HTC Surround teardown reveals familiar components
updated 12:45 pm EST, Tue January 11, 2011
HTC Surround uses many Nexus One components
The crew at iFixit has gone ahead and taken apart an HTC Surround handset. The exploration provided insights about the Windows Phone 7-powered device's similarity to existing devices as well as its breaks. Much of the hardware it contains is shared with the Nexus One, it said, including more than just the Snapdragon processor.
The commonality extends to five of the main chip bundles on the motherboard, while the Samsung NAND and SDRAM looks like it was just slightly revised.
It noted that repair was difficult. The only part simple to remove was the rear case for access to the battery, with access to other areas a warranty-voiding undertaking. Other findings included a microSDHC memory card that acts as internal memory and is hidden by a piece of gray EMI shield tape. Those who no longer care about or have a warranty can swap out this 16GB card for double the storage space.
Another commonality with the Nexus One are the dual microphones to cancel background noise. Metal plates have holes and are soldered to the front of the dual speakers to direct sound out of the grille and not into the phone.
The iFixit guys conclude that HTC used older, year-old components which, while proven, may prove outdated compared to some of the newer, upcoming dual-core handsets.
