iPhone 5 teardown exposes its juicy LTE guts

It’s a rite of passage – or a terrible torture – for every high profile gadget, and the iPhone 5 is no different: teardown time. The plucky dismantlers over at iFixit have wielded their spudgers and screwdrivers and stripped Apple’s new wünderslab down to its component parts, revealing the Qualcomm LTE radio and the brand spanking new Apple A6 chipset in the process.

Unsurprisingly, given what Apple is squeezing into a relatively compact housing, things inside are tight. That doesn’t mean an entirely difficult to dismantle phone, however; iFixit gives it a repairability rating of 7 out of 10, praising the easy-to-replace glass and relatively accessible battery. However, some of the smaller components are soldered to a single ribbon cable, which could make more advanced repairs tricky.

Unfortunately, there’s no sign of a secret, unannounced NFC radio, which some hoped Apple might have slipped in for activation later on. Apple surprised many in eschewing the short-range wireless for this sixth-gen device, even though its Passbook app in iOS 6 seems ideal for mobile payments.

Mild disappointments aside, it’s a lesson in shedding weight. The entire rear metal chassis of the iPhone 5 comes in at less than the glass back of the iPhone 4S, for instance; Apple has also tweaked the home button assembly, making it more resilient to continued use, and easier to replace. One downside, iFixit spotted, is a less refined vibration alert motor, which promises more noise than the version in the 4S.

There are more photos over in iFixit’s teardown report, though if you’re more interesting in what the handset can do when it’s fully assembled, check out our iPhone 5 review.


iPhone 5 teardown exposes its juicy LTE guts is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


iPhone 5 hits UK and Japan to huge queues

It’s Friday, September 21, and that must mean it’s iPhone 5 day. Apple’s new smartphone has already gone on sale in stores in the UK and Japan, meeting with block-wrapping queues as the eager iOS-faithful waited their turn to pick up a new handset. Cue the whooping.

In London, the queue outside of Apple’s Covent Garden store had been split into two to make it more manageable, with security guards and fencing to corral shoppers through to a cheering phalanx of Apple Store staff. Those waiting were allowed through in small groups, each punctuated by applause, to spend £529 or upward on an unlocked iPhone 5.

In Japan, in-store demand was potentially higher still, as the online Apple Store was not accepting preorders (unlike in the US, UK, and other locations). More than 400 people waited outside the Nagoya Apple Store, even at noon when sales had been underway for four hours, though a reservations system kept the queue moving relatively smoothly.

Apple has already announced that it took more than 2m iPhone 5 preorders in the first 24 hours of sales, and demand at retail looks set to continue that trend. Sales across the US begin at 8am local time, with Apple Stores there also seeing lines of shoppers building over the past few days.

If you’re still on the fence about the iPhone 5, check out the full SlashGear review to get you up to speed.

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iPhone 5 hits UK and Japan to huge queues is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


iPhone 5 hits the teardown table, scores a 7 out of 10 for repairability from iFixit

iPhone 5 face the teardown music, scores a 7 out of 10 for repairability from iFixit

If it’s the day that shipments of the latest iPhone arrive around the world, then it is just as surely the day that iFixit’s teardown specialists break out their screwdrivers and show you what’s inside. This is not the first teardown of the iPhone 5, but it will certainly be among the best and most detailed. Some pleasant surprises inside Apple’s latest device are signed indicating it will be much more easily repairable than its predecessor, thanks to a case that opens front to back, a pop-out ear speaker and a display assembly the team says is reminiscent of the iPhone 3GS. Also good news for those suffering through worn-out home buttons is an integrated metal support this time around, which may help extend its lifespan and make replacing it easier when it does expire. Beyond that, a 28nm Qualcomm MDM9615M chip is handling LTE, HSPA+, EV-Do Rev B and TD-SCMA connectivity, while the new metal back casing barely outweighs the back glass from the iPhone 4S. Hit the source link or check out the video review (embedded after the break) for more pics and details from deep inside the iPhone 5, while most fans wait a few more hours to get their grubby fingers all over the outside of one.

