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Recent News and Blogs
TechInsights memory technology update from IEDM18
Posted: April 11, 2019 Contributing Author: Dick James, Jeongdong Choe On the Sunday evening at IEDM last year, TechInsights held a reception in which Arabinda Das and Jeongdong Choe gave presentations that attracted a roomful of conference attendees11Apr
9X Layer 3D NAND Analysis
Posted: April 10, 2018 TechInsights’ Analysis of Solutions from Samsung, Toshiba, and Intel/Micron TechInsights’ analysis has begun on the much-anticipated 9XL 3D NAND solutions, including: Samsung 92L 3D V-NAND Toshiba 96L 3D BiCS Intel/Micron 96L10Apr
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G Teardown
Posted: April 9, 2018 Contributing Author: Daniel Yang & Stacy Wegner It’s here. It’s in our labs... Two major 5G events happened last week: Verizon launched their 5G network in Chicago, and on the other side of the globe, Samsung launched the world09Apr
High-Density Fan-Out Package Technologies - Examination and Comparison
April 9, 2019 / 2:00pm to 3:00pm ET In this webinar, we will look at the key structural elements of the two packaging solutions. Package cross-sections and RDL delayering images will be presented and discussed, which will provide attendees with an09Apr
Analyzing innovations in mobile radio frequency front-end integration
Posted: April 09, 2019 The mobile RF front-end architectures of 3G and early 4G smartphones were relatively simple and could be built from discrete components. The mobile radio frequency (RF) front-end today has become much more complex to support09Apr
High-Density Fan-Out Package Technologies – Examination and Comparison
April 9, 2019 / 2:00pm to 3:00pm ET Hosted By: Michel Roy Low-density fan-out package technology has been around for more than a decade. Due to limitations in RDL counts and capabilities in line space / line width, this technology has traditionally09Apr
3D NAND Metrology Challenges Growing
(Semiconductor Engineering) The big challenge is to characterize the inner portions of a 3D NAND device, which consists of complex materials, multiple layers and tiny channel holes. Then, as you add more layers, the metrology challenges increase “due09Apr
Autonomous Vehicles are Driving Innovation
Advances in AVs are having a ripple effect in multiple technology fields, from radar and LiDAR to signal processing. However, the rapid innovation pace is also creating challenges for automakers.29Mar
Siemens patent filings climb, but quality over quantity is the name of the game
In 2018 Siemens leapfrogged Huawei to become the number one filer at the EPO, a spot that it has not occupied since 2011. It has invested ...25Mar
Samsung Galaxy S10+ Teardown
Posted: March 1, 2019 Contributing Authors: Michelle Alarcon, Daniel Yang, Stacy Wegner, Albert Cowsky We got the new Samsung Galaxy S10+ a little early! TechInsights received the Exynos Samsung Galaxy S10+ SM-G975F/DS from Korea and it has been in01Mar
Lithography and the Future of Computing discussed at 2019 SPIE Advanced Lithography plenary session
On Monday, 25 February, researchers outlined the future of computers and computing during the opening plenary sessions of the 2019 Advanced Lithography conference. Speakers discussed challenges ahead, highlighting the need for an intelligent28Feb
Lenovo Brings the New Snapdragon to Market
Posted: February 20, 2019 Contributing Authors: Stacy Wegner and Daniel Yang Lenovo Z5 Pro GT How long would it take you to count from 1 to 220,000? Probably longer than 32 seconds, and yet 32 seconds is reportedly how long it look for Lenovo to sell20Feb
Sensor, Processor Innovations Move Autonomous Vehicles Forward
Self-driving cars are changing lives by delivering unprecedented personal mobility. In fact, they represent a paradigm shift in the definition of a vehicle. To ensure autonomous vehicles (AVs) deliver a safe, efficient, and enjoyable mode of travel13Feb
Navitas Found Inside the RAVPower RP-PC104-W Gallium Nitride 45 W USB C Power Delivery Charger
Posted: February 7, 2019 Contributing Authors: Sinjin Dixon-Warren, PhD Figure 1 – RAVPower RP-PC104 USB-C Charger One of the primary emerging applications for 650 V gallium nitride (GaN) power High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT) is likely to07Feb
Tesla Poised to Apply Maxwell’s Dry Electrode Innovation to Battery Cell Fabrication
Posted: February 7, 2019 Contributing Authors: Marty Bijman and Jim Hines Figure 1 – Tesla's portfolio including Maxwell and SolarCity acquisitions Figure 2 – Tesla Portfolio landscapes showing which inventions originated from Tesla, SolarCity, and07Feb
Tesla makes another profit - Chief Financial Officer resigns
But especially in terms of cost could German carmakers such as Daimler, BMW or the Volkswagen Group, in addition to mass-produced manufacturers such as Toyota or Honda for Tesla to a "dangerous competition," believes Jim Hines of Tech Insights. "The31Jan
How Microsoft’s patent portfolio reinforces its position as a market leader
A deep dive into the software company's portfolio shows that it is developing particular strength in the cloud and AI, though overall quality may ...29Jan
The Evolution of STMicroelectronics BCD Technology
Posted: January 22, 2019 Contributing Author: Sinjin Dixon-Warren, PhD TechInsights’ full analysis of the STMicroelectronics BCD9S referenced in this post is included in our new Power Semiconductor subscription, which addresses new technologies in22Jan
