Cracking Open the Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung Galaxy S4 teardown

\n\tWith its 1080p screen, 13-megapixel camera, and quad-core processor, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is packed with impressive hardware. And as I’ll show you in this Cracking Open gallery, it has a redesigned interior and is easier to disassemble than its predecessors.

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\n\tFor a detailed analysis of the teardown, check out my article and video, Samsung Galaxy S4 teardown reveals redesigned interior, easier-to-fix phone.

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

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Pricing

\n\tAs of publication, pricing for the U.S. version of the Galaxy S4 starts at $199 (with a two-year contract).

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

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Box contents

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Hardware specifications, dimensions, and weight

\n\tOur AT&T test unit had a 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage (expandable via the microSD slot), a 5″ HD Super AMOLED display (1920 x 1080p resolution), a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2.0-megapixel front-facing camera. It measures 5.38″ (H) x 2.74″ (W) x 0.31″ (D) and weighs 4.59 ounces.

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

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Back

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Bottom

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Left side

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Right side

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Top

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing the battery cover

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Battery, SIM and microSD card slots

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing the battery

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Samsung 3.8V, 2600mAh Li-ion battery (B600BU)

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Battery removed

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing the circuit board cover screws

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Popping loose the circuit board cover

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing the circuit board cover

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Circuit board cover

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Circuit board cover with external speaker assembly

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing the external speaker assembly

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: External speaker assembly - Front

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: External speaker assembly - Back

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Internal hardware

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Detaching the motherboard connectors

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing the motherboard screw

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing the motherboard

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Motherboard removed

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Front panel assembly with components - Top

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Daughter board attached to front panel assembly

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Motherboard with rear-facing camera and SIM/microSD card readers

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Disconnecting the rear-facing camera

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Rear-facing camera removed

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: 13-megapixel rear-facing camera - Front

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: 13-megapixel rear-facing camera - Back

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing the SIM/microSD car readers

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: SIM/microSD car readers

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Detaching the daughter board connectors

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing the micr USB connector bracket

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Removing daughter board

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Daughter board

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: micro USB connector

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Daughter board microphone

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Front panel assembly with daughter board removed

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Synaptics S5000B touch controller

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Front panel assembly - Vibration motor, front-facing camera, earpiece speaker, IR blaster, IR sensor, and front-facing sensors

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: 3.5mm headphone jack assembly

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: 3.5mm headphone jack, LED indicator, and IR sensor

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Motherboard - Top

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Motherboard - Bottom

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Samsung K3QF2F200E-XGCB 2GB LPDDR3 RAM

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Qualcomm MDM9215M 4G GSM/UMTS/LTE modem

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Unidentified TAIWAN MBG965H 1311 BKU ARM E1

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Qualcomm PM8917 power management IC

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Toshiba THGBM5G7A4JBA4W 16GB eMMC (storage chip)

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: 3757G2 D214C5

\n\tAccording to iFixit and Chipworks, this chip is a Broadcom BCM4335 Single-Chip 5G WiFi 802.11ac MAC/Baseband/Radio, which also houses a Skyworks SKY85303-11 2.4 GHz, 256 QAM WLAN/Bluetooth Front-End Module.

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Atmel UC128L5-U

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Skyworks 77619 multiband multimode power amplifier module for quad-band GSM/EDGE

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: RF Micro Devices RF7307 linear power amplifier for LTE/UMTS/CDMA

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Unidentified SWC GNF09

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Skyworks 77737 Power Amplifier Module for LTE Bands 12/17 (698-716 MHz)

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Unidentified R5C0B W3406

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Qualcomm WTR1605L 7-band 4G LTE chip

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Silicon Image SiI8240 MHL 2.0 transmitter with HDMI input

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Qualcomm PM8821 power management IC

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Broadcom BCM20794 NFC controller

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Maxim Integrated MAX77803

Cracking Open Galaxy S4: Disassembled