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Video Overview

Step 1 Samsung Galaxy S5 Teardown

It's good to have a galaxy to play with, 'cause we're gonna need a lotta space for all this hardware:

• 5.1” Super AMOLED display (1920 x 1080, 432 ppi)

• 16 MP rear-facing camera with 4K video at 30 fps; 2 MP front-facing camera with 1080p video and wide-angle lens

• Sensors for fingerprint, heart rate, gestures

• 2.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB LPDDR3 RAM

• 16/32 GB internal memory, plus microSD up to 128 GB

• LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 BLE, Micro-USB 3.0, 802.11/ac MIMO Wi-Fi

Step 2

• Our initial sensor sweep reveals no life signs—just lots of life-sensing equipment.

• From fingerprint scans to interpretive gestures, this phone shows signs of high-level interaction with an advanced civilization. Also,dimples.

• Visible beneath the 16 megapixel rear camera: a heart rate monitor. Useful when you need to monitor your heart rate from your smartphone. So basically all the time.

Step 3

• Port ho! This silver bay is a Micro-B USB 3.0.

• And it's open. Down to the battery at least. Tears of joy fall silently around the teardown table.

• Peeling the back off this phone is easier than peeling a banana; the only tool required is an opposable thumb.

• Despite negative reviews of the case design, the ease of removal is a big plus for us.

• What's that, no battery?

• Samsung seems to be promoting the DIY lifestyle. Not only is this battery replaceable, it needs to be user installed. That deserves an internet high-five.

Step 4

• No need to hitchhike to the edge of this galaxy to find the back case; it's free and clear.

• We're guessing that this strange shape in the case is not a remnant of space creatures, but a rubber gasket. Samsung chose the minimalist's approach to water and dust resistance ove rmore problematic methods.

• So don't go taking your new phone to the dunk-tank. If you do—or better yet, before you do—get yourself a Thirsty Bag.

Step 5

• We briefly glance at the warnings as we pull the battery out of its fancy packaging.

• Questionable batteries will apparently explode when installed.

• This is a 3.85 V, 10.78 Wh battery. Samsung touted a better battery-saving mode, but failed to specify the life of this guy in its advertising—listing the battery spec as 2800 mAh.

• This is a slight upgrade from the S4's 3.8 V and 2600 mAh (9.88 Wh) battery. Advertised at 7 hours of talk time, and up to 12.5 days of standby.

• We install the new battery. Then, we take it back out. This teardown has places to be and they're under that battery pack.

• For those keeping track at home, that took a grand total of 10 seconds. Beat that, HTC.

Step 6

• Samsung has stacked the deck in our favor—the deck of microSD + SIM cards, that is.

• "Galaxy S5" may be catchier, but for those who prefer a more formal designation, SM-G900A is the model number you seek.

• What's behind door number R1?

• So far as we can tell now, just random connectors, and certainly not the screws we were hoping for. Stay tuned, because we've got a feeling this will be important...

Step 7

• Suddenly, things are looking grim. The S5's forefather, the S4, took to the teardown table like a protocol droid to an oil bath.

• This time though, it seems the entire display assembly stands in the way of any further tinkering.

Step 8

• Time for the final pry op—

• ...aw, nuts. CABLE.

• Cable booby traps are like finding a pit of snakes between you and the treasure you are after. To make matters worse, Harrison Ford is nowhere to be found.

• After spudging past the cable, we begin to free the display assembly. Unfortunately, Samsung seems to think that the only way to get into this phone should be glass-first.

Step 9

• With the display thusly removed, we just have to convince it to part with its home button. We let our plastic opening tool do the talking.

• Say goodbye to the sticky adhesive tape holding the screen down. Reinstalling your display will most likely require a fresh set of adhesive.

• This little display assembly cable has a lot of bits to ferry. It's helped out by a Synaptics S5100A touchscreen controller.

• This is a fairly radical change in design for the S-series. We're used to seeing internal components riding on the back of a large display assembly. The S5 turns this on its head and sandwiches the components between the display and the battery, in their own difficult-to-access compartment.

Step 10

• Oh Samsung, we were hoping we might be going about this all wrong. But alas, here are the screws we needed—on the other side of the phone. Sigh.

