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Video Overview

Step 1 iPhone 6 Plus Teardown

Ladies and gentlemen, the time is nigh. Today, we stand among a select few in the shadow of a colossus, the iPhone 6 Plus. But what makes this enormous phone special? We're glad you asked:

• Apple A8 processor with 64-bit architecture

• M8 second-generation motion coprocessor

• 16, 64, or 128 GB onboard storage capacity

• 5.5-inch 1920x1080 pixels (401 ppi) Retina HD display

• 8 MP iSight camera (with 1.5µ pixels, phase-detection autofocus, and optical image stabilization) and a 1.2 MP FaceTime camera

• Touch ID home button fingerprint sensor, barometer, 3-axis gyro, accelerometer, ambient light sensor

• 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi‑Fi + Bluetooth 4.0 + NFC + 20-band LTE

Step 2

• Coming soon to a supermarket near you, the iPhone 6 Plus Pop-Tarts Bluetooth/NFC speaker.

• The iPhone 6 Plus measures in at 158.1 mm long, 77.8 mm wide, and 7.1 mm thick. Quite literally bigger than a Pop-Tart.

• At 7.1 mm, it's the thicker of the new crop of iPhones—but thickness is the one dimension in which it undercuts last year's iPhone 5s, which measured 7.6 mm.

Step 3

• Just like the iPhone 5s, the iPhone 6 Plus is available in three different colors: Silver, Gold, and Space Gray. Of course we went for the Gold.

• The iPhone 6 Plus is identified by its model number: A1524.

• Much to the distress of some reviewers, both iPhone 6 models feature a noticable camera "bump". It seems that Apple was unable to shave enough thickness off of the camera sensor to keep it flush with the rest of the chassis. The lens cover may be made out of sapphire glass, but we're still concerned about what this design choice might mean for durability.

• Much like the HTC One M8, the iPhone 6 Plus features two plastic antenna stripes on the outer case. These stripes help with wireless reception that would otherwise be blocked by an all-metal outer case.

Step 4

It seems Apple is reluctant to switch from Pentalobe screws to good ol' regular Phillips screws. Luckily, we brought our Pro Tech Screwdriver Set to remove those pesky Pentalobe screws.

• While proprietary screws are not our favorite, we are happy that we don't have to go straight to heat.

Step 5

• It's iSclack time! This handy tool allows us to easily shuck the display assembly from the rear enclosure.

• We proceed cautiously, remembering the surprise from last time.

• With no noticeable booby traps, we proceed to open our little gold treasure chest.

• Apple's rerouting of the Touch ID sensor cable recalls the cleaner design (and safer opening procedure) of the iPhone 5—the iPhone with the highest repairability score to date.

• Much like iPhones of the past, the display assembly cables are held securely to the logic board by a metal bracket.

Step 6

With the display assembly removed, we get our first look at the innards of the iPhone 6 Plus.

• The internal layout of the iPhone 6 Plus appears to be similar to the 5s, but we immediately notice the sheer size of the battery. Based on its volume alone, we suspect the iPhone 6 Plus will be no slouch when it comes to battery life.

Step 7

• The home button assembly is secured by a metal bracket. Removing the bracket allows us to simply pop the home button off the front panel assembly.

• This design is on-par with last year's home button—modular, if a bit time-consuming to get to in the event of a repair.

Step 8

The front-facing camera is part of a larger cable assembly, which includes the earpiece speaker, microphone, and ambient light sensor. Both reside on the front panel assembly.

Step 9

• Next we decide to remove the metal plate from the front panel assembly.

• In a big win for repairability, Apple has completely redesigned how the home button connects to the main board. Gone is the awkwardly short and fragile cable of the iPhone 5s days. Instead, Apple has made the effort to run the home button cable all the way to the opposite end of the phone. We're quite happy to see this improvement!

• We can't think of a reason to extend the cable this way except to improve repairability. Thank you, Apple.

Step 10

• The next logical step is to remove the battery from the iPhone 6 Plus.

• The battery connector is covered by a metal bracket, which we dispose of using our metal tweezers.

• Near the bottom of the battery, we locate some sticky pull tabs.

• Here's what we know about sticky iPhone battery pull tabs: pull it right, and it is super easy; pull it wrong, and it is the end of the world.

• This adhesive is similar to a 3M Command adhesive, and when you pull the tab correctly it shears the entire strip off.

Step 11

• After saying the magic words, the 43-gram, 4.7" x 1.9" x 0.13" battery mystically lifts off the rear case enclosure.

• In line with rumors, the battery is rated at 3.82 V and 11.1 Wh of energy, for a total of 2915 mAh—nearly double the capacity of the 1560 mAh unit in the iPhone 5s, and slightly larger than the 2800 mAh burner in the Galaxy S5.

