Samsung Galaxy Note10+ 5G Teardown
By Arthur Shi • Difficulty: Moderate
Introduction

Samsung just penned the death of the headphone jack with its newest phablet, the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink Galaxy Note10+ 5G. What else lies within that monolithic slab? In this teardown adventure, we breach its water-resistant seals, dredge its depths in search of elusive 5G chips, and encounter some surprising hardware along the way.


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Step 1
  • Before we tear down, we take Note of these 10+ 5G specs:
  • 6.8" AMOLED Infinity-O display with 3040 × 1440 resolution (498 ppi), HDR10+ certified
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 paired with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage
  • 4,300 mAh battery
  • Four rear-facing cameras (16 MP ultra-wide, 12 MP wide-angle with OIS, 12 MP telephoto with OIS, VGA DepthVision camera), plus a 10 MP selfie cam
  • Ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor
  • S Pen stylus with Bluetooth connectivity and 6-axis sensor
  • IP68 dust and water resistance rating
Step 2
  • We lay out (from left to right) last year's Note9 next to the new Note10+ and Note10+ 5G and try to spot the differences.
  • This year Samsung realigned the Note's cameras vertically. They also got rid of the rear fingerprint sensor—that's been moved under the display, like what we saw earlier this year.
  • At last, we're forced to mourn the loss of the headphone jack—supposedly a necessary tradeoff for a larger battery and improved haptic feedback.
  • It seems that Samsung, one of the last remaining Rebel allies, has decided to join the dark side.
  • Before we get any further, Creative Electron gives us a peek at some interesting internals—looks like we've got some fun exploration ahead.
Step 3
  • Out comes the star of this show: the magic wand new and improved S Pen.
  • Now with gesture control, for wizard-like wireless control of your Note10.
  • Cameras on all the newest Notes are vertically aligned, but the 10+ includes a fancy new feature alongside that stack of sensors.
  • Samsung's DepthVision time-of-flight sensor—exclusive to the largest Note10—uses an infrared illuminator and VGA camera to quickly and accurately measure distance. This sensor enables or enhances many of the Note's features, including Live focus, AR effects, and 3D object scanning.
Step 4
  • Annnnd we're off! The delightful duo Heat and Pick get under the back cover without breaking a sweat (although the same may not be said for their wielders). It's almost like they do this every day.
  • This is standard procedure for most modern, glue-laden smartphones, but we sure wish that wasn't the case.
  • As we slice away at the adhesive, we notice that, this year, the cover is contoured around the volume and Bixby power buttons—not quite the change to the opening procedure we hoped for.
Step 5
  • A few Phillips screws hold down the midframe assembly—nothing our tried-and-true Mako 64 bit kit can't handle!
  • With the midframe removed, we encounter a somewhat radical change: the motherboard is solely at the top of the device, Pixel-style.
  • While this allows for a wider battery, it makes the connection between mother and daughterboard trickier, necessitating these annoying interconnect cables that block battery access.
  • At least the cables are on top, rather than under a battery and primed for pry damage. So far, Apple's interlocking "L" shapes seem to be the best use of space we've seen...
Step 6
  • Our trusty iSclack works so well on heavily-glued displays that we decide to try it on this glued-down battery.
  • The iSclack gives us some solid leverage on the battery, but it still takes a lot of isopropyl alcohol—and even more patience—before the adhesive surrenders the battery (beware those display cables!).
  • If we called the Note9's 15.4 Wh battery "ludicrous," the Note 10+'s 16.56 Wh powerhouse must be "plaid."
  • This energy bar weighs in at 59.1 g and measures 77.3 mm x 58.4 mm x 5.5 mm. That's 4.4 g heavier and 3 cm³ larger than the Note9's battery.
Step 7
  • We jettison the SIM + microSD tray—a luxury that the smaller 6.3" Note10 has traded away—and release the motherboard.
  • Along for the ride are this Note's five cameras:
  • 16 MP ultra-wide (123° FoV)
  • 12 MP wide-angle with dual aperture (ƒ/1.5-ƒ/2.4)
  • 12 MP telephoto (2x optical zoom)
  • DepthVision time-of-flight infrared illuminator and sensor
  • 10 MP selfie cam
Step 8
  • Although relieved of its many cameras, this board still feels like it's carrying some extra weight.
  • We pry off this mysterious green rectangle—which turns out to be a Qualcomm QTM052 mmWave antenna module.
  • "Millimeter wave" refers to RF signals with wavelengths measured in millimeters (24 GHz to 100 GHz). It offers super-duper fast download speeds, but can't travel long distances or penetrate walls very well. TL;DR: YMMV.
  • And one more thing: more board! Looks like Samsung took a note out of Apple's playbook and stacked their motherboard for maximum space savings.
  • We've been down this road before—and with a little help from our hot air station, we quickly carve through the vias and separate the boards.
