| By all accounts, the Blackberry Z10 is off to a good start……but what does it take to make a differentiated phone in today’s crowded market? It seems that a new operating system is just the ticket. As smart phone technology has matured we are not seeing brand new hardware appear at the same pace we used to. This tear down catalogs what we see in the Blackberry Z10 (shipped in from the UK) and takes you a little deeper to the silicon itself. But before we start, it is worth mentioning that our first look shows that Blackberry has paid attention to the details and build quality, right down to an elegant battery. |
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Front side of the board Quite few of the “regulars” in our little corner of the world provide the core functionality. Including:
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Back side boardHere we have a nicely integrated board designed to keep the size of the overall phone competitive. All the consumer friendly specification check-boxes are met with some impressive silicon. Some of the devices cataloged:
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| Image Sensor TechnologyThe image processing chip by the front-side camera looks like a Fujitsu Milbeaut MB80645C processor. This is not unheard of in a phone, but it is uncommon (more to follow). Blackberry, by offloading the image processing to a dedicated chip, probably benefits by keeping the main processor focused on apps while the Milbeaut handles the HD. This device is a multi-chip package containing two memory die and one image processing engine (x-ray at right).The primary camera is the OmniVision OV8830. This sensor leverages OmniVision’s latest BSI2 technology, but like the rest of the phone is a tried-and-true solution that we first reported on in the Asus Transformer Prime. |
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| Other ChipsNear field communications are by the SECUREAD NFC solution. This is a curious choice. Our tear downs on other phones and tablets suggest that the market leading chip is the NXP PN544 single die solution. The SECUREAD device (package photo at right), by comparison, is a large, multi-die solution. We’re not sure if there is a cost advantage to the chosen solution, and we aren’t doing any systems testing for performance here. So for now, it is what it is and we’ll add some comparative images soon. The second image is a die shot of the SECUREAD NFC.
The third image is the WCD9310 audio codec from the Qualcomm chipset.
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| Other Chips (cont.)
We had one of our readers spot another really good chip story, and one that perhaps helps to differentiate Blackberry in terms of their vertical integration and wireless capabilities. There are three impedance matched BST (Barium Strontium Titanate) IC’s that were developed by a company called Paratek, which was acquired by RIM in March 2012 (the orange devices at right). They play a key role in tuning the antenna. One of the investors in Paratek calls the solution a. “game changer by allowing users to upload data faster and experience fewer dropped calls.” The BST devices allow for the antenna tuning to be optimized depending upon conditions, thus making them adaptive. Voltages to the BST tuner IC’s are modified to maximize tuner efficiency, thus saving power and reducing dropped calls. |
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| Summary
So the hardware story is – there’s not a whole lot to tell! We have seen most if not all of the chips before. BB has made great use of state-of the art technology, and it speaks well of the software engineers at Blackberry/QNX and the power of the Snapdragon processor that it can cope well with the heavy-duty capabilities that this device delivers. |
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Any details on what audio codec chips are inside the blackberry z10???
Hi Marty, the audio codec is the Qualcomm WCD9310 and we have added a die photo to the blog post. Thanks for your comment!
Any details on what image sensor chip are inside the Blackberry Z10 ???
Thanks for attention !
Any details on what image sensor chip are inside the Blackberry Z10 ???
Thanks !!!
Hi, the section on image sensor has just been updated! The primary camera is the OmniVision OV8830. This sensor leverages OmniVision’s latest BSI2 technology, but like the rest of the phone is a tried-and-true solution that we first reported on in the Asus Transformer Prime.
Hi,
Any idea who has manufactured the display?
Rgds,
RS
What’s the size of the battery?
First, I want to say your teardowns are great. Thanks for that work.
I want to correct a mistake in your report: this is not Analog Device RF7803-K76P, but RF7303 (band 3 PA+bi dir coupler) from RFMD.
Also, please note the Paratek (acquired by RIM/Blackberry some months ago) BST antenna tuner on the top of the front side board. It seems to me this is on the Rx diversity antenna.
I would be interested in your feedback on these square shaped metallic packages near the 3G/4G PAs and duplexers. First time I see that. Could it be circulators?
Thx.
The square melatic packages are isolators.
Hi ChipWorks,
can you help to identify the new 16mp sensor in m43 cameras – the markings on chip (extracted from EPM2 camera) are as follows (the photo attached, sorry – non professional disassembly)
http://imageshack.us/a/img801/2588/m4316mpm109aqe.jpg
it looks similar to Sony, but it is not IMX prefix, but M prefix… M109AQE (IMX109AQE ‘d be certainly Sony – but M instead of IMX?)
any comments please ?
thank you
Any info about the touchcontroller? It should be visible at the last picture of the casing without the motherboard.
Can you share the BOM?
Thanks,
JJ
HI! Chipworks.
Are the connectors from mother PWB to display mpodule reigid-flex PWB?
It looks felxible PWB, but it not clear the terminals are rigid PWB or not.
MANO