iPhone 4 Teardown
Teardown
Teardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions.
-
x
We stripped down the iPhone 4 to its basic components. Apple definitely spent time giving the phone a thorough makeover, meticulously changing every little facet. We are happy to splay the fruits of their labor for your enjoyment!
We have confirmed that the iPhone's A4 processor has 512 MB RAM, unlike the iPad's more limited 256 MB. This decision may have been made fairly late in Apple's development cycle, because early leaked prototype phones only had 256 MB.
Can't get enough? Follow @ifixit on Twitter.
You can also take a look at the the YouTube video slideshow of the teardown!
For more detailed technical information on the silicon inside the iPhone, be sure to check out Chipworks' in-depth analysis of the iPhone 4's components.
Tools
- iPhone 4 5-Point Pentalobe Screwdriver
The iPhone 4 originally shipped with Phillips #00 screws on its outer case, but a hardware update later changed them to pentalobe screws.
- Phillips 00 Screwdriver
- Plastic Opening Tools
- View:
- Single page
Edit
Step 1
—
iPhone 4 Teardown
¶
-
The world's most wanted device is now in the hands of the world's most foremost tinkerers!
-
The all-new iPhone 4 features upgrades from the 3GS including:
-
A redesigned glass & stainless steel body that shaves 3.5 mm off the width and is 3 mm thinner than the 3GS.
-
Choice of black or white coloring
-
Retina display featuring four times the pixel density of the 3GS
-
iOS 4 for multi-tasking
-
5 MP, 720p capturing rear-facing and VGA front-facing cameras
-
Edit
Step 2
¶
-
The iPhone 4's design is a dramatic departure from the aluminum and plastic drenched days that have plagued the iPhone in the past.
-
The rugged stainless steel bezels around the iPhone 4's perimeter double as both structural supports and antennas to boost reception.
-
Only time will tell if they absorb shock as poorly as the iPhone 3GS.
-
-
Shameless plug:
-
Never been to iFixit before? We are a repair manual for every thing. Our goal is to show everyone how to fix all their own stuff!
-
We also sell useful things, like Mac parts, iPad parts, and tools.
-
Edit
Step 3
¶
-
An iPhone first: Interestingly enough, the storage capacity is not etched on the outer case of the iPhone 4.
-
We'd expect our 32 GB iPhone 4 to fulfill its promise and give us, well, 32 GB. Unfortunately it has an actual capacity of 29.06 GB.
-
Given the fact that 301 MB of "other" data is being stored in memory, this leaves the user with 28.77 GB of free space.
-
-
In terms of OS, the iPhone 4 comes preinstalled with the newly released iOS 4, build 8A293.
-
The iPhone 4 is Model A1332. Interestingly, that's a lower number than the A1337 iPad 3G.
Edit
Step 4
¶
-
Like the iPhone 3G and 3GS, there are two silver Phillips #00 screws at the bottom of the phone. Note: newer iPhone 4 handsets use 5-point "pentalobe" screws instead, requiring the use of a special screwdriver.
-
In a departure from the design of the 3G and 3GS, removing the screws releases the rear case, not the front glass.
-
This design makes switching out the rear panel trivial, but unfortunately means that replacing the iPhone 4 front panel will likely be rather challenging.
Edit
Step 5
¶
-
Removing rear panel gives us a pretty good look at the iPhone 4's innards.
-
Holy battery! The inside of this thing is dominated by its juice-provider.
-
It's pretty apparent that real estate was very limited inside the iPhone 4's 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm footprint.
-
You can also see pressure contact on the inner face of the rear panel for what appears to be an antenna.
Edit
Step 6
¶
-
Luckily, the battery can be easily removed once the back panel assembly is out of the way.
-
The 3.7V 1420 mAh Li-Polymer battery allows for up to 7 hours of talk time on 3G or up to 14 hours on 2G.
-
The battery connector is different than the one in the 3G and 3GS. Fortunately, the battery is not soldered to the logic board. This will make battery replacement on the iPhone 4 fairly easy to accomplish.
-
The plastic pull tab for the battery says "Authorized Service Provider Only."
Edit
Step 7
¶
-
No EMI shield will stand between us and the innards of this iPhone 4!
-
The EMI shield comes off after five screws are removed to reveal lots of important connectors.
-
Upon further inspection, it looks like the EMI shield actually acts as the Wi-Fi antenna. The long screw at the top and center grounds the antenna.
Edit
Step 8
¶
-
The logic board is heavily embedded under wires and EMI shields.
-
While we're not too busy, let's talk RAM. Unlike the iPhone 3GS and iPad, which are both equipped with 256 MB, the iPhone 4 has a whopping 512 MB!
-
The increase in RAM allows for a larger amount of cached data allowing for a smoother and faster user experience.