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iPhone 5 hits the teardown table, scores a 7 out of 10 for repairability from iFixit originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 01:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5 teardown by iFixit

I am not quite sure just when did teardowns become popular, but for sure many people are curious to see teardown maestros iFixit take the recently introduced iPhone 5 and remove most of its bolts, nuts and screws to see what exactly is underneath the hood. Earlier this morning, we did see a teardown attempt by a German site, but that did not seem to be too comprehensive compared to what the folks at iFixit have in store.

Thanks to a “black and slate” copy of the iPhone 5 in Australia, they proceeded to disassemble the device by removing the tiny proprietary pentalobe screws which ensure the larger (compared to its predecessor anyway) 4-inch display remains stuck to the aluminum “uni-body” back case. Usual tools such as a suction cup comes in handy to lift the screen assembly easily away from the rear housing. It is claimed that the iPhone 5′s screen is easier to remove compared to its two previous predecessors.

What do you think of the iPhone 5’s innards, or are you not too bothered with what goes on underneath the hood as long as it works?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: iPhone 5 back too susceptible to scratches?, iPhone 5 shipping date delayed to 3-4 weeks,

iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 compared in Nokia UK infographic

It seems to be smartphone season at this time of the year, where many of the big players have rolled out their heavy hitters, although Samsung did introduce their flagship Galaxy S3 device earlier than the rest of the pack. HTC has their upcoming HTC One X+ for the Android front in tow after announcing the new Windows Phone 8-powered HTC 8X, while Nokia just announced their flagship Lumia 920 earlier this month, with Apple lifting the veil on their iPhone 5 as well. There can only be one tiger on each mountain, or so the ancient Chinese proverb goes, which means the rest will have to settle for second, third and subsequent fiddles. How do they stack up against one another? Nokia UK has a cheeky but factual infographic that compares the iPhone 5 to the Nokia Lumia 920, and I do admit that the entire thing was tastefully done, concentrating more on pure facts instead of relying on sarcastic verbage alone.

It is very different from Samsung’s “the next big thing is already here” ad, and sports the caption “Good things come to those who wait”. The thing is, will it be able to convince fence sitters to just hold off an iPhone 5 purchase long enough for the Nokia Lumia 920 to arrive at the market? After all, it has already received FCC approval, so it should not be too long down the road. Patience, after all, is still a virtue – one that is lacking in this day and age.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Nokia Lumia 920 passes FCC inspection, ready to rock and roll, Ubergizmo Smartphone Guide – Sept 2012,

iFixit Tears Down iPhone 5 Early, Thanks to the Land Down Under

Since it’s already Friday, September 21st in Australia, the guys over at iFixit decided to take a trip down under, and already have their hands on a shiny new iPhone 5. As is their tradition, they’ve started the process of ripping it apart to show us what’s inside. With so many early leaks of the iPhone 5′s parts, I’m guessing there won’t be too many surprises, but it’s still always fun to get a bit of geek porn whenever a new gadget comes out anyhow.

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Image Credit: iFixit

What we know so far is that the new phone looks as nice as it does in Apple’s beauty shots, and that it’s still sealed tight by their annoying pentalobe screws. On the plus side, it looks like the screen module will be much, much easier to replace than the one on the iPhone 4/4S. As already suspected, the battery is only a tiny bit more powerful than the one in the iPhone 4S, so we can only hope that the phone performs as well as Apple claims on the power-sucking 4G network. Hopefully, the new CPU and display sip less power than the prior models.

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Image Credit: iFixit

Thusfar, iFixit hasn’t finished identifying all the chips inside the iPhone 5, but they have posted some images in case you’d like to start your own detective work right now. Every time I see one of these tiny motherboards, I’m blown away by the incredible advances in miniaturization over the last few years. Just think, this thing is more powerful than any PowerBook Apple ever released.

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Image Credit: iFixit

You can check out the iPhone 5 teardown in progress over at iFixit right now. Be sure to refresh often as they finish up their disassembly if you want to find out all the other gory details of the internals of the latest iPhone.