Quality control
(this article was originally published in IP Magazine) Balancing quantity v quality in patent portfolio management can be achieved by following some sound principles, argues Martin Bijman. In recent years, quality has eclipsed quantity in terms of09Jan
Inside an Apple iPhone: Where parts and materials come from
We traced what it takes to make an iPhone, from its initial design to the components and raw materials needed to make it a reality14Dec
TIPS - Finding Evidence of Use in Technology: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
TechInsights has identified Evidence of Use (EoU) for over 6,000 unique patents. In doing so, we have significantly evolved our understanding of what patents can be supported with EOU and honed our expertise in mapping claim elements to evidence –12Dec
Google Pixel 3 XL Teardown
Posted: December 10, 2018 Contributing Author: Daniel Yang & Stacy Wegner November 18, 2018 - the official launch date in the US, saw the release of the Google Pixel 3 and 3 XL, Google’s most advanced flagship smartphone to date. While we have taken10Dec
Fitbit Charge 3 Teardown
Posted: December 5, 2018 Contributing Author: Stacy Wegner New Design Win for Cypress Semiconductor As the end of 2018 looms, many people are preparing not only for the gift giving season, but for the onset of their fitness resolutions as well.05Dec
How China Took Over Your TV
"Made in China" once often meant "assembled" there. Now it’s mastering the art of making everything.18Nov
Red Hat’s patents will help IBM build cloud presence, exclusive analysis reveals
The open source business’s portfolio is not big, but should bolster Big Blue’s attempts to bridge the gap with Amazon, Google and Microsoft in a space that is rapidly growing in importance.13Nov
Automotive Patents: Owners, Technologies, and Investigating for EoU
Automotive Patents – Owners, Technologies, and Investigating for EOU. Numerous factors are promoting innovation in the automotive industry, including: ADAS and safety-related features are proliferating in response to new regulations and standards07Nov
An Examination of LPWAN Technology in IoT
TechInsights looks into the four main low-power wide-area-network technologies from the reverse-engineering angle via semiconductor die analysis, and its place in the IoT market.30Oct
A Look Inside MicroVision’s PicoP Projector Technology
Posted: October 30, 2018 Contributing Author: Sinjin Dixon-Warren, PhD MicroVision, based in Redmond WA, now in partnership with STMicroelectronics, has been a technology leader in the small form factor laser beam scanning (LBS) projector market.30Oct
The A12X: iPad Pro's Jump Into Machine Learning?
A longtime technology analyst predicts that Apple will unveil an A12X processor at its Oct. 30th event.29Oct
TIPS - Using Technical Evidence to Strengthen Patents
Patent Strengthening is a term we use to describe the different methods that can be applied during the prosecution to both maximize the usefulness of a patent once it grants, and to ensure your time and money are focused on your most valuable assets.23Oct
Intel's Latest Modem Gets Smaller
A move to a more advanced manufacturing tech allowed Intel to put more features into a smaller chip.15Oct
Optimizing Patent Prosecution to Achieve Stronger, More Valuable Patents
Patent strengthening is the term that refers to the process of achieving the greatest potential for value from a patent during the prosecution – before a patent is even granted. Events along the way during patent prosecution create multiple windows04Oct
The Cost Of IPhone XS Max: Does It Make The Price Look More Awful?
The newly released iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are now beginning to find their feet in the smartphone market. While the price of iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max has been a point of debate so far, it’s is interesting to find the cost of iPhone XS Max to27Sep
Apple iPhone Xs Max Teardown
Posted: September 17, 2018 - Updated: October 3, 2018 Contributing Author: Daniel Yang & Stacy Wegner It has become a tradition for us at TechInsights… as the beautiful Fall season rolls around, we all prepare for our Apple Day - the annual teardown25Sep
Comparing leading STBs, Streaming Devices, and Smart TVs - A design and BoM perspective
With a significant cord-cutting trend, much has been said about how operators are reacting and modifying their offerings to retain subscribers tempted by streaming services. TechInsights looks at this issue through a hardware lens, leveraging its18Sep
3D NAND Flash Wars Begin
Market overcrowding, more efficient manufacturing, and growing list of scaling issues create a challenging competitive landscape.20Aug
Autonomous vehicles: opportunities for innovation
The self-driving car will redefine personal mobility and change the way people think about cars, believes Jim Hines.15Aug
Samsung Galaxy Note9 Teardown
Posted: August 14, 2018 Contributing Author: Daniel Yang Inside the Samsung Galaxy Note9 Teardown Samsung officially released its latest Galaxy Note9 on August 9th. Our procurement team did an amazing job in getting the phone into our labs the very14Aug
$8.5B For Auto, IoT, Security Startups
First-half funding analysis shows continued robust investment in tech.08Aug
Patent Portfolio Management: Finding the Right Balance of Quantity vs. Quality
