iPhone4 teardown shows highly integrated RF front end

Bill of Materials of $187.51 says iSuppli  with breakdown of suppliers

By Nick Flaherty www.flaherty.co.uk

The break down of the iPhone 4 shows that this generation has the same cost of components as previous devices, according to iSuppli’s Teardown Analysis service. The 16Gbyte version of the iPhone 4 carries a BOM of $187.51, based on a preliminary cost estimate derived from a physical teardown of the product.

“Just as it did with the iPad, Apple has thrown away the electronics playbook with the iPhone 4, reaching new heights in terms of industrial design, electronics integration and user interface,” said Kevin Keller, principal analyst, teardown services, for iSuppli. “However, the BOM of the fourth-generation model closely aligns with those of previous iPhones. With the iPhone maintaining its existing pricing, Apple will be able to maintain the prodigious margins that have allowed it to build up a colossal cash reserve—one whose size is exceeded only by Microsoft.”

iSuppli estimated the BOM of the 3GS in 2009 at $170.80; the 3G in 2008 at $166.31 and the first iPhone in 2007 at $217.73.

The attached figure presents the results of iSuppli’s preliminary teardown estimate. Please note that the BOM accounts only for hardware costs and does not include other expenses such as manufacturing, software, marketing, distribution and royalties and licensing fees.

Housing complex

One of the most apparent examples of the iPhone 4’s design innovation is its completely redesigned housing. Unlike the unibody housing of previous models, the iPhone 4’s enclosure is composed of multiple pieces, allowing it to accommodate a considerably larger battery as well as the much-discussed integrated antenna.

“The metal housing of the outer enclosure serves as a physical antenna, a tough task to design and manufacture because antennae pieces have to be insulated from other parts, and yet be rigid around the perimeter,” Keller said. “This adds more complexity and cost, but elegantly uses every possible cubic millimeter of the iPhone for function, and not just form. The tight intertwining of form and function is an area where Apple has always excelled.”

Less is more in wireless

The wireless subsection of the iPhone 4 is far smaller than in previous members of the line because of greatly increased integration of the Radio Frequency (RF) functionality into the core chipset components, despite the presence of an additional air standard: High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), which allows the uploading of bandwidth-intensive HD video.

“Out of the nearly 300 cell phones torn down by iSuppli, the iPhone comes the closest to integrating the entire wireless interface—including all the supporting Radio Frequency (RF) modules—on a single chip,” Keller said. “This further enhances the iPhone 4’s space efficiency and serves as yet another testament to the advanced state of Apple’s design.”

Design winners

The LCD display represents the single most expensive component in the iPhone 4, costing $28.50 and accounting for 15.2 percent of the product’s total BOM. The 3.5-inch display uses advanced Low-Temperature Polysilicon (LTPS) and In-Plane Switching (IPS) technology, and features a 960 by 630 resolution—four times that of the iPhone 3GS.

While the display is not labeled, iSuppli believes the most likely supplier is LG Display. Toshiba Mobile Display (TMD) also could serve as a source for the part.

The next most expensive single component is the NAND-type flash memory. In the 16Gbyte version of the iPhone 4, the NAND costs $27 and accounts for 14.4 percent of the BOM. In the individual iPhone 4 torn down by iSuppli, the NAND flash was supplied by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., although Apple could be employing other sources as well.

Samsung also supplies the next costliest part, the 4Gbits of mobile Double Data Rate (DDR) SDRAM, priced at $13.80, or 7.4 percent of the BOM.

Following on the value ranking is the baseband Integrated Circuit (IC), at $11.72, or 6.3 percent of the BOM. Infineon Technologies is the supplier of this part, iSuppli’s teardown reveals.

Next on the component cost countdown is the A4 applications processor, manufactured by Samsung but using Apple’s Intellectual Property (IP). iSuppli estimates the cost of the A4 at $10.75, or 5.7 percent of the iPhone 4’s BOM.

Other parts and suppliers

Subsequent on the cost list is the capacitive touch screen with reinforced glass, at $10.00, or 5.3 percent of the BOM. While the supplier of the touch screen is not labeled and thus cannot be determined through a teardown analysis, iSuppli believes the source is TPK and/or Balda.

The main camera on the iPhone, a 5-megapixel autofocus device, costs $9.75, and accounts for 5.2 percent of the BOM. Like the touch screen, the camera cannot be identified from a teardown.

The Wi-Fi Bluetooth controller IC, priced at $7.80 and representing 4.2 percent of the BOM, is supplied by Broadcom.

