strap mechanism simplifies strap changes. The display resolution has been increased for a crisper image. However, the bottom black area caused by the ambient light sensor remains present.