Portfolio managers have different strategies for managing their patent portfolios. At a high level, most strategies pivot on a balance of quantity versus quality to achieve the desired business outcomes. These outcomes include: improving your brand;06Aug
TIPS - Automotive Patents - Owners, Technologies, and Investigating for EoU
The automotive industry is facing disruption from new market entrants, emerging mobility business models and changing consumer attitudes about car ownership. The future of mobility is evolving, and the automobile is becoming a much more complex11Jul
Creating Better Applications Through Patent Strengthening
Patent strengthening is the term we use to refer to the process of achieving the greatest potential for value from a patent during the prosecution – before a patent is even granted.20Jun
First Look at Intel’s 10nm Cannon Lake CPU Die
TechInsights analysts have picked up Lenovo’s first 10nm CPU and taken it apart to take a look at the processor. This is the first time we’ve seem a Cannon Lake CPU in the wild, this is Intel’s much-maligned 10nm process and based on a 71mm Cannon14Jun
Intel 10 nm Logic Process Analysis (Cannon Lake)
Posted: June 12, 2018 Intel 10nm Logic Process Analysis TechInsights has found the long-awaited Cannon Lake - the Intel 10 nm logic process inside the i3-8121U CPU, used in the Lenovo IdeaPad330. This innovation boasts the following: Logic transistor12Jun
SK hynix 72L 3D NAND Analysis
Posted: May 31, 2018 SK hynix 72L 3D NAND Analysis SK hynix claims to have created the industry’s first-ever 72-layer 256Gb 3D NAND flash. This innovation has a block size 50% larger compared to 48-layer 3D TLC chips, it has a lower programming time31May
Philip Morris device knows a lot about your smoking habit
Unlike a conventional cigarette, the iQOS is an electronic device with circuitry that enables it to collect user information. A teardown analysis shows this could give the tobacco giant remarkable insight into people's smoking habits. Philip Morris15May
Micron 1x nm DDR Analysis
Posted: May 14, 2018 TechInsights has found the Micron 1x nm process in the Micron DIMM (DDR4) and Huawei Mate 10 (LPDDR4). This process brings about smaller die sizes and increased bit density over its predecessor, but it also presented a bit of a14May
TIPS - Investigating Patented Technology in Challenging Product Areas
"Black box reveal" is the term we use to refer to “the hard stuff” – technology that, for one reason or another, is difficult to analyze for evidence of use. These can be devices that are physically impossible to re-create, virtual environments,03May
In-TAC 6th National Virtual Career Expo
You will get the chance to browse for jobs listed by our partner companies, apply directly for job openings, chat with the employer representatives and our employment counsellors, and learn more about working in different parts of Canada - ALL IN16Apr
Samsung’s Anti-Fuse Technology found on 18 nm DRAM
Posted: April 11, 2018 Contributing Author: Jeongdong Choe, Senior Technical Fellow We at TechInsights are happy to report that we have found and analyzed Anti-fuse array blocks on a Samsung 18 nm DDR4 DRAM die. Anti-fuse is one of the embedded NVM11Apr
Samsung Galaxy S9 Camera Teardown
Posted: April 9, 2018 Contributing Author: Ray Fontaine Our lab team has made good progress on structural analyses of the camera chips from Galaxy S9/S9+. While most of the details are reserved for our subscribers, we did want to share an overview as09Apr
Samsung Galaxy S9 Teardown
Posted: March 1, 2018 - Updated: March 21, 2018 Contributing Author: Daniel Yang & Stacy Wegner Samsung Galaxy S9 As we reported in our MWC18 blog, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones were officially unveiled in Barcelona on Feb 25, 201821Mar
Cost Comparison – Samsung Galaxy S9+, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Samsung Galaxy 8+, Apple iPhone 8+, Apple iPhone X
Posted: March 15, 2018 Cost Comparison Observations Cost Comparison Observations As we did when the Apple X and Huawei Mate 10 phones were released, we have compiled a brief comparison between some of the biggest flagship phones out there… this time,15Mar
Samsung S5K2X7SP 0.9 µm Image Sensor
Posted: March 8, 2018 Samsung S5K2X7SP Image Sensor We did not expect to see the Samsung S5K2X7SP image sensor until Q2, 2018…but here it is in the Vivo V7+. The application is a 24 MP selfie camera that uses Samsung’s Tetracell platform (2x2 pixels08Mar
What does Uber’s patent landscape look like?
Posted: February 27, 2018 Contributing Authors: Marty Bijman Recently, IAM’s Timothy Au posted a blog providing a look at Uber’s portfolio. The blog references Uber’s portfolio makeup, and provides a chronicle of their IP events over the last 5 years27Feb
Patent Portfolio Monetization Key Considerations for Companies in 2018 and Beyond
Patent Portfolio Monetization: Companies worldwide consider Intellectual Property (IP) as one of their most valuable asset classes because of the substantial financial and strategic value that can be generated from IP monetization transactions and20Feb
Apple HomePod Teardown and Cost Comparison
February 16, 2018 Contributing Authors: Stacy Wegner, Daniel Yang, Kim Waterman The Apple HomePod, before it was sent to our labs Cost Comparison Observations Since the introduction of the Amazon Echo smart speaker back in 2015, OEMs like Google,16Feb
Artificial Intelligence in the Microsoft Azure IP Advantage Portfolio
