Cracking Open the Samsung Galaxy S5
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Samsung Galaxy S5 teardown
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 may not look all that different from the Galaxy S4 on the outside, but on the side it’s a completely different animal. There’s lots of hardware upgrades, a redesigned interior, and a whole new way to open the case and replace a broken screen.
In this Cracking Open gallery, I walk you through the process of disassembling the Galaxy S5 and give you a tour of the internal hardware. For a detailed analysis of the teardown, check out my article and video, Galaxy S5 teardown: New design makes repairing a cracked screen much easier.


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Box contents
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Box contents
Along with the handset, you’ll find a charging adapter, cable, battery, and product documentation in the Galaxy S5’s box.


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Dimensions and specs
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Dimensions and specs
Our AT&T model with LTE has a quad-core 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 SoC from Qualcomm. On models without LTE, Samsung uses its own Exynos 5422 SoC.
All versions have a 5.1-inch 1080p HD AMOLED display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of built-in storage, a microSD card slot, a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, NFC support, IR blaster, and a brand new fingerprint sensor.


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Compared to the Galaxy S4
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Compared to the Galaxy S4
The S5 is slightly larger and heavier than last year’s S4.


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the battery cover
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the battery cover


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Battery cover
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Battery cover


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the battery
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the battery


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: 2,800 mAh Li-ion battery
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: 2,800 mAh Li-ion battery


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the outer cover screws
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the outer cover screws


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the Home button connector cover
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the Home button connector cover


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Detaching the Home button connector
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Detaching the Home button connector


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Heating the front panel and display assembly
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Heating the front panel and display assembly


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Separating the front panel from the frame
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Separating the front panel from the frame


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the front panel and display assembly
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the front panel and display assembly


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Front panel and display assembly
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Front panel and display assembly


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Home button and fingerprint sensor
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Home button and fingerprint sensor


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Front panel and display connector
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Front panel and display connector


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Synaptics S5100A touchscreen controller
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Synaptics S5100A touchscreen controller


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the internal mounting plate screws
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the internal mounting plate screws


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the internal mounting plate
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the internal mounting plate
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Outer cover


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Headphone jack and ear speaker
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Headphone jack and ear speaker


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: External speaker
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: External speaker


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Power button contacts
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Power button contacts


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Volume button contacts
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Volume button contacts


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Vibration motor
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Vibration motor


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the motherboard screws
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the motherboard screws


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Detaching the motherboard connectors
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Detaching the motherboard connectors
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the motherboard


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Internal mounting plate
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Internal mounting plate


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Lower I/O board
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Lower I/O board


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the rear-facing camera
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the rear-facing camera


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: 16-megapixel rear-facing camera
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: 16-megapixel rear-facing camera


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the front-facing camera
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the front-facing camera


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: 2-megapixel front-facing camera
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: 2-megapixel front-facing camera


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the motherboard's metal shields
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Removing the motherboard's metal shields


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Motherboard - Front
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Motherboard - Front


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Motherboard - Back
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Motherboard - Back


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Elpida FA164A2PM 2GB RAM and 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 SoC (mounted under RAM package)
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Elpida FA164A2PM 2GB RAM and 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801 SoC (mounted under RAM package)


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: 16GB storage package (mounted under metal shield)
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: 16GB storage package (mounted under metal shield)


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Avago ACPM-7617
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Avago ACPM-7617


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Maxim MAX77804K
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Maxim MAX77804K


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Maxim MAX77826
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Maxim MAX77826
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Avago A7007
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: C1N75B 8Q5


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Murata KM4228023
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Murata KM4228023


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Qualcomm WCD9320 audio codec
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Qualcomm WCD9320 audio codec
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: NXP 47803


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Silicon Image SIMG 8240B0
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Silicon Image SIMG 8240B0


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Qualcomm WTR1625L
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Qualcomm WTR1625L


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Qualcomm WFR1620
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Qualcomm WFR1620
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: SWDP GRG28


Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Completed teardown
Cracking Open Galaxy S5: Completed teardown

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