HTC ThunderBolt Teardown

Cracking open the HTC ThunderBolt

\n\tIn March 2011, Verizon began selling the HTC ThunderBolt–the first smartphone to run on its 4G LTE network. In his review, TechRepublic’s Jason Hiner dubbed it the “Ferrari of smartphones”. It’s big, it’s fast, and it guzzles battery life.

\n

\n\tFollow along as I crack open the HTC ThunderBolt.
\n\t
\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Box

\n\tAs of this writing, the HTC ThunderBolt costs $249 (US) with a 2-year Verizon contract. The ThunderBolt has the following technical specifications:

\n

\n\t
• \n\t\tOS: Android 2.2 (Froyo) with HTC Sense UI

\n\t

• \n\t\tProcessor: 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon (QSD8655), Adreno 205 GPU, and MDM9600 chipset for 3G/4G

\n\t

• \n\t\tRAM: 768MB

\n\t

• \n\t\tStorage: 8GB internal, 32GB microSD (pre-installed)

\n\t

• \n\t\tDisplay: 4.3-inch WVGA with 480\u00d7800 resolution

\n\t

• \n\t\tBattery: Lithium-ion with 1400 mAh capacity

\n\t

• \n\t\tPorts: microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, SIM slot

\n\t

• \n\t\tCamera: 8MP with auto-focus, dual LED flash, HD video capture, 1.3MP front-facing camera

\n\t

• \n\t\tSensors: Accelerometer, A-GPS, digital compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor

\n\t

• \n\t\tWireless: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR

\n\t

• \n\t\tTethering: USB + mobile Wi-Fi hotspot

\n

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Opening the box

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Accessories under the phone

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Box contents

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front

\n\tThe HTC Thunberbolt weighs 6.23 ounces and measures 4.75 x 2.44 x 0.56 inches.
\n\t
\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Back

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Top

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Bottom

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Left side

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Right side

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Stand

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Stand open

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the back cover

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Back cover removed

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Battery - Back

\n\tThe HTC ThunderBolt has a 3.7V Lithium-ion with 1400 mAh capacity battery.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Battery - Front

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Back cover and battery removed

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the microSD card

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the case screws

\n\tLuckily, the HTC ThunderBolt use standard Phillips screws inside the case.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Void sticker

\n\tOne of the case screws is covered with a “void” sticker.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the Void sticker

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Loosening the outer cover

\n\tUsing a thin metal blade, I released several clips that held the metal outer cover to the display assembly. There are two scrwes still holding the cover in place, so I can’t remove it just yet.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Popping loose the lower screw cover

\n\tA thin piece of plastic covered the last two case screws. Using my thin metal blade, I was able to pop it loose and access the screws.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the front cover screws

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Lifting the display/main PCB assembly away from the outer cover

\n\tWith all the outer cover screws removed, I was able to separate the display/main PCB assembly away from the cover.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Outer cover and display/main PCB assembly

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Outer cover

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Outer cover removed

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the inner case screws

\n\tTwo Phillips screws hold an inner plastic case to the display/main PCB assembly.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Popping loose the inner case

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Lifting off the inner case

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display/main PCB assembly and inner cover

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Inner cover

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display/main PCB assembly

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Control button ribbon cable

\n\tBefore separating the HTC ThunderBolt’s display assembly and main PCB, I needed to disconnect this small ribbon cable. It is likely used for the control buttons located along the bottom edge of the screen.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Control button ribbon cable disconnected

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Popping loose the main PCB from the display assembly

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Lifting the main PCB away from the display assembly

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display assembly and main PCB

\n\tEven with the control button ribbon cable disconnected, the display assembly is stil connected to the main PCB by two cables. These cables are used for the HTC ThunderBolt’s display screen and digitizer.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Disconnected display screen and digitizer cables

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB and display assembly separated

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display assembly - Back

\n\tThe HTC ThunderBolt’s digitizer and display screen are held together with strong adhesive. You’ll need a heat gun and a lot of patience to separte them.

\n

\n\tAs I want to reassemble this phone in working condition, I’m not going to risk dissecting these components any further.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display assembly - Front

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB with EMI shields

\n\tSeveral EMI shields and pieces of metallic tape cover most of the chips and connectors on the HTC ThunderBolt’s main PCB.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Metallic tape removed

\n\tWith the metal tape removed, we can access the connectors for the HTC ThunderBolt’s front- and rear-facing cameras.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front-facing camera ribbon cable

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front-facing camera removed

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front-facing camera - Front

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front-facing camera - Back

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Rear-facing camera ribbon cable

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Rear-facing camera and dual LED flash

\n\tTo the right of the rear-facing camera is the HTC ThunderBolt’s dual LED flash (on the blue PCB).

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the rear-facing camera

\n\tWith its cable detached from the main PCB, I removed the HTC ThunderBolt’s rear-facing camera with a pair of tweezers.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Rear-facing camera - Back

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Rear-facing camera - Back

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Vibration motor

\n\tInternal components, such as the vibration motor (shown here), are soldered to the HTC ThunderBolt’s main PCB.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: 3.5mm headphone jack, notification LED, and microphone

\n\tThe 3.5mm headphone jack, notification LED, and a small, brass-colored sensor are soldered to the HTC ThunderBolt’s main PCB. The sensor looks nearly identical to the microphone mounted along the bottom edge of the main PCB. I assume this sensor is also a microphone.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: USB power

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB with EMI shields removed

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB - Front

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB - Back

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Broadcomm BCM4329EKUBG

\n\tThe HTC ThunderBolt has a Broadcom BCM4329 Low-Power 802.11n with Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR and FM transceiver.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Qualcomm PM8028

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Micron 1AC12 NW140 PF3T

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Qualcomm’s MDM9600 LTE modem chipset

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Qualcomm QTR8600 RF subsystem with integrated Bluetooth and FM radio

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Atmel MXT224 touchscreen controller

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Avago A2FI042 214289

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Miscellaneous chips

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: TI AIC3254 Very Low-Power Stereo Audio CODEC with miniDSP and Power TuneTM Technology

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: TI TPA2051 Audio Amplifier

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Samsung K4X6G303PC-7GD8 system memory chip

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Qualcomm PM8058 power management IC

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: SMSC USB2512B USB 2.0 Hi-Speed Hub Controller

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: SanDisk SDIN5C2-8G NAND Flash RAM chip

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Qualcomm RTR8605

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: ICs with markings A5002 and A5005

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB markings

\n\tThe markings on this HTC ThunderBolt’s main PCB indicate that it was manufactured sometime around October 28, 2010.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Completely disassembled

\n\tCracking open the HTC ThunderBolt was tricky but not overly difficult. It uses standard Phillips screws, which are easily accessable. Unfortunately, there’s not much to do inside the case once you get there.

\n

\n\tThe ThunderBolt appears to be designed for easily assembly, not repair. Nearly all the internal components are soldered to the main PCB. For all practical purposes, the display/digitizer assembly is a single unit. And components, such as the speakers are actually embedded into the device’s covers.

\n

\n\tPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
\n\tCaption by: Bill Detwiler