iPhone 4 Verizon Teardown

Step 1 — iPhone 4 Verizon Teardown

 

• The iPhone 4 is finally on Verizon!
• We didn't try making a call, but we hear that this phone does make and maintain "complete calls."
• On the back, Apple's removed the visual warning to not throw your iPhone 4 in the trash.
• Apple's updated the model number (from A1322 to A1349), but there's not much externally to let us know we're dealing with a Verizon iPhone. Is this the first Verizon phone without "Verizon" emblazoned on it?
  
  

  Step 2 

  

   

  
  
  
  
  
  
• There are a few external differences, reflecting the different antenna design of the new CDMA iPhone.
• CDMA, or Code-Division Multiple Access, is actually just a channel access method standard. When most people (including us) say CDMA, they usually mean CDMA2000, which is a family of 3G communication standards that run on top of the CDMA mechanism of utilizing airwaves. Confused? Unless you're an RF engineer, the distinction probably doesn't matter to you.
• In the US, Sprint and Verizon use CDMA. T-Mobile and AT&T use GSM.
• Worldwide, GSM (which stands for Global System for Mobile Communication) is far more popular. But CDMA is still used in 40 countries, primarily in Asia. China Telecom is the next largest CDMA carrier, with over 90 million subscribers.
  
  

  Step 3

  
  • The SIM slot is gone. According to Apple, the SIM card and SIM tray were the only user-serviceable parts in the AT&T iPhone 4. Apple now says "iPhone does not contain any user-serviceable parts." We believe you have the right to repair your own hardware, and we'll have a repair guide available right away.
  • We believe the additional break in the antenna enclosure on the right side of the phone is a result of the switch from GSM to CDMA. An antenna's operating frequency is directly dependent on its size and geometry, so the change-up required an antenna overhaul.
    
    • The AT&T GSM iPhone has three differently shaped antennas, which enable the phone to communicate on UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz) and GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz).
    • The CDMA iPhone, which has four antenna segments (two "U" shaped pieces at the top and bottom, and two straight bars along the edge) only needs to operate on 800 and 1900 MHz for CDMA EV-DO Rev. A.
    • Both phones use 2400 MHz frequencies for Bluetooth and 2.4 GHz for WiFi and the 1.575 GHz frequency for A-GPS.
  • Only time will tell if this new antenna design helps combat the reception problems reportedly plaguing AT&T's GSM iPhone 4. However, there is no reason to expect that it would as the problem reportedly does not occur with the GSM iPhone on other GSM networks around the world.

  Step 4

  
  As expected, the iPhone came with tiny Pentalobe screws.
  We've got a couple options for you to get past these screws. We offer a Liberation Kit to replace these screws with standard Phillips screws, or a high-quality Pentalobe screwdriver (pictured).
  

  Step 5 

   
   
   
  After the screws are out, the back cover slides off easily.
  Unfortunately, no surprises yet...to be honest, we were kinda expecting some magical cloud of pixie dust...
  

  Step 6

   
  
  
  
  • At a quick glance, things don't look too different in here. But the fact remains, they are not identical. If you can't tell, the Verizon iPhone is on the left.
  • Apple has removed the counterweighted vibrator motor in the corner of the phone and switched to a different vibrator design that's now placed near the battery connector.
  • You can also see the re-located antenna notch in the second picture.
    

   

  Step 7

   
  • The back covers are very similar, but not interchangeable.
  • Curious which phone you should take with you on your epic around the world journey?
  • Wikipedia lists just 58 CDMA carriers in about 40 countries, and almost 300 GSM/UTMS carriers.
  • If you only have room for one phone, stick with the GSM version. But, if you are desperate for more reliable coverage in the US, Verizon will provide you with a free loaner 'country compatible' phone for up to three weeks.

  Step 8

  

   

  
  Once you're inside, the battery is very easy to replace. The battery is listed as the same 5.25 Watt-hour capacity, but does have a new model number (616-0520).
  The new battery also weighs less; it shrunk from 26.9 grams to 25.6 grams.
  

  Step 9

  
   
   
  • Disconnecting the Wi-Fi antenna.
  • For enough room to disconnect the Wi-Fi antenna on this phone, the ground finger must first be removed. Apple moved this finger out from beneath the battery connector, making battery replacement that much easier.
  • The Wi-Fi antenna and chip are perhaps the only RF components of the phone that did not receive a revamp. The board utilizes a Broadcom BCM4329 - the same chip found on the GSM iPhone 4. This antenna is nearly identical to the unit found in the GSM iPhone 4.
  • The speaker chamber and Wi-Fi antenna assembly come out easily enough.
  
  
  
  

   

  Step 10