• We've reached a point of debate on Galaxy nomenclature. The consensus says we're removing the midframe from the um, midframe.

• Confused? Yeah. We were, too.

• Here's the deal: after peeling off the rear case, you encounter a midframe. And between that (first) midframe and the display assembly, there's this second midframe. So there you have it: double the midframe.

Step 11

• So, to recap:

• On the left we've got the interior midframe, with the motherboard and daughterboard

• On the right we've got the exterior midframe, with a plethora of spring-contacted components

• We're already on a first-name basis with the other bits in here: headphone jack, speaker, buttons, etc.

• Identity crisis averted. Repairability crisis, TBD...

• Also now visible, just beneath the massive rear-facing camera, Samsung's all-new heart rate monitor, powered by the Samsung SM-G900S biosensor.

Step 12

• Remember door number one's mystery connector? Surprise—it was the home button cable!

• This discovery is a bonus to the S5's repairability (and a classic lesson in the need for repair manuals)—disconnecting the home button cable from the start would have made the display removal much easier, and will certainly aid in reassembly.

• Present and accounted for is the expected fingerprint scanner tech. The control chip is labeled 1200P E43F2.

• Some say getting this print sensor to actually work requires a bit of persistence.

Step 13

• Near the center of the Galaxy we find a black hole the motherboard. With the hard work done, we pop it out and start scouring for evidence of intelligence.

• Our first sign comes via the camera.

• Anxious for a staring contest, we use our trusty plastic opening tool to pry it out for a better look.

Step 14

• On the left, we have Samsung's 16MP 1/2.6” rear-facing camera.

• Touting new, faster auto-focus, this camera should enable users to finally catch a real UFO with photographic evidence.

• Safe and sound in the main cam's backpack is a control chip: QDA41 L1010 R412.

• Standing next to the main camera is the Hobbit selfie stunt-double, a 2.0 MP front-facing camera.

• This little wide-eyed wide-angle lens shoots with a resolution of 1920 x 1080.

Step 15

Some galaxies have stars. Others have chips:

• Elpida FA164A2PM - The same 2 GB RAM package we found in the HTC One (M8), and different from the 2 GB Samsung chip found in Chipworks' analysis. Quad-core 2.5 GHz CPU likely layered beneath

• Samsung KLMAG2GEAC-B0 16 GB on-board memory

• Avago ACPM-7617 multi-mode, multi-band RF front end

• Murata KM4220004 (likely Wi-Fi module)

• 1412 (C1N75R UMR3) (C1N78B YMP4)

• Maxim Integrated MAX77804K (System PSoC) and MAX77826

• STMicroelectronics 32A M410

Step 16

• SWEP GRG28 antenna switch module (thanks Chipworks)

• Qualcomm WTR1625L RF transceiver (another encore from the HTC One M8) and...

• Qualcomm WFR1620 receive-only companion chip

• Qualcomm PMC8974 power management IC

• Lattice iCE40 LP1K low-power FPGA

• Invensense MP65M (MPU-6500M) gyroscope/accelerometer

• Qualcomm WCD9320 audio codec

• SIMG 8240B0 mobile HD-link transmitter and NXP 47803 NFC controller

Step 17

• With the motherboard out of the way, we find ourselves short of parts. All we have left is a lonely little daughter board.

• Home to the charging port, a closer examination of this daughter board reveals cables for the bottom buttons, as well as a smattering of ICs:

• Cypress CY8C20075-24LKXI CapSense capacitive touch-sensing controller

• RFMD RF1119 antenna controller

• S1221 primary microphone

Step 18

Samsung Galaxy S5 Repairability Score: 5 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair).

• The battery is incredibly easy to remove and replace.

• The display is now one of the first components out, making replacements a little faster. However, it is held in with a significant amount of adhesive and requires very careful and persistent prying and a considerable amount of heat to remove without cracking the glass or cutting cables.

• Once you get the device open, several components are modular and fairly easy to replace, such as the cameras, headphone jack, vibrator motor, and speakers.

• Replacing anything other than the battery requires first removing the display, risking extra damage on the way to a repair.

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