Posted: February 7, 2018 Contributing Authors: Dirk Caspary, David Olaogbebikan and Martin Bijman It has been a year since Microsoft released the Azure IP Advantage program – a service that “provides the industry’s most comprehensive protection07Feb
Unlocking the Value in Software Patents - a Technical Perspective
Alice has had an impact on software patents, but they can and still do hold significant value. If your portfolio includes software patents, there will be times when you want to extract value from that portion of your portfolio. As with any patent,01Feb
Toshiba 64L NAND – BiCS FLASH
Posted: January 17, 2018 Toshiba 64L NAND – BiCS FLASH Toshiba released their 64L NAND solution (BiCS FLASH) in a SanDisk Ultra 3d SSD in 2017. TechInsights has conducted a significant amount of analysis on this product, including the following17Jan
Samsung 64L 3D V-NAND
Posted: January 17, 2018 Samsung 64L 3D V-NAND Samsung released their 64L 3D V-NAND solution in January of 2017 for key IT customers, and ramped up production in June for its expanded general market. The innovation included the following highlights:17Jan
Choosing the right tools for better IP decisions
There are many tools designed to help IP owners in the value creation process, but selecting the right ones can be a tough task. Considering the key issues can help to simplify the process...01Jan
Samsung 18 nm DRAM Analysis
Posted: December 15, 2017 In April 2017, Samsung became the world’s first manufacturer to mass produce 10 nm-class DRAM. In June 2017, TechInsights published a blog based on our first learnings on this innovation that detailed a memory density15Dec
Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro Fitness Band Teardown
December 12, 2017 Contributing Authors: Stacy Wegner, Daniel Yang Gear Fit 2 Pro SM-R365 As the gift-giving season approaches and people start dreading thinking of their New Year’s resolutions, the fitness wearable market becomes more active (pun12Dec
Samsung Read Retry for 3D NAND
Posted: November 17, 2017 Significant intellectual property has been developed around these algorithms related to error correction, read-retry techniques, wear leveling, garbage collection, data flush, and data trimming, amongst others. Testing the17Nov
Cost Comparison – Apple iPhone X, Apple iPhone 8, Huawei Mate 10, Samsung Galaxy S8
Posted: November 10, 2017, Updated: November 15, 2017 Contributing Authors: Al Cowsky, Stacy Wegner While Apple and Samsung have been engaged in a tug-of-war for the title of top-selling smartphone provider over the past couple of years, China’s10Nov
Intel/Micron 64L 3D NAND Analysis
Posted: November 9, 2017 Intel/Micron 64L 3D NAND Analysis The Intel 545S SSD, introduced in June 2017, was the first product to include the Intel/Micron 64L 3D NAND, and one of the first SSD to use 64L. The device boasts a more compacted die09Nov
Apple iPhone X Teardown
Posted: September 13, 2017, Updated: November 8, 2017 Contributing Authors: Daniel Yang, Stacy Wegner, Jim Morrison Apple iPhone X Apple used the tagline “Say hello to the future” to introduce the era of the iPhone X, and with the iPhone X in our lab02Nov
Cost Comparison – Huawei Mate 10, iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy S8
Posted: November 1, 2017, Updated: November 6, 2017 Contributing Authors: Al Cowsky While Apple and Samsung have been engaged in a tug-of-war for the title of top-selling smartphone provider over the past couple of years, China’s dominant OEM -01Nov
Huawei Mate 10 Teardown
Posted: October 26, 2017, Updated: November 15, 2017 Contributing Authors: Daniel Yang, Stacy Wegner Typically we save these kinds of full-court-press teardown events for an Apple or a Samsung Galaxy, and no doubt we are gearing up for iPhone X quick31Oct
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 & Alpha Teardown
Posted: October 17, 2014 Samsung Galaxy Note 4 , Galaxy Alpha, and Apple iPhone 6 Phones Samsung released their latest 5.7inch flagship Galaxy Note 4 ahead of schedule in South Korea, and then followed it up with the release of the Samsung Galaxy17Oct
Apple Watch Series 3 Teardown
Posted: September 13, 2017, Updated October 17, 2017 Contributing Authors: Daniel Yang, Stacy Wegner We have completed the Apple Watch Series 3 teardown. We were especially interested in its cellular functionality, and whether the LTE chipset30Sep
Apple iPhone 8 Plus Teardown
Posted: September 10, 2017, Updated: October 11, 2017 Contributing Authors: Daniel Yang, Stacy Wegner, Ray Fontaine A11 Bionic Application Processor Applications Processor The iPhone 8 Plus A1897 model we examined initially is confirmed to contain12Sep
TSMC 10 nm Process
Posted: July 26, 2017 TSMC 10 nm was found in the Apple A10X processor (APL1071) found in the Apple iPad Pro 10.5 (MQDT2CL/A). Taking a deeper look inside the TSMC 10 nm, our experts found quad-patterned FinFETs, which are first in the industry. Our26Jul
A Survey of Enabling Technologies in Successful Consumer Digital Imaging Products (Part 3: Pixel Isolation Structures)
Posted: July 24, 2017 Contributing Authors: Ray Fontaine The third topic addressed in the IISW 2017 paper was an overview of the trends we’re seeing in pixel isolation structures. These structures are critical to the performance of 1.0 µm to 1.4 µm24Jul
A Survey of Enabling Technologies in Successful Consumer Digital Imaging Products (Part 2: Stacked Chip Image Sensors)
Posted: June 21, 2017 Contributing Authors: Ray Fontaine At the time of the IISW paper submission deadline in April, we hadn’t yet received the Sony Xperia XZs with 3-layer stacked Motion Eye camera. The technology development had been announced at21Jun