Page 1 of 4
Comments
Comments are onturn off
EXTREAMLLY bad teardown guide. If It hadn't been for the fact that I have taken one apart before I would have killed the phone. No ref on screw sizes, no explanation on where force should be applied........
We are glad to hear that you are looking to our site for guidance. However, we would like to make sure you know that the Teardown Flag at the top of all teardowns explains, "Teardowns provide a look inside a device and should not be used as disassembly instructions." We strongly urge users not to follow teardowns, as they are intended for information and entertainment. Luckily, we have this extremely comprehensive list of guides (as opposed to teardowns) right here.
good!
tuntunkyaw, · Reply
32 MB as in 32*1000^3 - not 32*1024^3
When Apple says 32GB, it means 32,000,000,000B
1KB is actually 1024B, 1MB is 1,048,576B (1024x1024), and 1GB is 1,073,741,824B
So 32,000,000,000B is actually 29.80GB.
Many manufacturers do the same.
Most people think the iPhone 4 has 512mb of ram but if you jailbreak it you can find that after boot up from a complete power off, before the damens are loaded (those are unix based startup codes that start basic apps like the SpringBoard and the phone app) you have 615gm of installed ram but because of those damens you only have 512gb but there are some useless damens you don't need that you can delete to save ram. Also on my iPhone 4 (4.0.1 15gb) there is a 1gb parton for the iOS making the 15gb to a 14gb, I don't know why the 32gb is any different. Also 512gb of RAM is the right amount to run winowds 95, to bad apple used a unix base for the iPhone and their computers. ;(
That's interesting... Apple's own gallery at http://www.apple.com/iPhone/gallery/ illustrates tiny torx screws. Maybe they still had a few leftover 00 Philips? :)
Erm, not sure why that P in the URL got capitalised. It should be lowercase, else you'll get a 404. I'd edit my note, but I can't see how to... and I missed a second l in Phillips... whoops!
yeah, I also remember torxs' from Apple gallery...weird ;)
grze,
I hope the screen is more durable during a drop (unlike everyone who says the previous iPhones bevels save the screen during a fall) or else the screen will be even more of a pain to fix.
Hey body! You're great as always!
One thing which is nothing to do with what you're doing, but I can't pass by without making a remark: Thanks for the care you've given to your fingernails:) I hate people with dirty fingernails! Keep up the good work.
MimarSinan, · Reply
We take pride in the quality of our hands!
The one that I bought in Japan had some weird 5-pointed screws instead of Phillips ones. That's annoying. They're not quite Torx and not quite Phillips.
As of September the iPhone 4 come installed with 2 5 point security torx screws.
Star-shaped torx + screw driver tool tools for iphone 4
Could it really be? Just a little bit of user-serviceability?
Chris Green, · Reply
Interesting that the back panel and battery are so easily removed. I'd love to see a third party make some back panels for something like conductive charging similar to the palm pre, or make a smaller sized battery to add some space in there to stuff some interesting little hacks. Maybe like a car remote or RFID stuff.
Is this really an antenna on the backside?
stonesapple, · Reply
whats the contact and coating on the right side of the back (above the logic center) for?
Since it is in the shape of the logic board it looks like it may be an EMI shield, but it may also be an antenna (we're not 100% sure on what it is).
If it is shielding, then the conductive spot is connected to ground (battery, or case). If it is an antenna, then it is connected to an inductors pin.
Some Chinese-sourced backplates completely ignore this design detail and no one has complained about diminished functionality. However, if the shield is not on place, the FCC might say something for radiation pollution.
on the first picture of step 6. On the right hand, there is a piece : where it come from ? Where is it's place ?
thanks yous for your answer
jpoincheval, · Reply
It is a pressure contact that touches the rear panel, and its correct position can be seen in the third picture on this step.
The battery is glued into place and needs to be pried away, which will often deform the battery. So long as you do not puncture the casing, it should be ok to flatten it back into shape and reinsert it into the system. If you puncture the casing, you should get a new battery or risk excessive heat and possibly a risk of explosion.
How did you manage to get the battery out so cleanly?
battery is secured with a strong adhesive. simply pulling on the pull tab may result in tearing the tab off. you may need to pry it loose instead.
What is the small piece in your hand in the first picture? I do not see that piece in my phone or in any of the pevious pictures.
Sorry to ruin the magic, but that "EMI shield" is actually the Wi-Fi antenna. The phone antenna is in the speaker enclosure removed in Step 12. The steel frame acts as a ground plane, not actually as a radiating antenna.
If thats the antenna no wonder they have problems!! (It's not)
Obviously creating antennas out of the frame pieces didn't work well for them... how obvious it should be that you should not touch an antenna and expect the radio to work. The "dual-band" enhancement is worthless - cellular got kicked off the 800-900 MHz spectrum.