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The iPhone 4S Teardown - Photos Included!

The iPhone 4S Teardown - Photos Included!

October 14, 2011
On the eve of the iPhone 4S launch the folks at iFixIt have gotten their hands on Apple’s newest handset only to tear it down for all of us to see. The following are some of the report's highlights. First, it should be noted the iPhone 4S box is unique in that it appears taped shut at one end with a iCloud sticker, signifying, of course, one of Apple’s newest products. Other findings: The handset includes:
  • Apple's A5 System-on-a-Chip: 1 GHz Dual-Core Processor
  • 8 MP Rear-Facing (1080p Video Capture) + VGA Front-Facing Cameras
  • Broadcom 802.11 b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0 (oo-la-la!)
  • LED Backlit IPS TFT LCD Retina Display with a resolution of 960 x 640 pixels
  • Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE + Dual-band CDMA/EV-DO Rev support (World phone)
  The logic board includes:
  • Apple A5 Dual-core Processor (more on this later)
  • Qualcomm RTR8605 Multi-band/mode RF Transceiver. Chipworks has provided us with a die photo.
  • Skyworks 77464-20 Load-Insensitive Power Amplifier (LIPA®) module developed for WCDMA applications
  • Avago ACPM-7181 Power Amplifier
  • TriQuint TQM9M9030 Multi-Mode Quad-Band Power Amplifier Module.
  • TriQuint TQM66052 (possibly a PA-Duplexer Module)
iPhone 4S Tear Down
iPhone 4S Tear Down
Additionally, it is confirmed that the iPhone 4S comes with 512MB of DDR2 RAM, just like the iPhone 4. Meanwhile, Apple Insider suggests it knows what the "S" stands for in "4S" -  signal. They state:
An 'intelligent' antenna In its promotional materials, Apple has stated that the iPhone 4S is "the first phone to intelligently switch between two antennas to transmit and receive, so call quality is better." However, the company has not gone into great detail to explain exactly how the dual-antenna system works. In his review of the iPhone 4S, Jim Dalrymple of The Loop noted that the dual-antenna design is exclusive to Apple, and in his experience it boosted signal not only on calls, but also general reception. "To be perfectly clear -- this is an Apple-only technology," he wrote. "While other companies can receive on dual antennas, no other company can transmit and receive on dual GSM and CDMA antennas."
For more information on the iFixIt tear down, click here.

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