Samsung 18 nm DRAM cell integration: QPT and higher uniformed capacitor high-k dielectrics
Posted: June 14, 2017 Contributing Authors: Jeongdong Choe, Senior Technical Fellow Samsung has begun to mass-produce their first 10 nm-class DRAM products, and we’ve taken this opportunity to analyze and compare it to the previous generations of 2514Jun
A Survey of Enabling Technologies in Successful Consumer Digital Imaging Products (Part 1: PDAF)
Posted: June 13, 2017 Contributing Authors: Ray Fontaine This year’s IISW marked the 10th anniversary of this biennial conference and corresponded to the 10th anniversary of TechInsights’ presence at the workshop. Don Scansen attended in 2007, under13Jun
Memory/Selector Elements for Intel Optane™ XPoint Memory
Posted: June 07, 2017 Contributing Authors: Jeongdong Choe, Senior Technical Fellow Figure 1. A comparison of memory density TechInsights has continued to dig into the process, cell structure and materials analysis of the Intel OptaneTM XPoint memory07Jun
SK hynix’ 21 nm DRAM Cell Technology: Comparison of 1st and 2nd generation
Posted: June 05, 2017 Contributing Authors: Jeongdong Choe, Senior Technical Fellow Die Photo SK hynix successively developed their 2nd generation 21 nm DRAM technology last year. Low yield and reliability issues on 21 nm 1st generation, means their05Jun
Intel 3D XPoint Memory Die Removed from Intel Optane™ PCM (Phase Change Memory)
Posted: May 18, 2017 Contributing Authors: Jeongdong Choe, Senior Technical Fellow Figure 1: Xpoint Memory Package Figure 2: Xpoint Memory Die (16 GB) TechInsights recently acquired and tore down an Intel OptaneTM M.2 80mm 16GB PCIe 3.0 and18May
Intel 3D XPoint
Posted: May 16, 2017 3D XPoint technology was unveiled by Intel and Micron in August 2015, creating the first new memory category in more than 25 years. When Intel announced the Optane brand for storage products based on 3D XPoint technology, it15May
Sony IMX400 3-Layer Stacked (Exmor RS) CMOS Image Sensor
Posted: May 11, 2017 Sony Mobile announced the Xperia XZs at Mobile World Congress in February 2017. The Xperia XZs features a 1/2.3-inch optical format, 19 Mp resolution, Exmor RS “Motion Eye” camera offering with 960 fps video and predictive11May
IAM IP in the Auto Industry (USA)
May 8th, 2019 TechInsights will be a gold sponsor at the upcoming IAM IP in the Auto Industry event in Detroit. Jim Hines, Director, Automotive Products, will be a speaker on the “The future car part two: the connected car” panel.08May
Sony Launches First Three-Layer, 960 fps Camera with Sandwich-Stacked DRAM
Posted: May 2, 2017 Contributing Authors: Dick James, Fellow Emeritus During the ISSCC conference last February, Sony issued a press release describing “Industry's First 3-Layer Stacked CMOS Image Sensor with DRAM for Smartphones” . There have been02May
Samsung 10 nm LPE Process
Posted: April 26, 2017 The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 applications processor found in the Samsung Galaxy S8 is confirmed to be built on Samsung’s 10 nm LPE process. Debut devices for the 10 nm LPE are the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and the Samsung Exynos 926Apr
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 First to 10 nm
Posted: April 24, 2017 Contributing Authors: Andy Wei With the first set of Samsung Galaxy S8 teardowns , we have access now to the first SoCs produced on “10 nm” class technology. First to the 10 nm productization finish line is the Qualcomm24Apr
Qualcomm WTR5975 Gigabit LTE Transceiver
Posted: April 20, 2017 Qualcomm WTR5975 Gigabit LTE Transceiver The WTR5975 is a member of the Snapdragon 835 family found in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and is the world’s first single-chip RF IC supporting Gigabit Class LTE, LTE-U, and LAA with 5 GHz20Apr
Samsung Galaxy S8 Teardown (SM-G950W)
Posted: April 7, 2017, Updated: April 25, 2017 We are excited to announce receipt of our Galaxy S8. Our blog details teardown findings including cost observations, verification of the 10 nm LPE process, commentary on the Qualcomm WTR5975 Gigabit LTE07Apr
Nintendo Switch Teardown
Posted: March 3, 2017, Updated: April 24, 2017 Nintendo Switch Packaging Friday was a big day for Nintendo, and indeed the gaming community as a whole, with the launch of the new and innovative console-tablet hybrid, the Nintendo Switch. For03Mar
A look at the Microsoft Azure IP Advantage Portfolio
Posted: February 10, 2017 Contributing Authors: Ray Angers, Goran Grbic and Martin Bijman Microsoft recently launched a new service to their cloud customers offering protection against patent infringement lawsuits. TechInsights was given early access10Feb
Apple W1 343S00131 Bluetooth Module
Posted: January 20, 2017 Apple W1 343S00131 Bluetooth Module The W1 chip found in the Beats Studio wireless headphone has the package mark 343S00131. Meanwhile, the W1 chip torn down from the Apple AirPods has the package mark 343S00130. They have a20Jan
AirPods and the W1 wireless SoC: Squeezing innovative technology inside very small packages
Posted: January 20, 2017 Contributing Authors: Jim Morrison and Daniel Yang The AirPods were announced back in September of 2016 and our analysis team at TechInsights had eagerly anticipated them to be for sale in October. However, October and20Jan
Google Pixel vs Xiaomi Mi 5s – Form, Fit, and Function Are Similar – but the Price?
