News & Analysis
Teardown: Inside the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone
Allan Yogasingam
6/14/2012 2:43 AM EDT
Samsung keeping it in the family
On the European version of the Galaxy S3, Samsung utilizes its proprietary Exynos brand of processors. In this case, Samsung selected the quad-core Exynos 4212 (which was at one point named the Exynos 4412 and then finally renamed the Exynos Quad). According to Samsung, this processor was manufactured at the 32-nm node, similar to that of the latest version of the Apple A5 processor found in the 3rd generation Apple TV or 2nd generation iPad 2. This new Exynos processor uses power gating across all four cores, which apparently reduces power consumption when not in use.
This isn't the first case that Samsung has taken a different path in the implementation of Exynos processors. The Samsung Galaxy S2 was initially released using the Exynos 4210 dual-core processor, but later variations of the same handset saw the Exynos replaced with Texas Instrument's OMAP4430 or, in the case of T-Mobile 's version, Qualcomm 's APQ8060 dual-core processor.
The Samsung Exynos Quad was found within a Package-on-Package (PoP) arrangement. Its secondary package was that of a Samsung K3PE7E700M 1GB Low-Power DDR2 DRAM. Labeled “Green Memory” on the package, the “green” refers to the low power consumption of the memory and not the manufacturing process. A de-encapsulation of this device reveals that it was manufactured at the 32nm node which was the same in use for LP DDR2 DRAM in the Galaxy S2. Samsung also utilizes a KMVTU000LM multi-chip memory package. This package consists of 16Gb of mobile flash and 64Gb of Mobile DRAM with a eMMC controller. Samsung also turns to their own semiconductor business to provide the image processor in the S3. Samsung 's S5C73M3X01 has not been seen in other Galaxy devices, making this the first time we 've seen this backside illumination (BSI) processor. Samsung also selects their 1.9 MP image sensor, the S5K6A3YX14, in combination with an 8 MP CMOS image sensor from Sony to provide the camera functionality.
Broadcom is also a major design winner in the new Galaxy S3. Deep within a Murata wireless module lies the Broadcom BCM4334, an apparent 40nm device is the follow-up to the BCM4330 that had found its way into the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Apple iPhone 4S. This new component from Broadcom is a architecturally refined version of the BCM4330 that improves on the power consumption; a necessity with respect to the more power-hungry 4G and LTE radios.
Intel takes advantage of their recently-purchased Infineon portfolio with a design win in the form of the X-GOLD 626 PMB9811 baseband processor. The PMB9811 was also found in the Samsung Galaxy S2, the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Nexus confirming that this baseband processor has the faith of Samsung 's design engineers. Intel also leverages Infineon to provide the PMB5712 GSM/CDMA RF transceiver.
Other major design wins include Maxim, who continued to provide devices to the Galaxy family of phones. In this situation, Samsung incorporates Maxim 's MAX77686 and MAX77693 as power management devices within the Galaxy S3. As mentioned earlier, Maxim has a long history of working with Samsung, previously providing similar power management ICs for the Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Nexus, just to name a few.
Skyworks is again a major socket winner in a major handset. With four devices, ranging from a power amplifier module to antennae switches and even an LED driver, Skyworks continues their run of being found in high profile mobile computing products. This year has already seen Skyworks win sockets in the iPhone 4S, the iPad 3 and the Galaxy Note.
STMicro provides some of the key sensors in the Galaxy S3, providing the LSM330DLC package consisting of the accelerometer and gyroscope, and the LPS331AP MEMS pressure sensor. Rounding out the major wins is Cypress Semiconductor, whose CY8C20236A PSoC CapSense controller controls the keys. NFC capability is provided by NXP Semiconductor.
With over 9 million units pre-ordered before its release date, the Samsung Galaxy S3 was Samsung 's most anticipated handset to date. Judging by the effort placed on the selection of components and its sleek and nimble design, fans who pre-ordered should not be disappointed.
Other Samsung Galaxy S3 Key Components
Next: Front
On the European version of the Galaxy S3, Samsung utilizes its proprietary Exynos brand of processors. In this case, Samsung selected the quad-core Exynos 4212 (which was at one point named the Exynos 4412 and then finally renamed the Exynos Quad). According to Samsung, this processor was manufactured at the 32-nm node, similar to that of the latest version of the Apple A5 processor found in the 3rd generation Apple TV or 2nd generation iPad 2. This new Exynos processor uses power gating across all four cores, which apparently reduces power consumption when not in use.