Step 9
  • Let's open this silicon sandwich and see what lies inside:
  • 12 GB Samsung K3UHAHADAM-AGCL LPDDR4X RAM layered over Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC
  • 256 GB Samsung KLUEG8UHDB-C2D1 eUFS 3.0 flash storage
  • Qualcomm SDX50M 5G modem
  • NXP PN80T NFC controller w/ Secure Element
  • ON Semiconductor NCP59744 voltage regulator
  • Cirrus Logic CS35L40 audio amplifiers
  • Maxim MAX77705C PMIC
Step 10
  • Even more silicon filling:
  • Avago AFEM-9106 front end module
  • Skyworks SKY78160-51 low noise amplifier
  • Qualcomm SDR8150 LTE RF transceiver
  • WACOM W9020 digitizer controller (likely)
  • IDT P9320S wireless power receiver
  • Qualcomm QET5100 envelope tracker
  • Skyworks SKY77365-11 power amplifier module
Step 11
  • And just a little more:
  • Murata KM9515099 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module
  • Qualcomm QDM3870 LTE RF front end module
  • Skyworks SKY13716-11 front-end module
  • Qualcomm WCD9341 Aqstic audio codec
  • Qualcomm PMX50 PMIC for the X50 modem
  • Qualcomm PM8150, PM8150C, and PM8005 (likely PMICs)
  • Samsung S2DOS05 display power management
Step 12
  • IC Identification part 4 courtesy of user Chunglin Chin:
  • Cirrus Logic CS40L25 haptic driver
  • STMicroelectronics STM32G071EB 32-Bit ARM Cortex-M0 microcontroller w/ 128 Kb flash
  • Samsung S2MIS0A MST driver
  • Qorvo QM78042 power amplifier module
  • Samsung S2MPB02 camera power management
  • Vishay DG2730 2-Port USB 2.0 DPDT analog switch
  • NXP Semiconductor BGU8103 GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/COMPASS low noise amplifier
Step 13
  • Sensor ID:
  • STMicroelectronics LSM6DSO 3 DoF accelerometer/gyroscope
  • STMicroelectronics LPS22HD pressure sensor
  • AKM Semiconductor AK0991x electronic compass
  • AMS proximity sensor
Step 14
  • The daughterboard comes out without a fuss, bringing the soldered-on USB-C port and lower microphone in tow.
  • Soldered-on isn't our favorite flavor of USB-C port, but at least there isn't much on this board, so replacements shouldn't be too expensive.
  • We frisk the edges of the phone to find ... two more mmWave antenna modules! Given 5G mmWave's limitations, having these directional, beam-forming antennas on each side (plus the third one facing the screen) helps the Note10+ achieve maximum effort.
  • The earpiece speaker looks pretty ordinary, except that it's completely trapped behind the screen. How do the songs get out? More on that later...
Step 15
  • Just a couple components separate this phone from emptiness:
  • First, a square-ish vibration motor! For as long as we can remember, Samsung has employed the same circular LRA motor for all its phones' buzzers.
  • This new, larger motor may be the first sign that Samsung is finally taking haptic feedback seriously.
  • Or, hear us out—maybe they just needed something to take up a little more room where the headphone jack once was.
  • Finally, we pull out the new vapor chamber—no doubt the product of countless hours of engineering, since this phone is essentially a space heater with a battery. 5G tech and reverse-wireless charging don't come cheap in the cooling department.
Step 16
  • After some tedious behind-the-scenes heating and prying, we are rewarded with a peek at the backside of this Samsung-made 6.8” Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display.
  • This is the biggest, brightest, most color-accurate display ever on a Note phone—but we can't help but wonder what's keeping Samsung from a refresh rate update to 90 Hz, like its phablet competitor, the OnePlus 7 Pro.
  • The ultrasonic fingerprint sensor clings to the back of this behemoth display, just as it did to the S10 we tore down not too long ago. With it are some more ICs to ID:
  • Qualcomm QBT2000 in-screen fingerprint sensor controller
  • Samsung S6SY771X touchscreen controller
  • Winbond W25Q80EWUXIE 8 Mb serial flash memory
  • With the screen removed, we see that the earpiece speaker actually fires into a shallow metal chamber, which channels the sound waves into the teeny tiny grille along the top edge of the frame.
  • Can't quite make it out? We couldn't either. Computer, zoom and enhance.
Step 17
  • Our teardown eyes ( x)( x) shift towards the S Pen. The seamless construction makes us reluctant to pry it open, so we get creative with some electrons, courtesy of Creative Electron.
  • Though, now that we think about it, this pen does have a few new features ... it's probably totally different from last year's on the inside ... oh heck, you know we couldn't resist. Ultrasonic cutter, meet S Pen.
  • The guts of the new S Pen are encased in an extra layer of hard plastic and epoxy. Chipping those away, we find:
  • A mystery chip marked SP912, likely the 6-axis sensor Samsung mentioned at their Unpacked event. Something's gotta be detecting those wand waves.
  • STMicroelectronics Accelerometer
  • Dialog DA14585 Bluetooth 5 SoC
  • Nichicon 2.4v SLB lithium-ion battery
Step 18
  • Well, we don't know about you guys, but we sure learned a heck of a lot from these bits—were you taking notes?
  • We saw a 5G millimeter wave antenna for the first time.
  • We de-layered Samsung's first "iPhone X" style board.
  • We solved the mystery of the missing earpiece speaker grille.
  • We even removed the stubborn battery without busting the display.
  • We'll call this teardown a win, but we can't say we're the biggest fans of this Note, and we have a feeling the repairability score will bear that out...
Final Thoughts
  • Samsung's Galaxy Note10+ 5G earns a 3 out of 10 on our repairability scale (10 is the easiest to repair):
  • Equally-sized Phillips fasteners means you only need to bring one driver for repairs.
  • Many components are modular and independently replaceable, but no more headphone jack means double duty for the USB-C port.
  • Every repair starts with painstakingly un-gluing the fragile glass rear cover.
  • Replacing the glued-down battery is tougher than ever, especially with board interconnect cables to work around.
  • All-too-common display repairs require either a complete teardown or replacing half the phone.