iPhone 5 Teardown

Teardown

Teardown

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

Behold, the sixth generation of iPhone! We shall call it…iPhone 5! Buckle down for the iPhone 5 teardown: the biggest thing to happen to teardowns since teardowns.

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Tools (continued)
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Add Note Edit Step 1 — iPhone 5 Teardown  ¶ 

  • The dawn of another day in the Land Down Under brings us what we've all been waiting for: the new iPhone 5!

  • A big thanks to MacFixit Australia for letting us use their digs in Melbourne for this teardown. They stock Mac and iPhone upgrades/accessories, and also carry our iFixit toolkits.

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Add Note Edit Step 2  ¶ 

  • The iPhone 5 is here, and it brought along the big guns.

    • 4" 1136x640 pixel (326 ppi) Retina display

    • Apple A6 system on a chip (SoC)

    • 8 megapixel iSight camera

    • 8-pin Lightning connector

    • 4G LTE connectivity

    • iOS 6

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Add Note Edit Step 3  ¶ 

  • There won't be any mistaking an iPhone 5 for an iPhone 4 or 4S. A lot has changed on the outside of the iPhone.

  • The most obvious alteration to the bottom of the phone is the exchange of the large 30-pin dock connector for the diminutive Lightning connector.

  • The headphone jack is now on the bottom of the iPhone, right next to the updated speaker microphone grille—a series of holes rather than a mesh-covered slot.

  • Other notable differences are the slate bezel, as opposed to the stainless steel that wrapped around the 4S, and the chamfered edges between the bezel and the front/rear cases.

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Add Note Edit Step 4  ¶ 

  • Pesky pentalobes! Good thing our 5-Point Drivers still work on them.

    • It's incredibly convenient that Apple used the same pentalobe screwhead that they've been using for the past two years on the iPhone 4 and 4S. Unfortunately, the screw shafts are slightly different from the screws in our iPhone Liberation Kit…for now.

  • The unibody back case is reminiscent of the iPhone 3GS, while still retaining the square (though now chamfered) edges of the iPhone 4.

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Add Note Edit Step 5  ¶ 

  • What's this? A suction cup? We haven't needed a suction cup to get into an iPhone since the 3GS!

  • Because the iPhone 5 is opened front-to-back, replacing a cracked screen is going to be easier than ever. Thank you, Apple!

    • Compare this to the iPhone 4S, where it took 38 steps to isolate the display assembly, and this iPhone may be the most repairable iPhone we've seen in a while.

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Add Note Edit Step 6  ¶ 

  • The display connector is held firmly to the logic board by a few simple Phillips screws.

  • Our spudger makes quick work of prying up the display connector, and poof! the display is free.

  • We're having iPhone 3GS flashbacks with the easily accessible display assembly.

  • Screen crackers and screen fixers rejoice!

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Add Note Edit Step 7  ¶ 

  • The iPhone 5 ditches its lid to show us all of the juicy bits inside.

  • So, what can we see from here? A bigger battery? Antenna connections? A single speaker? Cameras? Vibrators? Home buttons?

    • Never fear, our faithful iPhone delivers; we'll be sure to take a closer look at each of these components as we remove them.

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Add Note Edit Step 8  ¶ 

  • As always, we disconnect the battery first to prevent electrifying anything, including ourselves, as we dig deeper.

  • Three Phillips #00 screws and a metal bracket hold the battery connector to the logic board.

  • In the 3GS, the display assembly was easy to take out, but the battery was a pain. In the 4 and 4S, the display assembly took 38 steps to remove, while the battery was a breeze. We like to think that Apple has started tailoring to our preferences in allowing us to remove both the display assembly and the battery in only a couple of steps.

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Required Tools

Spudger

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Phillips #00 Screwdriver

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Small Suction Cup

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iPhone 5-Point Pentalobe Screwdriver

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