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Samsung Galaxy Tab Teardown (Sprint)

TechRepublic's Bill Detwiler cracks open Sprint's version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7-inch Android tablet.

By Bill Detwiler, Contributor on Nov. 15, 2010

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The Sprint version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab went on sale in the US on November 14. It's priced at $399 (US) with a 2-year contract and one of two data plans--$29 a month (2GB cap) or $59 a month (5GB cap).

Follow along as I crack open the Galaxy Tab for a look at the hardware inside.

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The Galaxy Tab has a Samsung ARM Cortex 8 1.0 GHz CPU, 512 MB RAM, and a 7-inch (diagonally) TFT active matrix screen that supports a resolution of 1024 x 600 and 169 pixels per inch. The devices ships with Google Android 2.2.

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Included with Sprint's version of the Galaxy Tab is the power adapter, USB data/charging cable, and a 16 GB microSD card.

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The Galaxy Tab measures 4.74 inches wide, 7.48 inches high, and 0.5 inches deep. It weighs 13.58 ounces.

On the front of the device are the front-facing 1.3 MP camera, ambient light sensor, and four control buttons.

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On the back of the Galaxy Tab are the rear-facing 3.2 MP camera and flash.

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Along the Galaxy Tab's bottom edge are the external speakers and charger/accessory jack.

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Along the Galaxy Tab's left edge is the external microphone.

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Along the Galaxy Tab's right edge are the microSD card slot, volume up/down button, and power button.

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Along the Galaxy Tab's top edge is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

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Two tri-wing screws are hidden behind small plastic circles, which are held on with adhesive tape. You'll need to remove both screws before separating the Tab's plastic shell from the display assembly.

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Once you've removed the case screws, you can pop the plastic case loose from the rest of the Tab. Unlike the iPad, the Galaxy Tab doesn't have any metal clips that break when you open the case. I used a very thin metal blade to pop the case loose and was able to do the job without marring either the display's frame or the case. If you're worried that you may not be able to do the same, could also use a plastic case opening tool.

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There's not much to see inside the Galaxy Tab's plastic case. All the internal hardware is mounted to the display assembly and frame.

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Flipping the display assembly over, we get our first look at the hardware the makes the Galaxy Tab run. As on the iPad, the Tab's battery takes up much of the device's internal space.

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The battery is held in place with a single Phillips screw.

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The Galaxy Tab uses a 3.7V Li-Ion, 4000 mAh battery.

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Next, we'll turn our attention to the 3.2 MP rear-facing camera. To remove it, I popped loose its connector and gently lifted it away from the display assembly and frame.

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Before lifting the main PCB away from the display assembly and frame, we'll need to disconnect five separate connectors.

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We'll disconnect the headphone/microphone jack first.

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Next, we'll remove the volume control connector (left) and touchscreen connector (right).

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Now detach the connector for the LED for the front control buttons.

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Lastly, detach the connector for the display screen.

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After you've detached all the connectors, you'll need to remove seven Phillips screws that hold the Galaxy Tab's main PCB to the display assembly and frame.

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Once the screws are removed, you can gently lift the main PCB away from the display assembly and frame.

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The headphone/microphone jack assembly is held in place with a single Phillips screws and two pieces of tape. The translucent blue/green tape was extremely sticky, and I feared removing it would damage the thin ribbon cable underneath. As I want this Galaxy Tab to go back together in perfect working order, I'm going to leave the jack in place.

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On the left side of the main PCB is the front-facing camera assembly. A large EMi shield covers most of the chips in the center. And along the right side, we find the two internal speakers, the power/accessory jack, and what appears to be the system battery.

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Except for the front-facing camera, there's not as much to see on the back of the Galaxy Tab's main PCB.

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The Galaxy Tab has a 1.3 MP front-facing camera. Was with the headphone/microphone assembly, I'm going to leave this camera alone. The camera's thin ribbon cable was stuck to the main PCB with adhesive. I was afraid prying the cable loose would damage it.

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Unlike any other mobile device I've dissected, the Galaxy Tab's EMI shield is attached to the main PCB with five Phillips screws.

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With its screws removed, the Galaxy Tab's EMI shield falls off the main PCB.

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There's quite a few chips located under the EMI shield. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

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AVAGO ACFM-7107 PCS/Cellular Band Quadplexer

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2712 OXNGLB

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The Sprint version of the Galaxy Tab has a Qualcomm QSC6085 chip, which provides support for EV-DO Rev. A, EV-DO Rel. 0, and CDMA2000.

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Samsung KFM1G16Q2D OneNAND flash memory

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Wolfson Microelectronics WM8994E (Audio Codec)

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Samsung ARM Cortex 8 1.0 GHz CPU (KB100D0YM A453)

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SD4G 9234BT P3A1422 10K2033

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Samsung CMC6230R N2N321 S1032

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Atmel MXT224 touchscreen controller (right) and Atmel MXT224 touchscreen controller and MAX8998 EWQ 1037 9FAB (left)

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Texas Instruments 06D5X2T LVDS838

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SanDisk SDIN5D2-2G NAND Flash

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1R0 Resistor

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Collection of chips on the back of the main PCB

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AGD1 2039 RCF AF

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Broadcom BCM4329 (Bluetooth/FM/WLAN)

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The Samsung Galaxy Tab was rather easy to disassemble. The most difficult step in the process was removing the case. With the right tools and a little patience, those comfortable working on computer and small devices should definitely be able to service the Galaxy Tab.

Photo by: Bill Detwiler / TechRepublic

Caption by: Bill Detwiler

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