Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
65,318
33,595



iFixit has completed an iPhone X teardown, providing a closer look inside the device, including its new TrueDepth camera system, stacked logic board, L-shaped two-cell battery pack, and Qi-based inductive charging coil.

iphone-x-teardown.jpg

Like every other model since the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone X is a sideways-opening device. A single bracket covers every logic board connector.

iFixit said the miniaturized logic board design is incredibly space efficient, with an unprecedented density of connectors and components. It noted the iPhone X logic board is about 70 percent of the size of the iPhone 8 Plus logic board.

The extra room allows for a new L-shaped two-cell battery pack rated for 2,716 mAh, which is slightly larger than the iPhone 8 Plus battery.

iphone-x-battery-ifixit.jpg

iFixit's teardown includes some high-resolution photos of the iPhone X's new TrueDepth camera system that powers Face ID and Animoji.

For those unfamiliar, a flood illuminator covers your face with infrared light. Next, the front-facing camera confirms a face. Then the IR dot projector projects a grid of dots over your face to create a three-dimensional map. Last, the infrared camera reads this map and sends the data to the iPhone X for authentication.

iphone-x-truedepth-teardown.jpg

Like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the inside of the iPhone X's rear shell is affixed with an inductive charging coil based on the Qi standard.

Other components in this iPhone X include Apple's custom A11 Bionic chip, 3GB of LPDDR4x RAM from SK Hynix, 64GB of flash storage supplied by Toshiba, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, and a Cirrus Logic audio amplifier.

a11-bionic-iphone-x-teardown.jpg

Some minor changes: Apple's Taptic Engine continues to be a linear oscillator vibration motor, the earpiece speaker has been shifted down, and the Lighting connector is said to be more greatly reinforced with a wider bracket that screws into the sidewall of the iPhone X's stainless steel frame.

iFixit gave the iPhone X a so-called repairability score of six out of a possible 10 points. It said a cracked display can be replaced without removing Face ID's biometric hardware, but it added that fussy cables tie unrelated components together into complex assemblies that are expensive and troublesome to replace.

Article Link: iPhone X Teardown: TrueDepth Camera System, Stacked Logic Board With 3GB RAM, and 2,716 mAh Battery
 

MrGimper

macrumors G3
Sep 22, 2012
8,845
12,673
Andover, UK
It noted the iPhone X logic board is about 70 percent of the size of the iPhone 8 Plus logic board.

Assuming the Plus logic board is the same size as the non-Plus logic board (why would it not be), then saying the iPhone X logic board is 70 percent the size of the iPhone 8 logic board would sound more dramatic. Saying a smaller phone has a smaller logic board than a bigger phone doesn't really sound like a big deal....
 
  • Like
Reactions: ck2875

MacManiac1

macrumors regular
Sep 7, 2017
120
167
Pittsburgh



iFixit has completed an iPhone X teardown, providing a closer look inside the device, including its new TrueDepth camera system, stacked logic board, L-shaped two-cell battery pack, and Qi-based inductive charging coil.

iphone-x-teardown.jpg

Like every other model since the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone X is a sideways-opening device. A single bracket covers every logic board connector.

iFixit said the miniaturized logic board design is incredibly space efficient, with an unprecedented density of connectors and components. It noted the iPhone X logic board is about 70 percent of the size of the iPhone 8 Plus logic board.

The extra room allows for a new L-shaped two-cell battery pack rated for 2,716 mAh, which is slightly larger than the iPhone 8 Plus battery.

iphone-x-battery-ifixit.jpg

iFixit's teardown includes some high-resolution photos of the iPhone X's new TrueDepth camera system that powers Face ID and Animoji.

To recap, the flood illuminator covers your face with infrared light. Next, the front-facing camera, marked in red, confirms a face. Then the IR dot projector, far right, projects a grid of dots over your face to create a three-dimensional map. Last, the infrared camera on the left reads this map and sends the data to the iPhone X.

iphone-x-truedepth-teardown.jpg

Like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, the inside of the iPhone X's rear shell is affixed with an inductive charging coil based on the Qi standard.

Other components in this iPhone X include Apple's custom A11 Bionic chip, 3GB of LPDDR4x RAM from SK Hynix, 64GB of flash storage supplied by Toshiba, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, and a Cirrus Logic audio amplifier.

a11-bionic-iphone-x-teardown.jpg

Some minor changes: Apple's Taptic Engine continues to be a linear oscillator vibration motor, the earpiece speaker has been shifted down, and the Lighting connector is said to be more greatly reinforced with a wider bracket that screws into the sidewall of the iPhone X's stainless steel frame.

iFixit gave the iPhone X a so-called repairability score of six out of a possible 10 points. It said a cracked display can be replaced without removing Face ID's biometric hardware, but it added that fussy cables tie unrelated components together into complex assemblies that are expensive and troublesome to replace.

Article Link: iPhone X Teardown: TrueDepth Camera System, Stacked Logic Board With 3GB RAM, and 2,716 mAh Battery
Amazing work. I’m impressed how they get one on the other side of the world, totally tear it down and document the process, before most people in the USA are out of bed! Great job!
 

elhungarian

macrumors 6502
Aug 13, 2009
302
50
Why do the faceID parts have to be so far apart? At first glance it looks like they could become more compact in the future. I’m sure there are specific reasons, but found it interesting.
 

Roller

macrumors 68030
Jun 25, 2003
2,955
2,170
I just looked at the iFixit article, which provides more pics of the internals. Pretty cool how Apple crammed components in.

I replaced the battery in an iPhone a few years ago, and even then, dealing with the ribbon cables and connectors was horrible. This seems even harder. I wouldn't want to try to repair one of these.
 
  • Like
Reactions: witnessthefunk

Mike MA

macrumors 68020
Sep 21, 2012
2,090
1,813
Germany
You have to admit they truly know how get their hands on the new products from day one. Regularly.
 

69Mustang

macrumors 604
Jan 7, 2014
7,895
15,045
In between a rock and a hard place
Assuming the Plus logic board is the same size as the non-Plus logic board (why would it not be), then saying the iPhone X logic board is 70 percent the size of the iPhone 8 logic board would sound more dramatic. Saying a smaller phone has a smaller logic board than a bigger phone doesn't really sound like a big deal....
It doesn't sound like a big deal because MR left out a key piece of information regarding the logic board. The logic board in the iPhone X is actually 35% larger than the board in the 8+. Larger. The way Apple engineered the X's logic board, essentially folding it in half with components on both sides, allow it to take up 70% of the space of the 8+'s board.

As with a lot of things, it's not what you say but how you say it.
The logic board on the iPhone X is 35% larger than the logic board on the iPhone 8+. Even though the board is larger, Apple managed to fit it into a space that only uses 70% of the space used by the 8+'s logic board. Even if the 8 and 8+ use the same logic board, the 8+ connotes larger board, thus more impressive.
 

Menel

Suspended
Aug 4, 2011
6,351
1,356
Why do the faceID parts have to be so far apart? At first glance it looks like they could become more compact in the future. I’m sure there are specific reasons, but found it interesting.
ear piece/speaker?
 

Madhava

macrumors member
Mar 23, 2017
90
98
Just read iFixit's complete article.
Thanks to iFixit we actually get to see amazing internals of iPhone.
 

Jack Delgado

macrumors regular
May 11, 2012
138
347
Anyone catch what the 'mystery chip' ended up being (located near the taptic engine, they said)? I re-read the article a couple times but my reading comprehension is apparently failing me.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.