Inside a Google Titan Bluetooth security key

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The Google Titan security key

Here is the key before disassembly.

Published: June 12, 2019 -- 09:30 GMT (02:30 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
It split open easily

The key succumbed to prying very easily.

Published: June 12, 2019 -- 09:30 GMT (02:30 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
The circuit board

Here's the complete circuit board, which is not held inside the shell in any way, so if it breaks open, the guts fall out completely.

Published: June 12, 2019 -- 09:30 GMT (02:30 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Peeling back the battery

The battery is stuck down onto the circuit board using a sticky pad.

Published: June 12, 2019 -- 09:30 GMT (02:30 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Close up of the board

Here is a close up of the chips underneath the battery.

Published: June 12, 2019 -- 09:30 GMT (02:30 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
The battery

The battery is a 35mAh 3.7W lithium polymer pack

Published: June 12, 2019 -- 09:30 GMT (02:30 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Top of the circuit board

On the top of the chip is the main tactile button and a NXP QN9021 Bluetooth LE chip.

Published: June 12, 2019 -- 09:30 GMT (02:30 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Bluetooth antenna

If you look closely you can see the track for the Bluetooth antenna between the chip and the battery.

Published: June 12, 2019 -- 09:30 GMT (02:30 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
Water test

The circuit board survived a quick dunk in water, but the long term durability with regards to water or more aggressive liquids such as sweat or seawater doesn't seem good.

Published: June 12, 2019 -- 09:30 GMT (02:30 PDT)
Caption by: Adrian Kingsley-Hughes