This isn't the first case that Samsung has taken a different path in the implementation of Exynos processors. The Samsung Galaxy S2 was initially released using the Exynos 4210 dual-core processor, but later variations of the same handset saw the Exynos replaced with Texas Instrument's OMAP4430 or, in the case of T-Mobile 's version, Qualcomm 's APQ8060 dual-core processor.
The Samsung Exynos Quad was found within a Package-on-Package (PoP) arrangement. Its secondary package was that of a Samsung K3PE7E700M 1GB Low-Power DDR2 DRAM. Labeled “Green Memory” on the package, the “green” refers to the low power consumption of the memory and not the manufacturing process. A de-encapsulation of this device reveals that it was manufactured at the 32nm node which was the same in use for LP DDR2 DRAM in the Galaxy S2. Samsung also utilizes a KMVTU000LM multi-chip memory package. This package consists of 16Gb of mobile flash and 64Gb of Mobile DRAM with a eMMC controller. Samsung also turns to their own semiconductor business to provide the image processor in the S3. Samsung 's S5C73M3X01 has not been seen in other Galaxy devices, making this the first time we 've seen this backside illumination (BSI) processor. Samsung also selects their 1.9 MP image sensor, the S5K6A3YX14, in combination with an 8 MP CMOS image sensor from Sony to provide the camera functionality.
Broadcom is also a major design winner in the new Galaxy S3. Deep within a Murata wireless module lies the Broadcom BCM4334, an apparent 40nm device is the follow-up to the BCM4330 that had found its way into the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Apple iPhone 4S. This new component from Broadcom is a architecturally refined version of the BCM4330 that improves on the power consumption; a necessity with respect to the more power-hungry 4G and LTE radios.
Intel takes advantage of their recently-purchased Infineon portfolio with a design win in the form of the X-GOLD 626 PMB9811 baseband processor. The PMB9811 was also found in the Samsung Galaxy S2, the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Nexus confirming that this baseband processor has the faith of Samsung 's design engineers. Intel also leverages Infineon to provide the PMB5712 GSM/CDMA RF transceiver.
Other major design wins include Maxim, who continued to provide devices to the Galaxy family of phones. In this situation, Samsung incorporates Maxim 's MAX77686 and MAX77693 as power management devices within the Galaxy S3. As mentioned earlier, Maxim has a long history of working with Samsung, previously providing similar power management ICs for the Samsung Galaxy S2, Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Nexus, just to name a few.
Skyworks is again a major socket winner in a major handset. With four devices, ranging from a power amplifier module to antennae switches and even an LED driver, Skyworks continues their run of being found in high profile mobile computing products. This year has already seen Skyworks win sockets in the iPhone 4S, the iPad 3 and the Galaxy Note.
STMicro provides some of the key sensors in the Galaxy S3, providing the LSM330DLC package consisting of the accelerometer and gyroscope, and the LPS331AP MEMS pressure sensor. Rounding out the major wins is Cypress Semiconductor, whose CY8C20236A PSoC CapSense controller controls the keys. NFC capability is provided by NXP Semiconductor.
With over 9 million units pre-ordered before its release date, the Samsung Galaxy S3 was Samsung 's most anticipated handset to date. Judging by the effort placed on the selection of components and its sleek and nimble design, fans who pre-ordered should not be disappointed.
Other Samsung Galaxy S3 Key Components
- Skyworks SKY77604-31 - Quad-band GSM/W-CDMA Power Amplifier Module
- Samsung KMVTU000LM Multichip package – eMMC (16GB) + MDDR (64MB)
- Maxim MAX77686 – Power management
- Maxim MAX77693 – Power management
- Unmarked 330DC – STMicroelectronics LSM330DLC 3D Accelerometer & 3D Gyroscope
- Murata KM2323011 – Wireless module
- Broadcom BCM47511 – Integrated Monolithic GNSS Receiver (found in the Galaxy Note)
- Skyworks SKY77604-31 - Quad-band GSM/W-CDMA Power Amplifier Module (found in the Galaxy Note)
- Silicon Image Si9244B0 – Mobile HD Link Transmitter (found in Galaxy Nexus)
The Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 survey teardown is available for purchase here. Also, you can check out older teardowns related to the Samsung Galaxy here.
Allan Yogasingam is a technical research manager at UBM TechInsights, a sister company to EE TImes. Next: Front
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pandoran
6/14/2012 6:23 PM EDT
Damn EEtimes!! Do you really think people will scroll through 21 pages of your teardown?
I stopped after going through 9..
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Sanjib.Acharya
6/14/2012 10:40 PM EDT
True...browsing through 21 pages needs lots of patient & time. But I think you have not missed much as the useful information are captured in the first two pages. Other pages show the photos of the teardown step by step.
