Mobility

HTC ThunderBolt Teardown

By // May 9, 2011, 11:42 PM PST // billdetwiler

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  • Cracking open the HTC ThunderBolt

    In 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.

    Follow along as I crack open the HTC ThunderBolt.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Box

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

    • OS: Android 2.2 (Froyo) with HTC Sense UI
    • Processor: 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon (QSD8655), Adreno 205 GPU, and MDM9600 chipset for 3G/4G
    • RAM: 768MB
    • Storage: 8GB internal, 32GB microSD (pre-installed)
    • Display: 4.3-inch WVGA with 480×800 resolution
    • Battery: Lithium-ion with 1400 mAh capacity
    • Ports: microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack, SIM slot
    • Camera: 8MP with auto-focus, dual LED flash, HD video capture, 1.3MP front-facing camera
    • Sensors: Accelerometer, A-GPS, digital compass, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor
    • Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n; Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR
    • Tethering: USB + mobile Wi-Fi hotspot

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Opening the box

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Accessories under the phone

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Box contents

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front

    The HTC Thunberbolt weighs 6.23 ounces and measures 4.75 x 2.44 x 0.56 inches.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Back

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Top

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Bottom

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Left side

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Right side

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Stand

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Stand open

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the back cover

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Back cover removed

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Battery - Back

    The HTC ThunderBolt has a 3.7V Lithium-ion with 1400 mAh capacity battery.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Battery - Front

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Back cover and battery removed

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the microSD card

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the case screws

    Luckily, the HTC ThunderBolt use standard Phillips screws inside the case.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Void sticker

    One of the case screws is covered with a "void" sticker.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the Void sticker

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Loosening the outer cover

    Using 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.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Popping loose the lower screw cover

    A 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.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the front cover screws

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Lifting the display/main PCB assembly away from the outer cover

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

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Outer cover

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Outer cover removed

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the inner case screws

    Two Phillips screws hold an inner plastic case to the display/main PCB assembly.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Popping loose the inner case

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Lifting off the inner case

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display/main PCB assembly and inner cover

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Inner cover

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display/main PCB assembly

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Control button ribbon cable

    Before 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.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Control button ribbon cable disconnected

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Popping loose the main PCB from the display assembly

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display assembly and main PCB

    Even 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.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Disconnected display screen and digitizer cables

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB and display assembly separated

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display assembly - Back

    The 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.

    As I want to reassemble this phone in working condition, I'm not going to risk dissecting these components any further.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Display assembly - Front

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB with EMI shields

    Several EMI shields and pieces of metallic tape cover most of the chips and connectors on the HTC ThunderBolt's main PCB.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Metallic tape removed

    With the metal tape removed, we can access the connectors for the HTC ThunderBolt's front- and rear-facing cameras.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front-facing camera ribbon cable

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front-facing camera removed

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front-facing camera - Front

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Front-facing camera - Back

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Rear-facing camera ribbon cable

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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

    To the right of the rear-facing camera is the HTC ThunderBolt's dual LED flash (on the blue PCB).

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Removing the rear-facing camera

    With its cable detached from the main PCB, I removed the HTC ThunderBolt's rear-facing camera with a pair of tweezers.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Rear-facing camera - Back

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Rear-facing camera - Back

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Vibration motor

    Internal components, such as the vibration motor (shown here), are soldered to the HTC ThunderBolt's main PCB.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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

    The 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.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: USB power

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB with EMI shields removed

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB - Front

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB - Back

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Broadcomm BCM4329EKUBG

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

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Qualcomm PM8028

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Micron 1AC12 NW140 PF3T

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Qualcomm’s MDM9600 LTE modem chipset

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

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Atmel MXT224 touchscreen controller

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Avago A2FI042 214289

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Miscellaneous chips

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

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: TI TPA2051 Audio Amplifier

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

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Qualcomm PM8058 power management IC

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

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

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Qualcomm RTR8605

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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: ICs with markings A5002 and A5005

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
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  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Main PCB markings

    The markings on this HTC ThunderBolt's main PCB indicate that it was manufactured sometime around October 28, 2010.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

  • HTC ThunderBolt Teardown: Completely disassembled

    Cracking 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.

    The 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.

    Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
    Caption by: Bill Detwiler

Cracking open the HTC ThunderBolt

In 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.

Follow along as I crack open the HTC ThunderBolt.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic
Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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About Bill Detwiler

Bill Detwiler is Managing Editor of TechRepublic and Tech Pro Research and the host of Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Prior to joining TechRepublic in 2000, Bill was an IT manager, database administrator, and desktop supp...