Other parts in the iPhone 4 include:

·          The $5.80 battery, with an unknown supplier

·          NOR flash, supplied by Intel/Numonyx; and Double Data Rate (DDR) mobile DRAM, provided by Elpida Memory, at a combined cost of $2.70.

·          A $2.60 Microelectromechanical (MEMS) gyroscope, supplied by STMicroelectronics

·          Infineon’s $2.33 quad-band GSM/Edge transceiver

·          The $2.03 main power-management IC from Dialog Semiconductor.

·          A Global Positioning System (GPS) chip from Broadcom, costing $1.75

·          Texas Instruments' touch screen controller IC, at $1.23

·          Cirrus Logic’s $1.15 audio codec

·          An e-compass from AKM Semiconductor Inc., at 70 cents

·          The accelerometer, provided by STMicroelectronics, and costing 65 cents

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EETimes.com - ST owns EU-registered iPad patent

ST owns EU-registered iPad patent

It seems from EETimes that STMicroelectronics has laready registered IPAD as a brand in Europe, which may give Apple a few problems. But the branding runs out in September this year, so ST could renew it as the incumbent, or let it pass to Apple, presumably for a consideration (or a component partnership....hmm, how about an accelerometerer deal?)

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STMicroelectronics Unveils MEMS Digital Compass Module

High-performance motion and magnetic-sensing device enhances mobile navigation and enables advanced location-based services

STMicroelectronics has integrated a 3-axis digital accelerometer with a 3-axis digital magnetic sensor in a single module to create a digital compass module. This uses magneto-resistive technology from Honeywell and aims to accelerate the adoption of enhanced electronic compassing in portable consumer applications, including direction finding, map/display orientation, location-based services and pedestrian dead reckoning.
The combination of high-performance motion and magnetic sensing enhances the mobile-user experience in a number of ways. ST’s new module adds forward direction orientation that enables application developers to improve the use of limited phone/PDA display size for maps by putting the current user position at the bottom of the map with the rest of the display in the forward (‘up ahead’) direction.
ST’s digital compass provides accurate heading information, to indicate the direction in which a person or vehicle is moving, when GPS is not available. It also supports dead-reckoning applications, including pedestrian navigation in places with no or low GPS signal, such as inside buildings and structures or in mountainous and forested terrain.
Compass modules in handsets open new possibilities for advanced location-based services. With compassing and GPS capabilities, consumers will be able to identify and retrieve information on nearby points of interest, such as restaurants or shops, by simply pointing their mobile devices in the direction of the object concerned.

”As the one-stop MEMS supplier of choice, STMicroelectronics is paving the way to smart sensor modules,” said Benedetto Vigna, Group Vice President and General Manager of the MEMS, Sensors and High Performance Analog Division, STMicroelectronics. “We have accelerometers, gyroscopes, microphones and now, thanks to our cooperation with Honeywell, also magnetic sensors. We are ushering in an era of integrated sensing capabilities.”

The new module uses high-precision sensing coupled with smart embedded features, including wake-up/power-down function and 6D recognition, which signals if the device is up or down along all three axes (x,y,z). The device has a linear acceleration full-scale of ±2/±4/±8g and a magnetic field full-scale from ±1.3 up to ±8 gauss(2), both fully selectable by the user.

The magnetic sensing element that measures the strength and direction of the Earth’s magnetic field and determines the heading relative to magnetic north is based on Honeywell’s Anisotropic Magneto-Resistive (AMR) technology. This technology combines best-in-class accuracy in compass calculations with low power consumption, which is crucial in battery-hungry portable devices.

The AMR technology provides the same sensitivity on the z axis as it does on the x and y axes, eliminating the need for flux concentrators used in Hall-effect type sensors that can shift the sensor offset after it has been magnetized. This market-unique three-axis sensing approach reduces measurement errors in ultra-low magnetic field strength environments, such as in metal buildings, automobiles, or in higher latitudes like Canada or Northern Europe.

Moreover, Honeywell’s magnetic sensor design includes a built-in offset cancellation circuit to minimize the need for calibration, and patented set/reset straps that de-gauss, or de-magnetize, the sensor for each measurement to improve accuracy.



According to iSuppli, the market for MEMS digital compasses for use in mobile phone applications alone will grow from 8 million units in 2008 to 540 million units in 2013 – a CAGR of 129%. During the same time period, revenues for these components will grow at a CAGR of 110%, from $8 million to $325 million.


ST’s LSM303DLH digital compass module fits in an eco-friendly package of 5x5x1 mm and it is software- and register-compatible with ST’s three-axis digital accelerometer family (LIS331DLH/M/F). Samples are available and the device is ready for mass production. Unit pricing is $2.50 for volumes in the range of 50,000 pieces.

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