Verizon iPhone 4 Teardown Reveals Global GSM/CDMA Chipset & New Battery
February 7, 2011
Surprise, surprise! While taking the new Verizon iPhone 4 apart moments ago, iFixit unveiled that the mobile chipset included in the device is actually not only compatible with CDMA networks.
According to electronista:
"iFixit's look discovered that the phone is using Qualcomm's MDM6600, a chipset that can handle not just the CDMA and EVDO needed for the network but also GSM and up to 14.4Mbps HSPA+. The part suggests Apple could have designed a dual-mode phone but didn't for the iPhone 4, likely due to space constraints in the existing frame."Of course, the chipset on its own doesn't make the Verizon iPhone a GSM phone. After all, it's missing the required basebands, firmware and sim slot. It does however show that Apple is already using these chipsets, and will now very likely be making the iPhone 5 a unique device compatible with all networks. Further on, they found out that the Verizon iPhone's battery is slightly lighter by about 1 gram, which however won't make any difference probably. The teardown is still in progress and we'll keep you posted on anything else they might find out.