iFixit did their ritual teardown of an AT&T Motorola X phone this weekend and found pretty much what you’d expect from the Flextronics-manufactured, $199/2 year plan AT&T version.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SwX20DB-A8&feature=youtu.be]
Findings:
• This is the first and only smartphone that’s “Designed & Assembled in the USA,” to our knowledge. Flextronics is assembling the phone for Motorola in Fort Worth, Texas.
• We were surprised to learn that our “Woven Black” case actually has a weave to it—at first we thought it was just a gimmick. It’s not — you can see right through it!
• The camera flash is its own separate assembly, and is attached to the back cover. Folks can pretty easily replace the back cover with another of their choosing, provided they peel off and transplant the flash.
• This is possibly the most modular headphone jack we’ve ever seen. It pops right out of the upper midframe panel, spring contacts and all.
• The microphone assembly clings (like a baby sloth) to the earpiece speaker to maintain a solid connection with the spring contacts below.
• Motoroogle again shows off its novelty; the X’s vibrator motor is soldered right to the motherboard. The wonders never cease.
• One thing about this device is certain: the design choices are nothing if not unique. The midframe is held in place by pins protruding from the edges of the display assembly bezel.
• Chip ID that doesn’t disappoint:
• Toshiba THGBMAG7A2JBAIR 16 GB eMMC NAND Flash
• SK Hynix H9TKNNNBPDAR RAM (we assume the Snapdragon S4 Pro is layered under this IC)
• Qualcomm PM8921 Power Management IC
• Texas Instruments TMS320C55
• Skyworks 77619-12 Power Amplifier Module for Quad-Band GSM / EDGE and Penta-Band (Bands I, II, IV, V, VIII) WCDMA/ HSDPA/ HSUPA/ HSPA+/ LTE
• Texas Instruments MSP430 F5259 Mixed Signal Microcontroller
• Qualcomm WCD9310 Audio Codec
• Qualcomm WCN3680 802.11ac Combo Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM
• NXP TFA9890 High Efficiency Class-D Audio Amplifier
• Skyworks 77737 SkyHi Power Amplifier Module for LTE Bands 12/17 (698-716 MHz)
• EPCOS 7 959 Wireless LAN / Bluetooth Filters (IF)
• Wolfson Microelectronics WM7121 Top Port Analogue Silicon Microphone
• Wolfson Microelectronics WM7132 Bottom Port Analogue Silicon Microphone
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments