iFixit teardown reveals many similarities between Quest 3S and Quest 2
The iFixit teardown shows that the Quest 3S borrows many elements from the Quest 2, which is good for its repairability.
iFixit technician Shahram Mokhtari took Meta Quest 3S apart and came up with some interesting findings.
- As suspected, the Fresnel lenses, single LCD display and IPD mechanism are identical to the Quest 2, so these components from older Quest 2 headsets can be used to repair Quest 3 units.
- Looking through the microscope, the pixel layout of the Quest 3S display differs from that of the Quest 2 (see more on that below in the X post)
- Meta has removed the Quest 2's proximity sensor completely, Mokthari suspects because of the risk of short circuits caused by moisture.
- The design of the speaker arms has been borrowed from the Quest 3.
- The Quest 3S battery has a 22% higher capacity of 17.06 Wh, while the Quest 2 battery has 14 Wh. The battery size is identical, but the connector is different, so a Quest 2 battery cannot be reused in a Quest 3 and vice versa.
Quest 3S: The "true successor" to the Quest 2
According to Mokhtari, the Quest 3S is a little easier to disassemble because it uses fewer parts and connectors, but it is still relatively complex to take apart and repair.
Turns out the Quest 3S shares a fair bit of hardware with the Quest 2. That's a good thing, it means more spare parts to service both HMDs.
I had to tap @SadlyItsBradley for some help on the LCD panels though. While cross compatible, the subpixel layout was different. pic.twitter.com/Y3KapMK157
- Shahram Mokhtari (@MokhtariShahram) October 19, 2024
After the teardown, Mokhtari sees the Quest 3S mostly as an update to the Quest 2, rather than a watered-down Quest 3 (although they share the same powerful chipset). Reusing identical components is a big plus for Mokthari, as it helps reducing the carbon footprint of both devices. The obvious reason Meta is doing this is cost reduction. Adjusted for inflation, Meta offers Quest 3S for 20 percent less than the Quest 2 cost at launch, even though it offers significantly more performance and additional features such as color passthrough and advanced mixed reality.
You can read iFixit's full article here.
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