Handsets

Moto X teardown gives us a look at the device’s innards

6

Moto X teardown 3

There’s something oddly satisfying about watching the boys at iFixit teardown our most beloved Android devices. Their latest victim? The all new Motorola Moto X. The Moto X doesn’t feature a removable battery cover which means tools are necessary for prying the device open. After iFixit removed the Moto X’s backplate — which was actually adhered to the inside of the device — they were finally able to expose all the inner workings of the device. Underneath the battery, Motorola’s ‘X8 Mobile Computing System” was found hiding and after ripping out the motherboard, they found a variety of microchips:

Moto X motherboard

Notable ICs on the motherboard:

  • Toshiba THGBMAG7A2JBAIR 16 GB eMMC NAND Flash
  • SKhynix H9TKNNNBPDAR RAM (we assume that the Snapdragon S4 Pro is also layered under this IC)
  • Qualcomm PM8921 Power Management IC
  • Texas Instruments TMS320C55
  • NXP 44701
  • Skyworks 77619-12 Multiband Multimode Power Amplifier Module for Quad-Band GSM / EDGE and Penta-Band (Bands I, II, IV, V, VIII) WCDMA/ HSDPA/ HSUPA/ HSPA+/ LTE
  • Texas Instruments MSP430 F5259 Mixed Signal Microcontroller

While repairing parts in just about any Android device can be a tedious process, the Moto X managed to score a repairability rating of 7 out of 10. Hey, it could be a lot worse. Remember back when the HTC One scored a staggering 1 out of 10?

Chris Chavez
I've been obsessed with consumer technology for about as long as I can remember, be it video games, photography, or mobile devices. If you can plug it in, I have to own it. Preparing for the day when Android finally becomes self-aware and I get to welcome our new robot overlords.

Moto X’s upcoming wood finish might come with an added cost

Previous article

Motorola Droid 5 possibly spotted in the wild, allegedly sporting NFC and wireless charging

Next article

You may also like

6 Comments

  1. Wondering about the ability to put in wireless charging like a qi.

    1. I highly doubt it. This thing has no gaps or air between the cover and the phone. No room for anything..

  2. Should have had “NSFW” in the title of this. ;)

  3. where’s the flux capacitor?

  4. Wait a second, this is a pentaband phone, akin to N4/Gnex world phone status?

  5. AKA “How to change the battery in a Moto X”

    Geezus… it’s easier to change the battery in my car. WTF, Motorola/Google? Stop pulling an “Apple” just because Apple sheep have let Apple get away with such consumer abuse.

    Any consumer device with a battery should allow said battery to be replaced easily. Anything otherwise is a broken design that should never be dumped onto the marketplace.

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in Handsets