Posted: October 27, 2016 Contributing Authors: Dick James Recently Google launched their Pixel phone with great fanfare and media response. This is the first phone for which Google designed the hardware, software, and cloud ecosystem, as opposed to27Oct
STMicroelectronics’ Time-of-Flight Sensors and the Starship Enterprise Show up in the iPhone 7 Series
Posted: October 17, 2016 Contributing Authors: Dick James One of the lesser-known stories of mobile phone evolution is the development of proximity sensing in order to save power and disable touch screen functions when the phone is actually being17Oct
Growth by Acquisition: Qualcomm in Talks to Acquire NXP
Posted: October 12, 2016 Contributing Authors: John Sullivan UPDATE October 27th 2016: Today Qualcomm announced a definitive agreement to purchase NXP . This acquisition instantly positions Qualcomm highly in the automotive market, in direct12Oct
Fitbit Charge 2 Teardown
Posted: October 7, 2016 Contributing Authors: Mandi Gingerich Fitbit Charge 2 Fitbit Charge 2 Now that we have had a look at Apple’s latest offering in the world of wearables, it’s time to dig into the latest from one of the original fitness tracker07Oct
Apple Watch Series 2 Teardown
Posted: September 28, 2016 - Updated: March 23, 2017 Contributing Authors: Mandi Gingerich and Jim Morrison Just when you thought we might be finished with Apple-related teardown updates, here we are once again. We too had hoped to be through with28Sep
Apple iPhone 7 Teardown
Posted: September 15, 2016 Contributing Authors: Stacy Wegner, Al Cowsky, Chad Davis, Dick James, Daniel Yang, Ray Fontaine and Jim Morrison And the winner is….Intel, at least in the iPhone 7 A1778 we have in our lab. The Intel and Apple iPhone 715Sep
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Teardown
Posted: September 12, 2016 Contributing Authors: Dick James As usual, within days of the August 19 launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, we had it in pieces and had identified most of the significant components that were inside. Samsung Galaxy Note 712Sep
Who will acquire Intersil?
Posted: September 08, 2016 Contributing Authors: Ray Angers Speculation about who will acquire analog semiconductor manufacturer Intersil is high in the latest chapter of the 2016 Mergers and Acquisitions story. Reports indicate that Japan’s Renesas,08Sep
Beyond Apple's Force/3D Touch? – Is Synaptics the Key?
Posted: August 12, 2016 Contributing Authors: Ray Angers Last year we looked at the Force Touch technology on the Apple Watch including its construction and its capacitive sensing approach. Later in the year, Apple introduced 3D Touch on iPhone 6s12Aug
USPTO’s New API Expected to Shake-Up the Patent Tools Market
Posted: June 21, 2016 Contributing Authors: Mike Spence and Martin Bijman It feels like the intellectual property (IP) industry is being inundated with new patent tools. These tools generally sit on top of the same corpus of data – patent and21Jun
LinkedIn's patent portfolio; looking for hidden gems
Posted: June 16, 2016 Contributing Authors: John Sullivan The acquisition “Revitalizing Microsoft,” “connecting Office directly to LinkedIn,” “embedding Lynda’s training videos inside of Microsoft software,” “giving Cortana digital assistant access16Jun
Apple iPhone SE Teardown
Posted: June 6, 2016 Contributing Authors: Jim Morrison, Ray Fontaine, Dick James, Daniel Yang, and Mandi Gingerich The long-rumored, cost-friendly iPhone SE was finally announced on March 21st of this year. Said to be the iPhone 6s squeezed into the06Jun
IAM IP in the Auto Industry (Europe)
May 16th, 2019 TechInsights is a gold sponsor at the upcoming IAM IP in the Auto Industry event in Munich, Germany. Jim Hines, Director, Automotive Products, will be a speaker on the “The future car: part two”.16May
Broadcom’s Wireless IoT Business IP
Posted: May 10, 2016 Contributing Authors: Ray Angers Just three months after the formation of Broadcom Limited, the first large organizational change came recently with the announcement that the newly formed entity was selling its wireless Internet10May
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Teardown
Posted: April 24, 2016 Contributing Authors: Jim Morrison, Ray Fontaine, Dick James and Daniel Yang The following teardown blog contains some of our initial findings. For more in depth information on these topics and more, download the full Galaxy S724Apr
Samsung tops an updated TechInsights analysis of the IP of IoT
Posted: April 14, 2016 Contributing Authors: Martin Bijman In the spring of 2015, Chipworks published in IAM magazine an article about the IP of IoT , listing IBM, Microsoft, and Samsung as the top IoT patent holders. TechInsights has continued to14Apr
Fitbit Alta Teardown
Posted: March 20, 2016 Contributing Authors: Mandi Gingerich, Julia Elvidge and Jim Morrison Fitbit Alta The new, more-stylish Alta fitness tracker If you look through our recent blog history, you will quickly see evidence of TechInsights’ interest20Mar
Microsoft Band II Teardown
Posted: February 29, 2016 Microsoft Band II Teardown We tore down the Microsoft Band II back in November, but we think it deserves a second look. It has a lot of great silicon inside. The Band II website gave us a beautifully animated exploded view29Feb
Apple Pencil Teardown
Posted: December 23, 2015 A lot of semiconductor content in something so small! Last month we purchased an iPad Pro and an Apple pencil to understand what devices were being used by Apple in this new tablet and stylus solution. This story is not23Dec
Microsemi or Skyworks Who’s the best suitor for PMC-Sierra
Posted: October 23, 2015 Contributing Authors: Ray Angers Microsemi Corp. (Aliso Viejo, California) trumped Skyworks’ (Woburn, Massachusetts) $2 billion bid for PMC-Sierra this week with their offer of $11.50 per share, or about $2.2 billion.23Oct
Apple iPhone 6s Teardown
Posted: September 25, 2015 Contributing Authors: Dick James, Daniel Yang, Stacy Wegner, Chad Davis & Albert Cowsky It’s now a yearly ritual - go line up and get the new iPhone! This year Apple did multi-country launches, and allowed pre-orders to be25Sep
OnePlus 2 Teardown
Posted: August 21, 2015 Well, that happened. We found ourself doing not ONE, but two, quick turn teardowns on the same day - the OnePlus 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. We couldn’t have done it without the full support of our teams, both here in the21Aug
