A recent teardown of an iPhone SE has revealed the new Apple smartphone operates using a logic board filled with a combination of new chips and parts from other iPhone models.
Tech website Chipworks reported that the cost-friendly iPhone contains several parts that are identical to those found in iPhone 5 and iPhone 6/ iPhone 6s units. This is not surprising given that Apple markets the iPhone SE as having the power of iPhone 6 packed in the body of an iPhone 5.
The SE's printed circuit board is fitted with an A9 application processor and a 2 GB SK Hynix DRAM, two components that can also be found in an iPhone 6.
The touch screen technology for the new four-inch iPhone is operated using Texas Instruments 343S0645 and Broadcom BCM5976 controllers. These parts are also used in iPhone 5 units as well as other Apple devices such as iPods, iPad Minis, MacBook Pros and MacBook Airs.
Chipworks's experts found other iPhone 6 throwbacks on the iPhone SE as well such as an NXP 66V10 near field communication (NFC) controller and a six-axis inertial sensor. It also has a Qualcomm MDM9625M modem and a WTR1625L RF transceiver, which were also first seen on iPhone 6/ iPhone 6 Plus handsets.
While the SE has several components that it shares with iPhone 5 and iPhone 6/ iPhone 6s units, it also features new internal parts such as different power management integrated circuit labeled as 338S00170.
Despite running on parts that are identical with earlier iPhone models, the iPhone SE is not by any means a lightweight compared to Apple's other flagship devices. In fact, the company is viewing the four-inch iPhone as a way to address growing smartphone markets and to provide an option for former Android users who prefer to have smaller devices.
Apple has yet to release its official figures on the iPhone SE's weekend sales, but initial reports show that there have been more than 3.4 million preorders for the unit in China alone.
A report by data analytics firm Slice Intelligence indicate that the SE is helping Apple draw more former Android users to switch to iPhone devices.
