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Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini E10i Teardown

Teardown

Teardown

Teardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions.

In the midst of the iPhone 4 craze, we became impatient and decided we needed to tear down a phone, you know, just to keep us in tip-top shape. And lo-and-behold, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini E10i.

A big thanks to Brian at EDN for providing the phone for this teardown. Be sure to check out his Xperia X10 Mini Preview!

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Step 1 — Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini E10i Teardown  ¶ 

  • The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini E10i is the smaller version of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.

  • Tech Specs:

    • 600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227

    • 256 MB RAM and 256 MB internal ROM (only 128 MB accessible)

    • 2.6" color transflective TFT display with a resolution of 240 X 320 pixels.

    • 5 Megapixel camera with autofocus

    • 802.11 b/g Wireless + Bluetooth 2.1

  • The backside of the X10 Mini E10i is characterized by a smooth plastic rear case with openings for the camera, LED flash, and speaker.

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Step 2  ¶ 

  • The controls of the X10 Mini E10i are pretty standard.

    • The bottom of the X10 Mini E10i integrates a 3.5 mm headphone jack as well as a micro-USB port.

    • The top edge houses the power button.

    • The left side accommodates the volume and camera buttons, leaving the right side blank and featureless.

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Step 3  ¶ 

  • The 5.0 megapixel camera in the X10 Mini E10i features a 1X optical zoom with autofocus and a built-in LED flash.

  • The camera itself measures in at 8.8 x 9.1 x 6 mm.

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Step 4  ¶ 

  • A few quick pries with an iPod opening tool around the perimeter of the X10 Mini E10i and the rear case easily pops off to access the phone's innards.

  • The actual electronic volume and camera buttons are attached directly to the logic board. The buttons you press on the outer case are just chrome covers.

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Step 5  ¶ 

  • A thumbnail is all that is needed to remove the microSD card from its housing in the inner case.

  • The simple design of the Mini E10 allows most components to plug directly into the logic board. The only exception is the external microSD card slot.

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Step 6  ¶ 

  • A single T5 Torx screw and a few plastic clips are all that secure the antenna assembly to the inner case.

  • The antenna assembly uses simple yet effective pressure contacts to make a connection with the logic board. No connectors necessary!

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Step 7  ¶ 

  • A couple more T5 Torx screws secure the rear inner case and logic board to the rest of the X10 Mini E10i.

  • Disconnect the battery connector from the logic board with the flat end of a spudger.

  • Pry up the SIM card socket connector and remove the rear inner case from the the logic board.

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Step 8  ¶ 

  • The 3.7V 950 mAh Li-Polymer battery allows for 4 hours of talk time.

  • Measuring 40 x 35 x 5.5 mm and weighing in at a scant 18 grams, the X10 Mini E10i's battery provides up to 360 hours of 3G standby time.

    • The batteries of both the iPhone 3GS and the X10 Mini E10i have capacities of about 53 mAh per gram.

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Step 9  ¶ 

  • The 5 MP camera, battery connector, vibrator motor, and speaker are densely packed on the logic board near the top of the phone.

  • After disconnecting the touchscreen connector, the logic board can be carefully pried out of its enclosure.

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Step 10  ¶ 

  • Rotate the logic board upward out of its cradle and use an iPod opening tool to disconnect the display data ribbon cable.

  • The shields covering the majority of the chips housed on the logic board protect their sensitive circuitry from electromagnetic interference.

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Step 11  ¶ 

  • Big players on the board include:

    • A Qualcomm MSM7227 with 600 MHz application processing, 400 MHz modem processing, hardware accelerated 3D graphics, integrated Bluetooth 2.1 & GPS capabilities, and image/video encoding & decoding.

    • STMicroelectronics NANDCBR4N9

    • Skyworks SKY77336 GSM power amplifier module

    • Qualcomm PM7540 power management IC

    • Qualcomm RTR6285 UMTS RF transceiver with receive diversity and GPS

    • TriQuint TQM679002A WLAN Power Amplifier

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Step 12  ¶ 

  • Sensors near the top of the board face outward from the front of the phone near the earphone opening.

  • A proximity sensor turns off the touch screen when the phone is against your face.

  • A light sensor automatically adjusts the LCD brightness for optimal viewing in any lighting condition.

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Step 13  ¶ 

  • Further prying around the perimeter of the front panel assembly allows the LCD assembly to be separated from the front panel.

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Step 14  ¶ 

  • The digitizer is manufactured by Synaptics, with the main touch screen controller labeled as T1021A 1 0942 AC0P876.

  • Interestingly enough, this is similar to the digitizer found in Microsoft's Kin Two.

  • A Samsung LMS255GF02 takes care of the Mini E10i's display needs.

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Step 15  ¶ 

  • And just like that, the dark deed has been done.

  • Thanks, Sony, for keeping it simple.

  • For more information on this little guy, check out EDN's Xperia X10 Mini Preview.

  • Keep an eye on our Teardown page for the arrival of the highly anticipated iPhone 4.