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Teardown
Posted: August 21, 2015 A Galaxy More Like the S6 than the Note 4 In this galaxy not that long ago, Samsung released what could arguably be the first device to put ‘phablet’ in all of our vocabularies, the Galaxy Note. Fast forward to their recent21Aug
Apple Watch Teardown
Posted: April 24, 2015 Contributing Authors: Jim Morrison. Daniel Yang and Chad Davis Apple Delivers a Wearable in Total Apple Fashion A few days ago, Apple sent us our tracking number indicating that our shipment would arrive today, Friday, April24Apr
Samsung Galaxy S6 Teardown
Posted: April 2, 2015 Contributing Authors: Dick James and Daniel Yang Samsung Galaxy S6 Teardown The much anticipated Samsung Galaxy S6 has made an early appearance in our teardown labs this morning – thanks to the diligent skills of our trusted02Apr
Intel Bolsters IoT Position
Posted: February 9, 2015 Contributing Authors: Martin Bijman On Feb 2, Intel announced it will purchase “Internet of Things” (IoT) chip company Lantiq. According to Intel, this will enhance connection experiences in the home, by extending its home09Feb
Nortel Patents Make News Again – Rockstar Patents Sold to RPX
Posted: December 24, 2014 Contributing Authors: Martin Bijman On December 23, 2014, RPX purchased the remaining assets of Rockstar for $900M.[1] RPX describes in their release that of the 6,000 assets in the initial Rockstar $4.5B purchase of Nortel24Dec
Apple iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Teardown
Posted: September 9, 2014 Contributing Authors: C. Young, D. Yang, R. Fontaine, J. Morrison, D. James, Chad Davis and Albert Cowsky Inside the Apple iPhone 6 The iPhone 6 may be the most anticipated Apple handset since the original iPhone, and with09Sep
Amazon Fire Phone Teardown
Posted: July 25, 2014 Amazon Fire Phone Teardown Preliminary Teardown analysis suggests that Amazon’s $649.00 USD (Amazon.com) phone costs $209.00 USD to build. Qualcomm is the primary providers of many of the key integrated circuits and both25Jul
Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Teardown
Posted: July 1, 2014 Galaxy S5 Mini Processor Package-on-Package Samsung Brings Shannon into the Galaxy S5 Mini Samsung brings their Shannon solution into the Galaxy S5 Mini, and by our observations this model already has FCC approval. The SM-G800F01Jul
SanDisk Broadens SSD IP with Fusion-io
Posted: June 24, 2014 Contributing Authors: Ray Angers The US$1.1B takeover bid announced last week by storage solutions heavyweight SanDisk (SNDK.O) for Utah-based Fusion-io (FIO.N) has many suggesting this signals SanDisk’s ambitions to dominate24Jun
Taking the Lid Off Microsoft’s Secret Android-killer Patents
Posted: June 20, 2014 Contributing Authors: Martin Bijman The Chinese government recently revealed Microsoft’s secret list of about 310 Android-killer US patents . TechInsights has taken an initial look at these patents. We found there were actually20Jun
Apple TV vs Amazon Fire TV Teardown
Posted: April 20, 2014 Apple TV vs Amazon Fire TV Teardown The Apple TV (3rd generation) model A1427, was released in March 2012 and torn down and a Bill of Materials was generated in June 2012. At the time, the BOM was estimated by TechInsights™20Apr
Samsung Galaxy S5 Teardown
Posted: April 11, 2014 Contributing Authors: M. Alarcon, R. Fontaine, D. James, R. Krishnamurthy, J. Morrison, D. Yang and C. Young Samsung Galaxy S5 Samsung unveiled their Galaxy S5 in Barcelona during this year’s Mobile World Congress. Although11Apr
Xbox One Kinect Teardown
Posted: November 28, 2013 Contributing Authors: Dick James Xbox One Kinect As we said in our Xbox One article, the new Kinect is quite a complex piece of equipment, so we thought that we'd dedicate a whole article to it. The first major difference we28Nov
PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One Teardown Comparison
Posted: November 25, 2013 Contributing Authors: Al Cowsky and Dr. John Scott-Thomas Microsoft comes out punching with a significant upgrade to Xbox franchise console and true competitor to Sony’s PS4 while still delivers per unit profits.25Nov
Xbox One Teardown
Posted: November 22, 2013 Xbox One It's clear we're in the run-up to the gift-giving season, with multiple launches of tablets and gaming systems. Last week was the turn of the Microsoft Xbox One, and it's hard to believe it's been twelve years since22Nov
Sony PlayStation 4 Teardown
Posted: November 15, 2013 Sony PlayStation 4 Sony’s PlayStation 4 makes its debut today and TechInsights’ Teardown team has hands on analysis of the components that promise to set a new benchmark in the gaming industry. While we’ll be tearing down15Nov
Apple iPad Air Teardown
Posted: November 1, 2013 Inside On October 23, 2013, Apple announced the newest iPad, the iPad Air. Since the announcement, we at TechInsights have been anxiously waiting for the opportunity to get our hands on the device. Well that moment has01Nov
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Teardown
Posted: October 4, 2013 Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Teardown In 2011 Samsung defined a new category with its 5.3” diagonal Galaxy Note phone. The original Note was so large it was considered by many as a phone that aspired to be a tablet; hence the term04Oct
Apple iPhone 5c Teardown
Posted: September 20, 2013 Contributing Authors: Jim Morrison and Chad Davis Apple iPhone 5c On September 10, 2013, Apple announced two new iPhones, the 5s and 5c. Since the announcement, we at TechInsights have been anxiously waiting for the20Sep
Apple iPhone 5s Teardown
Posted: September 20, 2013 Contributing Authors: Jim Morrison, Ray Fontaine, Dick James and Chad Davis Inside On September 10, 2013, Apple announced two new iPhones, the 5s and 5c. Since the announcement, we at TechInsights have been anxiously20Sep
BlackBerry Patents – Part 3
Posted: September 18, 2013 Contributing Authors: Miranda Lim In Parts 1 and 2, we reviewed the breakdown of BlackBerry’s patent portfolio. We also took a closer look at how the portfolio breaks down from a technology perspective into three main areas18Sep
BlackBerry Patents – Part 2
Posted: September 11, 2013 Contributing Authors: Miranda Lim Last week we took a high level look at BlackBerry’s patent portfolio – total number of US patents and applications and other jurisdictions they are filing in. We also broke the portfolio11Sep
BlackBerry Patents – Another Hi-Tech Treasure Trove?
