When Wearables Fail: Swelling Rings, Cracked Watches, and Failing Earbuds

In episode 297 of China Manufacturing Decoded, host Renaud is joined by Sofeast reliability specialist Andrew Amirnovin to unpack why smart wearables so often fail in the field, and how to stop it. They break down real cases across rings, earbuds, watches, and smart glasses (think swollen cells, failing mics, cracked displays, and weak straps), then map fixes to a practical workflow: early DFMEA, designing for foreseeable misuse, test-to-failure (drops, sweat ingress, torsion), and ORT after any supplier or component change. You’ll hear how to balance sleek form factors with robustness, set DVP&R with vendors, and avoid costly reliability surprises.

 

Episode Sections:

• 00:00:12 – Introduction.

• 00:01:04 – Wearables & why reliability matters. 

• 00:03:12 – Case 1: Samsung Galaxy Ring battery swelling & safety risk. 

• 00:07:27 – Foreseeable misuse & worst-case design thinking (rings). 

• 00:09:44 – Case 2: AirPods Pro ANC/microphone failures after 1–2 years. 

• 00:16:54 – Testing to failure: drop & sweat, isolate root causes. 

• 00:17:55 – Case 3: Smartwatches (Galaxy Watch 5) screens cracking too easily. 

• 00:24:21 – Xiaomi watch similar issues; plan for misuse; EU risk assessment. 

• 00:28:18 – New categories = unpredictable use; plan reliability up-front. 

• 00:31:13 – DFMEA discipline for wearables; consequences of failure. 

• 00:32:10 – Case 4: Fitbit Versa strap/band reliability complaints; ORT after changes. 

• 00:36:06 – Purchasing swaps, component changes & the need for ORT. 

• 00:38:00 – Case 5: Meta/Ray-Ban smart glasses user complaints, battery/performance. 

• 00:39:45 – Battery life degradation vs. performance drain discussion. 

• 00:44:52 – Closing thoughts: Be patient with cutting-edge form factors. 

• 00:45:44 – Wrap-up & outro. 

 

Related content...

• Here’s a big reason to think twice before buying a smart ring (WaPo)
• AirPods Pro lawsuit says Apple didn’t fix the crackles and ANC faults (9to5 Mac)
• More users report "red screen of death" on older Galaxy Watch model (Notebookcheck)
• Fitbit fined $12 million for Ionic smartwatches that burned 78 people (The Verge)
• Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses Finally Ready for Daily Use (Next Reality)
• Do You Need a Customized Reliability Test Plan?
• Design for Reliability Secrets [Podcast]
• How Many Product Samples Do We Really Need To Test For Reliability And Compliance?
• How To Do Product Reliability Testing?
• dFMEA: 8 Secrets for a Successful Implementation
• Investigating the Causes of Product Failure and Improving Design

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