Galaxy Tab 7.7 teardown reveals lots of Samsung’s homegrown hardware

By Bill Detwiler

Takeaway: Bill Detwiler cracks open the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and finds an Android tablet packed with Samsung’s own hardware.

Samsung has raised the bar on 7-inch Android tablets with its Galaxy Tab 7.7. This week, I crack open the Tab 7.7 for a look at the hardware inside.
 
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 has a 1.4GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos 4210 processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 7.7″ AMOLED display (1,200 x 800 resolution), 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It measures measures 7.74″ (H) x 5.24″ (W) x 0.31″ (D) and weighs 12 ounces.

Full teardown gallery: Cracking Open the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

Cracking Open observations

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• Easy-open case: Despite looking a lot like the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, opening the Tab 7.7’s case required a completely different approach. Instead of starting along the tablet’s edge and working my way around the case, I started in the front, inserting a thin metal tool between the front glass and edge of the back cover. Applying gentle outward pressure, I popped the cover loose from the front panel assembly. After working my way around the case, I removed the back cover.
• Familiar Samsung internal hardware design: As with the previous Samsung tablet’s that I’ve cracked open, the Tab 7.7 has a very clean internal hardware layout. I also like Samsung’s use of snap-on connectors along the motherboard, which makes the individual components easy to detach and replace.
• Single-piece front panel/display assembly: My only complaint about the Tab 7.7’s design is front panel and display assembly design. The two components are either fused into a single piece or held together with strong adhesive. If the screen was held in place with screws, you could easily replace a cracked front panel without buying a new display and vice versa.
• Replaceable battery: The Tab 7.7’s 5,100 mAh battery is held in place with screws and attached to the motherboard with a snap-on connector. Once the case is removed, you can easily replace the battery.

• Packed with Samsung hardware: Not only does the Tab 7.7 have a Samsung Exynos 4210 processor, the unit’s LTE baseband processor, DRAM, and flash storage module are all Samsung chips.

Check out my cracking open analysis and galleries of other Samsung tablets: Galaxy Tab, Galaxy Tab 8.9, Galaxy Tab 10.1, and Galaxy Tab 2 7.0.

Bottom Line

Given all the Tab 7.7’s high-end hardware, it’s not surprising that Samsung has given the unit a high-end price. As of this writing, you can buy the Tab 7.7 for $450, with a two-year Verizon contract. Without the contract, the price jumps to $700.
Samsung definitely set the standard for 7-inch tablets with the Tab 7.7. It’s thin, powerful, has a beautiful display, and 4G support. But the high price and two-year commitment may scare away some buyers.
Read Eric Franklin’s CNET review of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 for more information on the tablet’s software features, using it as a TV remote, battery life test results.

Internal hardware

Our Galaxy Tab 7.7 test unit had the following hardware:

• 1.4GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos 4210 processor
• Samsung K3PE7E700B-XXC1 2x 4Gb LP DDR2 DRAM (1GB)
• Samsung KLMAG4FEJA-A003 16GB flash storage chip
• 7″ Plane to Line Switching (PLS) display (1,024 x 600)
• 3MP rear-facing camera
• 2MP front-facing camera
• 3.7V, 5,100 mAh Li-Ion battery (SP397281A)
• Atmel MXT768E touchscreen controller
• iM144 CEM 0D14
• Samsung CMC22000 LTE baseband processor (CMC2000 PBU674.00S-1 C1134 ARM)
• Samsung K4X51323PK MDDR2 512Mb mobile DRAM
• Yamaha YMU823-P audio CODEC (YMU823-P 1144NAJB)
• Samsung K5L2866ATE NOR based MCP
• Silicon Image 9234BT HDMI chip (9234BT PCW832D 10K2143)
• VIA Telecom CBP7.1C EVDO platform (CBP1.1C 114804 TAIWAN 2MB1405061)
• FCI FC7785 19EA
• 6323R 1193AF PH 1141
• Avago ACFM-7109 PCS/Cellular Band FBAR Quadplexer (ACFM-7109 FI135295075)
• CSR SiRFstarIV GSD4t GSP IC (SiRF GSD4T 9600B C K138AH14)
• 8903CE TI203 ITHK +
• Fairchild FDMC510P P-Channel PowerTrench MOSFET (PC2HK FDMC 510P)
• Invensense MPU-3050M 3-axis gyroscope (MPU-3050M D1Y797-J1 EI 1153 K)
• Maxim MAX8997 power-management IC for Samsung’s Exynos 4210 (MAX8997 EWW 1203 5VAZ)
• Maxim MAX8996 Dual PWM Step-Down Converter (MAX8996 EWZ 5FYBY 132)
• FCI FC7851 17BY
• Avago A5013 K1141 DK089
• A50H 11B22B1A10
• CSR 8811 Bluetooth IC (8811 A06U K14BAM23)