Posted: September 5, 2013 Contributing Authors: Miranda Lim Eyes have been on BlackBerry for the past several weeks, as the company announced the formation of a special committee to explore strategic business alternatives, including a possible sale05Sep
Samsung Galaxy S4 Teardown
Posted: April 24, 2013 Inside the Samsung Galaxy S4 Smartphone – Cementing a legacy If there is one thing I have learned in my years on this planet, it would be that it is human nature to staunchly choose sides. Whether it is Republican or Democrat,24Apr
HTC One Teardown
Posted: March 28, 2013 HTC One Before entering the teardown lab we take 20-30 minutes with each phone. We aren't talking about running benchmarks in Passmark or Antutu, but simply getting our impressions. While we took some time with it at the Mobile28Mar
Google Glass Teardown
Posted: February 21, 2013 Inside Originally the Google Glass was only available to “Explorers” better known as developers. Finally Google offered a one day sale on April 15, 2014 allowing the general public to purchase the Glass for a whopping $1500.21Feb
Blackberry Z10 Teardown
Posted: February 5, 2013 Building off the momentum of an international product launch in New York that featured not only a corporate rebranding and the naming of a Grammy-award winning artist as their new global creative director, one had to wade05Feb
Nintendo Wii U Teardown
Posted: February 4, 2013 Nintendo Wii U Looking at the Wii U Graphics Processor Yes, even reverse engineering the latest technology has its up and down days. At the start of the reverse engineering process, we generally have a simple electronics04Feb
GoPro Hero3 Wearable Sports Camera Teardown
Posted: January 22, 2013 GoPro Hero3 GoPro Hero3 The Hero3 fills a profitable niche in a crowded imaging market where other devices, such as digital still cameras and video cameras, are losing market share. I think we would be safe to assume that the22Jan
Nikon D5200 DSLR Teardown
Posted: January 8, 2013 Nikon D5200 DSLR At CES 2013 Nikon announced the US availability of a new premium-level consumer DSLR camera, the D5200. When compared to the high level of integration on a single board that one finds in a typical smart phone08Jan
Systems Analysis of the Apple Lightning to USB Cable
Posted: December 5, 2012 Systems analysis identifies how devices are used together – and may include testing of signals and software inside or between chips using sniffers, probing, data capture, or literature. Systems analysis, including software05Dec
Apple iPad Mini Teardown
Posted: November 1, 2012 Apple iPad Mini Teardown Since its introduction of the iPad nearly two and a half years ago, Apple has held onto the lion’s share of the tablet market. Particularly, Apple has managed to hold off all competitors that dared to01Nov
Apple Lightning to 30 Pin Adapter Teardown
Posted: October 18, 2012 Apple Lightning to 30 Pin Adapter Reverse engineering is not forward engineering done backwards and so you never know what you will learn or when you will learn it. Enter the Apple Lightning Adapter plug. Deserving of some18Oct
Apple Lightning Cable Teardown
Posted: October 15, 2012 We couldn’t help but notice that there is a lot of speculation and discussion (and frankly, a few wild guesses) concerning the functions of the Apple’s new lightning connectors. We don’t normally give (a total of five blogs!)15Oct
Apple iPhone 5 Teardown
Posted: September 21, 2012 Apple is considered by many to be the leader of the smartphone market. Within 5 years, Apple has generated over $150 billion in revenue from the iPhone family of handsets and accessories (according to research firm Strategy21Sep
Apple iPhone 4s Teardown
Posted: October 14, 2011 Apple iPhone 4s Since the June 24th release of the iPhone 4, Apple’s dedicated fans have eagerly anticipated the next iteration of the immensely popular iPhone series of handsets. As rumors, leaked images of parts, and14Oct
Apple iPhone 4 Teardown
Posted: June 24, 2010 On June 23rd, we were one of the lucky ones to actually have our iPhone delivered to us before the actual release date of June 24th. We went to work quickly dissecting the latest handset from Apple, and what we found was both24Jun