In the box

ntThe Nexus S is available at Best Buy in the US and Carphone Wharehouse in the UK. The phone is sold unlocked and will work on T-Mobile (US and UK), Vodaphone (UK), Orange (UK), O2 (UK).

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ntThe Nexus S costs $199 US (with 2-year contract) and $529 (no contract).

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Opening the box

ntThe Nexus S runs Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), comes with a 1.0 GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird), 512MB RAM, 16GB built-in storage, and a 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA (800u00d7480) display.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Nexus S, Nexus One, and G1

ntFrom left to right, the Nexus S, Nexus One, and G1 smartphones.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Nexus S, Nexus One and G1 - Backs

ntThe Nexus One and G1 were both manufactured by HTC. The Nexus S is manufuctured by Samsung.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Front

ntThe Nexus S weighs 4.55 ounces (129g) and measures 4.88(h) x 2.48(w) x 0.43(d) inches. It also has an accelerometer, three-axis gyroscope, GPS, digital compass, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Back cover removed

ntJust like the Galaxy S, the first step in disassembling the Nexus S is to pop off the back cover.

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ntUnlike the iPhone 4, the battery on the Nexus S is user replaceable.

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ntAttached to the interior of the back cover is the paper-thin NFC antenna (covered with a black sticker). As I want to reassemble this phone in working order, I’m going to refrain from pealing the antenna off the back cover.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Battery and SIM card removed

ntOnce the back cover is off, you can remove the battery and SIM card.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the inner cover screws

ntAfter removing the back cover, battery, and SIM card, you’ll need to remove the six Phillips #00 screws that hold the inner cover in place.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the inner cover

ntOnce the screws are removed, you can use a thin metal blade or plastic case opening tool to pry off the inner cover.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Thin plastic edging

ntTake care when removing the inner cover, a thin plastic border surrounds the front half of the phone and snaps to the inner cover. Using too much force on the the inner cover, could break this edging.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the main PCB screws

ntOur first step in removing the main PCB and attached internal components is to remove the three Phillips #00 screws that hold the main PCB to the Nexus S’ internal frame.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Disconnecting the smaller PCB cable connector

ntWe’ll also need to detach several cables and connectors from the the main PCB before lifting it away from the Nexus S’ frame.

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ntThis connector is likely for the small PCB located at the bottom of the phone.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Disconnected the display and digitizer connector

ntThis connector is likely for the display and digitizer.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Dislodging the vibration motor

ntWith both connectors detached, you’ll need to pop loose the vibration motor, which is held to the front half of the phone with a small amount of adhesive. Using a small metal blade, I was able to pry it loose without damaging it or the surrounding plastic.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Dislodging the front speaker

ntI also suggest you also pop loose the small front speaker, which also sits in a small compartment.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

ntWith the screws removed, connectors detached, and vibration and front speaker dislodged, you can left the main PCB away from the rest of the Nexus S.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Display assembly and internal frame

ntWith the main PCB removed, we can see the internal metal frame, a smaller PCB along the device’s bottom edge, and several chips associated with the Nexus S’ touch-sensitive display.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Atmel MXT224 touchscreen microcontroller

ntThe layout of these chips is very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S (Captivate).

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ntAnd like its Samsung cousin, the Nexus S uses an Atmel touchscreen microcontroller. In this case, the Atmel MXT224.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Lower PCB

ntThe smaller PCB at the bottom of the Nexus S

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Main PCB with attached components - Top

ntThe cameras, speaker assembly, and stacked PCB are still attached to the main PCB. Next, we’ll remove these components.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Main PCB with attached components - Bottom

ntWe’ll start our component removal process on the back of the main PCB.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Camera assembly ribbon cable connector

ntThe camera assembly is connected to the main PCB with a thin ribbon cable.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Disconnectin the camera assembly ribbon cable

ntUsing a thin metal blade, genelty lift up on the camera connector’s locking gate. With the gate open, you can remove the thin ribbon cable and lift the camera away from the main PCB.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Camera assembly removed

ntThe Nexus S’ front- and rear-facing cameras are part of a single assembly.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