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naperlou
6/15/2012 11:11 PM EDT
I did!
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vlstefanovic
6/18/2012 9:25 AM EDT
Just press Print button. ;)
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C VanDorne
6/18/2012 3:56 PM EDT
Genius!
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analogsemiguy
12/9/2012 8:06 AM EST
Abe Lincoln once apologized in a five- page letter to a friend that he did not have the time to write a one- page letter. Anyway, if you don't like 21 pages, don't read them. I think it's great that EET is providing so much detail. HOWEVER, the lead- in to the article states that three years ago, SS was a minor player. On which planet? I have been supplying chips to them since 1995 and the entire time they have been creative and aggressive and climbed steadily without a single setback and in every phone category to the top. No other maker has done that.
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Francois R
12/10/2012 1:14 PM EST
Even better if you take the time to "click on image to enlarge" in each of them... d:-)
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dmassetti
12/10/2012 5:20 PM EST
Dufus - hit the print button and it is all on one page to browse.
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david.may
6/14/2012 8:23 PM EDT
missing info
"memory package. This package consists of (enter information here). Samsung also turns to their own semiconductor business to "
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dylan.mcgrath
6/16/2012 12:54 PM EDT
Thanks for catching this error, which we have now corrected. We apologize for the oversight.
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tb1
6/14/2012 10:47 PM EDT
"I stopped after going through 9.."
The article is only 2 pages. The rest are just pictures. It is fascinating how they fit it all together into such a small package.
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Sanjib.Acharya
6/14/2012 11:43 PM EDT
"...this decision "optimizes" the Galaxy S3 for peak performance on America 's 4G and LTE networks."
A dual-core processor would work better than a quad-core on 4G? Some more information on 2-core vs. 4-core processors might help in understanding what makes a dual-core to work better than a quad-core on 4G.
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DeepakShankarV
6/15/2012 1:46 AM EDT
Cool.
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Cherry89
6/15/2012 2:16 AM EDT
damn...21 pages to read... omg
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elctrnx_lyf
6/15/2012 3:53 AM EDT
Samsung is coming into the market with very strong products again n again. Will this be followed by s4 in the future.
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kinnar
6/15/2012 4:43 AM EDT
It is not good to sell the same Brand and same Model device with different specifications in two different countries, this will reduce the trust on the companies when people come to know about differences.
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yalanand
7/4/2012 11:58 PM EDT
@kinnar, I am not sure if the end user cares whether its a quad-core processor or not, I think it hardly matters to them. So I dont think it would affect the sales of Samsung mobile.
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R0ckstar
6/15/2012 3:54 PM EDT
Just to put this out there - I'm not going to load 21 pages of advertisements to look at a few pictures. Had the article extended beyond a few pages, I wouldn't have read it at all. These are the kinds of things that have caused me to permanently abandon other websites in the past. Something to keep in mind for the future.
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selinz
6/15/2012 5:47 PM EDT
They seem to have done a pretty good job of creating relatively few sub assemblies. And I like the relatively large 2100 mAh battery.
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hm
6/15/2012 9:12 PM EDT
Not good approach for 21 pages. But when Junko writes, it is always single long page!
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Derek Lin
6/17/2012 11:14 PM EDT
My understanding is:
- Exynos4212 dual core
- Exynos4412 Quad core
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Singar
6/18/2012 2:09 AM EDT
If you want to review the entire article in one go, hit the print button. there is a pop up with the entire article. no need to print.
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Luis Sanchez
6/18/2012 3:26 AM EDT
One question, do you have to request permission to Samsung or any of the phone's manufacturer to make a Teardown? How about the BOM you present... how do you get it? is it just by identifying the found chips in the boards through the teardown?
It's good to see a teardown since this way we can know who are the chips more common in the phones nowadays.
And guys, why such a big fuzz about the 21 pages. Seeing 19 pictures isn't that big of a deal.
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poconoarmchairreview
6/18/2012 3:39 AM EDT
It is an honor and a privilege just to be given permission to buy such products. Therefore, there is a special request form that must be filled out in triplicate, and delivered while avoiding all eye contact.
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http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/poconoarmchairreview
6/18/2012 3:40 AM EDT
It is an honor and a privilege just to be given permission to buy such products. Therefore, there is a special request form that must be filled out in triplicate, and delivered while avoiding all eye contact.
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dylan.mcgrath
6/18/2012 11:46 AM EDT
You don't need any permission to do a teardown. I believe you are correct about the way the analysts arrive at the BoM, but I invite TechInsights to weigh in here with more info if they so desire.