The iPhone 5 Teardown: What’s Really New Inside the Next iPhone [Iphone 5]

Though we’ve already seen the iPhone 5 in all its naked guts and glory, we didn’t get any of the typical iFixit analysis and context of what’s going on in there. Well, until now. iFixit is currently tearing down the iPhone 5 and reporting their findings. What will they discover? More »

First to Get the iPhone 5 Call Queue “Absolutely Retarded, Superficial and Pretentious” [Iphone 5]

Luckily Australians. The first to get their grubby mits on everything good simply by virtue of the fact that they live down under. More »

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: September 20, 2012

Welcome to Thursday evening folks – just one more day until the weekend is officially here. iOS 6 has been out for a little more than a day now, and while there are a lot of new features to get excited about, Apple’s new Maps app seems to be spoiling the party. Many are bummed that Apple Maps doesn’t feature public transportation routes like Google Maps, and a group of developers set out to solve that problem with a new hack. Meanwhile, Nokia took a few shots at Apple Maps today, and we found out that iOS 6 landed on 15% of all Apple devices within the first 24 hours of release.


Ever wonder how much Americans have spent on iPhone repairs? Wonder no longer, because SquareTrade says that we’ve $5.9 billion on repairs since 2007. Samsung once again reiterated its intentions of taking Apple to court over the iPhone 5, while HP announced a range of new ultra-light notebooks today. HP didn’t stop there though, as it also revealed a brand new ENVY desktop, which we have to say looks pretty sleek. Verizon talked about how good its Share Everything plans are during an investors conference today, and the ASUS Padfone 2 might be getting a reveal next month.

Prices for the freshly-revealed HTC 8X and 8S were announced today, and Chinese manufacturer Cube has a new tablet incoming that sports a display similar to Apple’s Retina display. Qualcomm was seen touting its Snapdragon S2 processor today for some reason, and SkullCandy revealed a trio of new gaming headsets. Speaking of gaming, we heard rumors that Half-Life 3 will have open world elements, and were amazed by a new multiplayer trailer for an upcoming game called Cube World. Amazon’s Kindle eReaders and tablets have been banished from the shelves of Walmart, and the all-new ZTE Anthem will soon be heading to MetroPCS complete with 4G LTE capabilities.

Android users were given The Bard’s Tale and Fort Courage today, while the US Senate claimed that Microsoft avoided paying $6.5 billion in taxes over the last three years. Facebook Messenger got an update on Android today, as did the regular Facebook app, and Sony told us why we didn’t see a price cut on existing PS3 models when the company revealed its brand new super-slim console. Microsoft can officially claim another victory over Motorola in Germany, and finally tonight, we have a hands-on with the excellent 10Terra Nexus 7 Bamboo case, which is looking to get funded on Kickstarter right this minute!

That does it for tonight’s Evening Wrap-Up. Enjoy the rest of your night, and join us back here tomorrow as we wrap-up Friday’s news and ring in the weekend!


SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: September 20, 2012 is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


iPhone 5 gets mild teardown, reveals its precious new innards

iPhone 5 gets mild teardown, reveals its precious new innards

With Apple’s shiny new iPhone 5 set to start arriving at people’s doorsteps tomorrow, it’s only proper for some folks with early access to give the masses an inside look at what most won’t ever get to see. And while it isn’t the usual suspects doing the damage favor on this occasion, we still appreciate the iPhone-Garage crew for taking the time to dismantle Cupertino’s novel handset. As you can see above, the iPhone 5’s innards aren’t set up much differently than those of its predecessors, the 4 and 4S, which is to be expected given the similar form factors between them. That said, the battery has found a semi-new home at the front end of the device, while the most obvious change is the headphone jack now being located at the bottom, next to that newfangled Lightning port. There’s an extra pic down below for everyone’s viewing pleasure, but we recommend checking out the source link to get a better glimpse of the full teardown treatment.

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iPhone 5 gets mild teardown, reveals its precious new innards originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Sep 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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