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Samsung Series 5 3G Chromebook Teardown

Teardown

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

While Google hosts a scavenger hunt, iFixit has taken a step further and uncovered our own treasure, the Samsung Series 5 3G ChromeBook.

Has Google changed much since the prototype Cr-48 Chromebooks were sent to developers late last year? Join us as we reveal the inner-most secrets of the Series 5 3G ChromeBook.

For the most up-to-date information, follow iFixit on twitter.

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Edit Step 1 — Samsung Series 5 3G Chromebook Teardown ¶

The Samsung Series 5 Chromebook is the first ChromeOS notebook offered to the public.
It features:
- A 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N570 Processor and integrated Intel NM10 Graphics
- 2GB of non-upgradeable DDR3 RAM
- 12.1" Matte LED-backlit LCD display
- 16GB internal SSD
- 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi and Verizon 3G WWAN connectivity
- SD card reader and two USB 2.0 ports

Edit Step 2 ¶

Along the left edge lies the power connector, fan vent, rubber door for Mini-VGA and USB ports, and a headphone/microphone jack.
The SD reader is on the front left face of the machine for all you shutterbugs and mini-storage freaks.
Finally, along the right side is the door for a USIM card and another USB port.

Edit Step 3 ¶

Before we start tearing this device apart, let's do a little comparing to Google's previous developer-only Chromebook, the Cr-48.
The outer exterior of the Series 5 is much more elegant than its ancestors, and a bit slimmer as well.
The Cr-48 scores bonus points for repairability with its removable battery.
Both feature nearly identical keyboards, and playing around with the machine for a bit revealed that the Series 5's trackpad is an improvement from the Cr-48.
Sadly, Samsung's legalese-speaking technical writing department made their safety instructions much more boring than those included with the Cr-48.
Enough jabber, let's crack this thing open!

Edit Step 4 ¶

After removing a couple Phillips screws and searching for more Phillips screws under the feet, a plastic opening tool makes short work of the retaining clips securing the bottom panel.
With the bottom panel gone, we finally get a good look at the guts of the beast.

Edit Step 5 ¶

We decided to pop open the Cr-48 to see how it compares to the new Series 5.
The similarities include:
- Separate motherboard & I/O board layout with mini-PCIe cards for WWAN, Wi-Fi, and flash memory.
- Intel NM10 graphics cards are used in both machines.
The major differences are:
- The Cr-48 has removable/upgradeable RAM, while the Series 5's RAM is soldered to the motherboard.
- The Cr-48's battery is accessible from the outside of the machine, while the Series 5 must be cracked open to swap out the battery.
- The Series 5's Atom N570 processor sports dual cores with a total of 512K more L2 cache than the Cr-48's single core Atom N455.

Edit Step 6 ¶

The Series 5's massive (albeit thin) battery can be removed after twisting out three Phillips screws and disconnecting it from the motherboard.
The Samsung-manufactured lithium polymer battery is good for 8.1 Amp hours at 7.4 V!
Coupled with the Series 5's low-power Atom processor, the battery is good for 8.5 hours on a charge.

Edit Step 7 ¶

Next, we can use a spudger to disconnect the WWAN antennas.
After removing a single screw, the WWAN board can be removed from the I/O board.

Edit Step 8 ¶

Big players on the Qualcomm Gobi2000 WWAN board include:
- Qualcomm MDM2000
- Samsung K4X56323PI 32 MB Mobile DRAM
- Qualcomm RFR6500 receiver
- Qualcomm RTR6285 UMTS transceiver with GPS