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timbo_test
6/18/2012 5:48 AM EDT
Interesting tear-down! If you don't want to scroll through 21 pages - and even on a moderately fast link this gets really tedious, click on the [=|print] icon at the bottom of any page, and you get it all on one page - scroll to read or print this to read afterwards!
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DanyD
6/18/2012 5:57 AM EDT
I have heard that S3 would include a wireless charging function, but on the pictures I do not see any clue about a receiver coil embedded behind the battery(or maybe in the battery itself). Any confirmation of such function?
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jeremybirch
6/18/2012 8:16 AM EDT
May I suggest removing the battery in future BEFORE applying the hot air gun - some of those babies do not like getting hot and we would not want anyone getting hurt in the search for truth ;)
Surely the "64Gb of mobile DRAM" must be a misprint? Even if that is only 8Gbytes that is a serious amount of ram and would make it a bit pointless strapping 1GB to the top of the processor, surely?
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DrLAL
6/19/2012 5:10 PM EDT
Samsung selected the quad-core Exynos 4212 (which was at one point named the Exynos 4412 and then finally renamed the Exynos Quad). According to Samsung, this processor was manufactured at the 32-nm node, similar to that of the latest version of the Apple A5 processor found in the 3rd generation Apple TV or 2nd generation iPad 2. This new Exynos processor uses power gating across all four cores, which apparently reduces power consumption when not in use.
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OLMN
6/20/2012 8:54 AM EDT
Hello, among the smart-sensors you forgot to mention the AK9875, a 3-axis compass from ASAHI KASEI.
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OLMN
6/20/2012 8:55 AM EDT
oops... AK8975, sorry :-)
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JAK620
6/20/2012 3:06 PM EDT
"6Gb of mobile flash and 64Gb of Mobile DRAM"
That would be 2GB for storage and then 8GB of DRAM.
It should be the opposite way, right?
8GB would be too much for a lightly used desktop at home. No mention to a mobile phone.
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wilber_xbox
6/21/2012 10:50 AM EDT
I smell a rat with Samsung's success. How can Samsung build better smartphones than others and so close in specifications and feel to Apple's is difficult to absorb. That too in just 3 years while others are still struggling to match up with Apple.
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yalanand
7/5/2012 12:00 AM EDT
@wilber_xbox, what exactly is your point ? Are you saying Samsung used Apple's technology ?
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DynamicLogic.US
12/28/2012 11:34 PM EST
The key is the soc and inegrating latest ip from fast evolving ecosystem partners: quad or dual ARM A9 apps processor each with 2 GBytes of RAM and highdef multi core ARM GPUs, Linux based Android for ARM A9, and evolving OS and app features specific to samsung since galaxy initiated 3 years ago. When Samsung made a portable media player around my Sigmatel soc they sent four Linux developers to Austin who worked on the OS in one room and knocked it out with agile software engineering on Linux, leveraging ecosystem software quickly. my site www.dynamiclogic.us
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DynamicLogic.US
12/28/2012 11:53 PM EST
Wait for samsung exynos 5 soc, its ARM A15 cpu and Mali T604 GPU are a big leap over ARM A9 with mali400. ARM A15 eagle apps processor consumes 1Watt with very high processing power. Google/samsung nexus notebook has these in its exynos5. ARM's big little strategy adds an instruction compatible smaller companion cpu for power savings on smaller processing loads when present.
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jrkang
12/13/2012 3:08 AM EST
I just bought one yesterday. Who can tell me how the Galaxy S3 implement the 'Smart stay' function. Only rely on the camera in Hardware, no other senor?
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AliNS
3/5/2013 4:19 PM EST
Great, but are you going to be able to put it back together!?
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PacoBell
3/7/2013 5:32 PM EST
So...no mention about which chip solution Samsung chose for their Qi wireless charging component? I'm guessing some IDT product, but I'd like some confirmation.
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varzucu
3/28/2013 11:10 AM EDT
You've put a lot of effort to tear this piece of work, which is Samsung S3 down for us to see in great detail, maybe greater than some of us, including me, is capable to processs with our not so technological brain.
I would be also interested to know how exactly is a quadcore better than a quad core. For the moment, I was having great fun rooting S3, which gave me the liberty to overclock the processor, to see how much faster it could be, using XDA members' overclocking method: http://www.searchforsoft.com/reviews/How-To/Overclock-your-Samsung-Galaxy-S3-using-Ninphetamin3-custom-kernel-step-by-step-tutorial-53.htm . The phone was better in multitasking, but I renounced at this quite soon, as some of my friends warned me that it would make my phone hotter and as I saw with my own eyes that the battery lasted lesser.
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