2019 is the year that we have seen the 5G smartphones start to take off. TechInsights posted a blog of the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G teardown in April, which was the world’s first 5G mobile handset in Korea. The Galaxy S10 5G SM-G977N is based on Samsung’s own chipset, i.e., Exynos 9820 Application Processor/Modem plus an external Exynos 5100 5G Modem. The phone supports legacy networks and 5G-NR sub-6 GHz networks. As part of our subscription offerings for clients, TechInsights has also torn down the Motorola 5G Moto Mod and Samsung Galaxy S10 5G SM-G977U.  Both are installed with Qualcomm chipset, i.e., Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 plus an external X50 5G modem. Meanwhile, both support 5G-NR mmWave by adopting Qualcomm’s QTM052 mmWave antenna modules.

TechInsights has been actively analyzing 5G chipsets, including HiSilicon’s 5G solution. Since Huawei’s first 5G phone Mate 20 X (5G) was announced, we have been interested in seeing what new components are inside. Our procurement successfully acquired the Huawei Mate 20 X (5G). The model is EVR-N29, with 256 GB + 8 GB.

Huawei Mate 20 X Teardown

Huawei Mate 20 X Teardown

PCB

Huawei Mate 20 X Teardown - PCB

Huawei Mate 20 X Teardown - PCB

Front-End

Qorvo QM77031 MB/HB Front-End Module, Skyworks SKY78191-11 LB Front-End Module. Both Front-End modules are not new to us. The Huawei P30 Pro has used the same Qorvo QM77031 and the Skyworks SKY78191-11. 

What is exciting, is that we have found HiSilicon’s own Hi6D03 Power Amplifiers in the Mate 20 X (5G). We think it is likely the MB/HB Power Amplifier Module, or only a HB PA module for the 5G-NR bands. The HiSilicon Hi6D03 is the second time we have seen them. In our Huawei Enjoy 9 Plus teardown report, we have already saw the HiSilicon Hi6D03 and the Hi6D13 LB Power Amplifier Module. We think it was Huawei’s plan, to test their own PAs in the low-end and mid-range phones before usage in the flagship phones. 

We have also identified a few HiSilicon LNA/RF Switches, Hi6H11 and Hi6H12.

Envelope Tracker

To our surprise, we have found two MediaTek MT6303P Envelope Tracker (ET) ICs, along with the Qorvo RF8129 Envelope Tracker IC. In the previous Huawei phones, such as Mate 20, P20 and P30, Huawei always used the Qorvo RF8129 Envelope Tracker IC. However, this time they have added the MediaTek ET ICs. It is an unusual case considering that MediaTek is in some ways HiSilicon’s competitor. We have not seen any MediaTek devices used in a Huawei phone before unless it is a MediaTek chipset solution phone. 

Application Processor and Modem

Same as the Samsung and Qualcomm mobile chipset solutions, the Huawei Mate 20 X (5G) is installed with HiSilicon Kirin 980 Application Processor/Modem plus an external Balong 5000 5G Modem. The Kirin 980 is a Package on Package (PoP) with the AP/Modem and the Hynix H9HKNNNFBMAU-DRNEH 8 GB Mobile LPDDR4X SDRAM. 

The Kirin 980 was HiSilicon’s first 7FF FinFET Application Processor/Modem fabbed by TSMC, firstly found in last year’s Huawei Mate 20&Mate 20 Pro. TechInsight has completed a few analysis reports of the Kirin 980.

The 5G Modem is also a Package on Package (PoP) with the modem and the Samsung K4UHE3D4AA-CGCJ 3 GB Mobile LPDDR4X SDRAM. 

HiSilicon Hi9500V100

HiSilicon Hi9500V100

The HiSilicon 5G modem Balong 5000 has a die size of 9.82mm x 8.74mm = 85.83mm2. It is fabbed in TSMC 7FF FinFET too. Let’s compare it to the Qualcomm 5G modem X50 and Samsung 5G modem Exynos 5100. Note that the Qualcomm X50 modem has 2 die besides the memory die, in total 3 die in a PoP, while both HiSilicon Balong 5000 and Samsung Exynos 5100 with 2 die in the PoP.

Qualcomm 5G modem X50 die size:
Die 1 (digital): 8.97mm x 6.55mm = 58.75mm2; Die 2 (analog): 3.41mm x 1.68mm = 5.73mm2
Samsung 5G modem Exynos 5100 die size: 6.44mm x 8.70mm = 56.03mm2

RF Transceiver

We found a new HiSilicon RF Transceiver Hi6365. 

HiSilicon RF Transceiver Hi6365

HiSilicon RF Transceiver Hi6365

Mobile RF: Market and Analysis Overview

Learn more about TechInsights’ mobile RF analysis, as well as our products and services, by downloading our Mobile RF Market and Analysis Overview.

Power Management ICs

HiSilicon Hi6421, Hi6422, Hi6526. 

Display Power Supply IC

Texas Instruments TPS65635 Display Power Supply

Flash Memory

Samsung KLUEG8U1EA-B0C1 256 GB UFS 2.1

Wireless Combo IC

HiSilicon Hi1103 Wi-Fi/BT/GNSS Wireless Combo IC

NFC

NXP PN80T Secure NFC Module

Audio ICs

HiSilicon Hi6403 Audio Codec; NXP TFA9874C Audio Amplifiers

Sensors 

STMicroelectronics LSM6DSM 6-Axis MEMS Accelerometer&Gyroscope; STMicroelectronics LPS22HC MEMS Nano Pressure Sensor. 

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to teardown and analyze the components within this device. If you are interested in learning more about TechInsights analysis offerings, contact us today.

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