• Between the larger battery and improvements in power efficiency, Apple touts a talk time of up to 24 hours on 3G, and 384 hours of standby time.

• The battery found in the Plus is larger than the standard iPhone 6's 6.91 Wh, 1810 mAh battery—which explains the longer life, despite the much larger screen.

Step 12

• This is new! We have something new! The vibrator assembly is located to the right of the battery, below the logic board.

• Do you remember Jimmy? Of course you do. Everyone remembers Jimmy. With the help of Jimmy, we pry open the vibrator assembly.

• Thanks Jimmy! Inside we find a delicate array of copper coils. They create alternating magnetic fields that shake a permanent magnet mass, which rides on a couple of springs.

Step 13

• The rear-facing camera is easily dispatched with a pair of tweezers.

• The back of the iSight camera is labeled DNL432 70566F MKLAB.

• Just like the iPhone 5s, the 6 Plus features an 8 MP (with 1.5µ pixels) ƒ/2.2 aperture rear-facing camera. The 6 Plus brings two new additions to the table: optical image stabilization, and "Focus Pixel" phase-detection autofocus.

• Phase-detection autofocus has been around for awhile in DSLRs, but is relatively new to smartphones. However, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus aren't the first to feature it — the Samsung Galaxy S5 had it first.

Step 14

• Apple loves to focus on their cameras, touting the iPhone as the world's most popular camera in their Keynote. So what's behind the lens? Let's take a peek...

• Using a plastic opening tool and some steady fingers, we remove the camera housing.

• While it may not look like much here, the updates found in the iPhone 6 Plus's camera (along with the increased storage) have piqued the interest of amateur and indie filmmakers. We just hope this camera is ready for its closeup...

Step 15

• A deeper look at the inside of the rear-facing camera reveals just what we expect: a small lens.

• Beneath the lens we see the camera's sensor.

• The key feature differentiating this camera from that of the standard iPhone 6 is optical image stabilization—a technology we've seen before. The lens element on the left is nested into a tiny metal cage, nudged to and fro by the electromagnetic coils surrounding the sensor on the right.

• Constant readings from the gyroscope and the M8 motion coprocessor give the iPhone 6 Plus detailed data on the movements of your shaky human hands, allowing it to compensate by rapidly moving the lens assembly. Result: sharper, clearer photos, even in low-light environments.

Step 16

• It's about time we remove the logic board, secured tightly to the rear case enclosure by a few screws.

• But before we finish, we're reminded to spudger away an antenna connector from the back of the logic board.

Step 17

Let's identify some ICs on the front side of the logic board:

• Apple A8 APL1011 SoC + Elpida 1 GB LPDDR3 RAM (as denoted by the markings EDF8164A3PM-GD-F)

• Qualcomm MDM9625M LTE Modem

• Skyworks 77802-23 Low Band LTE PAD

• Avago ACPM-8020 High Band PAD

• Avago ACPM-8010 Ultra High Band PA + FBARs

• TriQuint TQF6410 3G EDGE Power Amplifier Module

• InvenSense MP67B 6-axis Gyroscope and Accelerometer Combo

Step 18

More ICs on the front of the logic board:

• Qualcomm QFE1100 Envelope Tracking IC

• RF Micro Devices RF5159 Antenna Switch Module

• Skyworks SKY77356-8 Mid Band PAD

• Bosch Sensortec BMA280 3-Axis Accelerometer

Step 19

Back of the logic board.

• SK Hynix H2JTDG8UD1BMS 128 Gb (16 GB) NAND Flash

• Murata 339S0228 Wi-Fi Module

• Apple/Dialog 338S1251-AZ Power Management IC

• Broadcom BCM5976 Touchscreen Controller

• NXP LPC18B1UK ARM Cortex-M3 Microcontroller (also known as the M8 motion coprocessor)

• NXP 65V10 NFC module + Secure Element (likely contains an NXP PN544 NFC controller inside)

• Qualcomm WTR1625L RF Transceiver

Step 20

More ICs on the back of the logic board:

Qualcomm WFR1620 receive-only companion chip. Qualcomm states that the WFR1620 is "required for implementation of carrier aggregation with WTR1625L."

Qualcomm PM8019 Power Management IC

Texas Instruments 343S0694 Touch Transmitter

AMS AS3923 NFC Booster IC

Cirrus Logic 338S1201 Audio Codec

Bosch Sensortec BMP280

A big and hearty mega-thanks to our pals at Chipworks for helping us ID all of this tech. We definitely couldn't have done it without them!

Step 21

• The iPhone 6 Plus's solitary speaker comes out next.

• The modularity of the speaker design is appreciated, even if its markings are inscrutable. The manufacturing origins of this speaker remain shrouded in secrecy, for now.

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