5MP rear-facing camera

ntThe Nexus S has a 5MP rear-facing camera.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

VGA front-facing camera

ntThe Nexus S has a front-facing VGA camera that offers a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Camera assembly removed

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Detaching the stacked PCB's connector

ntNext, we’ll remove the metal EMI shield and attached PCB from atop the main PCB. To do this, we’ll need to detach its connector from the main PCB.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the EMI shield and attached PCB

ntOnce the smaller PCB’s connector is detached, you can pry loose the EMI shield and attached PCB.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

EMI shield and attached PCB removed

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

EMI shield and attached PCB - Top

ntLocated on the PCB attached to the EMI sheild are the SIM card reader and an NXP chip.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

NXP chip

ntNXP chip with the markings 65N00 01 06 ZSD0371.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

EMI shield and attached PCB - Bottom

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Removing the speaker assembly

ntWe can now remove the speaker assembly on the Nexus S. To do so, detach the assembly’s connector from the main PCB.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Speaker assembly removed

ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Speaker assembly - Rear

ntThe Nexus S’ speaker assembly contains both the front- and rear-facing speakers.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Speaker assembly - Front

ntAlong with the earpiece and speakerphone speakers, the speaker assembly also houses ambient light and proximity sensors (located on the small PCB).

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Main PCB - Top

ntWith the attached components removed, we can take a closer look at the chips on the main PCB.

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ntAs I noted earlier, the Nexus S has a PCB that spans the length of the device. The Samsung Galaxy S (Captivate) however, uses a smaller PCB located at the top of the phone.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Samsung SWB-B23 Bluetooth IC

ntThis Samsung SWB-B23 Bluetooth IC was on the Samsung Focus (Windows Phone 7) and on the Samsung Galaxy S (Captivate).

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Unknown chip with markings 04AF 3974

ntUnknown chip with markings 04AF 3974

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Unknown chip with markings B1W AT

ntUnknown chip with markings B1W AT
ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Skyworks SKY77529 Tx Front-End Module

ntSkyworks SKY77529 Tx Front-End Module (FEM) for Quad-Band GSM / EDGE

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Infineon SMARTi UE - PMB 5703 UMTS / EDGE Transceiver

ntThis chip is an Infineon SMARTi UE – PMB 5703 single-chip dual-mode UMTS / EDGE Transceiver IC.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Three unknown chips

ntSeries of three unknown chips with sequencial markings.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Main PCB - Back

ntAfter exploring the chips on the front of the PCB, let’s explore the back.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

SanDisk SDIN4C2 16GB MLC NAND flash

ntSanDisk SDIN4C2 16GB MLC NAND flash

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Infineon X-GOLD 616 baseband and SMARTi UE RF transceiver

ntInfineon X-GOLD 616 baseband and SMARTi UE RF transceiver  with markings 8824 V1.0 XG616 TA G1041 YYN2K2738A2

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Wolfson Microelectronics WM8994 audio codec

ntThe Nexus S uses the Wolfson Microelectronics WM8994 audio codec. This is the same Wolfson audio chip used on the Samsung Galaxy Tab.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

1.0 GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor - with sticker

ntA round, white sticker covers the Nexus S’ 1.0 GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

1.0 GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor

ntLike the Samsung Galaxy S (Captivate), the Nexus S uses a 1.0 GHz Cortex A8 (Hummingbird) processor. This chip’s markings are nearly identical to the Galaxy S chip.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

Broadcom BCM4751 Integrated Monolithic GPS Receiver

ntBroadcom BCM4751 Integrated Monolithic GPS Receiver

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

USB port and nearby chips

ntA collection of chips near the USB port.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler

PCB markings

ntThe PCB has the markings GT-19020 REV1.1.

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ntPhoto by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
ntCaption by: Bill Detwiler