Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone Teardown

Main Features

Mid-Range Quad-Band GSM/GPRS candy bar phone emphasizing its sleek, thin design with only 11.5mm thick without sacrificing features such as a vivid 1.9 262K color TFT display, a VGA camera, Bluetooth capability, MP3 player and network dependent Push to Talk function. It also comes with a MicroSD memory card slot for ease of pictures and MP3 storage.

Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone Main Image

The Motorola SLVR L7 is a successor of the L6 which is quite a standard phone without a lot of 'extra' features. The SLVR L7 inherits the slim look and feel ultimately from the RAZR with an ultra thin 11.5mm thick body without compromising functionality.

Target Market

Mainstream audience looking for a thin candybar alternative to the clamshell RAZR. This is really just a complementary extension of the RAZR line.

Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone - Rear View - Disassembly with Main PCB Removed

SLVR L7 is available in Q3 2005, per press release from Motorola.

Pricing and Availability

The phone is offered by Cingular Wireless in the US for $149.99 with a 2-year contract and $50 mail in rebate. In the UK, Vodafone carries this phone for free with various contracts.

Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone - Main PCB - Top

Motorola has a large, commanding market share, and achieved incredible volume and visibility with the RAZR, which has since been succeeded to some extent by other 'thin' models, specifically the SLVR and Q, which Motorola ultimately hope will help extend this success with other models, and better capitalize on their new form 'trademark'.

Our production volume assumptions were derived from iSuppli's Dessgn Forecast Tool and other wireless area research. Based on iSuppli's estimates we arrived at our assumption of approximately 20M units over the production lifespan (generally assumed at 2 years for handsets).

As a reminder, volume production assumptions primarily affect our cost analysis in terms of amortized NRE and tooling costs, especially for custom components specific to the model being analyzed (mechanical components especially).

Market Sector / Performance

Per iSuppli research we estimate total Motorola shipments of 16 million quad-band (800/900/1800/1900) GPRS handset shipments in 2006, declining to 14M units in 2007; with the introduction of 1 quad-band handset in 2005 by Motorola, as well as the introduction of 1 quad-band in 2006. This represents Quad-Band GSM/GPRS shipments for Motorola only. Quad-band EDGE is expected to be double this volume for 2006.

Function / Performance

No testing was performed on the Motorola SLVR L7.

Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone Cost Analysis

Main Cost Drivers Representing approximately 66% of total materials costs

Display Module - 1.9' Diagonal, 262K Color TFT, 176x220 Pixels

Intel - RD38F4050L0YBQ0 - MCP - NOR Flash 256Mb + PSRAM 64Mb

Freescale - SC29343VKP - DBB - Digital Baseband Processor

Freescale - MC13890 - ABB - Analog Baseband / Power Management

Motorola - SNN5696B - Battery - Li-ion - 3.7V, 820mAh

Camera Module - VGA CMOS, 1/6' Format - Fixed Lens

ATI - IMAGEON 2240 - Multimedia Co-processor

Broadcom - BCM2035KWB - Bluetooth Baseband - Single Chip HCI Solution

RF Micro Devices - RF6025 - RF Transceiver - Quad-Band, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, w/ Integrated SAW Filters

RF Micro Devices - RF3178 - Transmit Module - PAM - Quad Band GSM850/900/1800/1900 w/ Integrated Power Control & Antenna Switch

Main PCB - Compeq - 8-Layer - FR4/RCF HDI, 2+4+2

Materials and Manufacturing*

* - The total materials and manufacturing costs reported in this analysis reflect only the direct materials cost (from component vendors and assorted EMS providers), manufacturing and test. Not included in this analysis are costs above and beyond the manufacture of the core device itself - cost of shipping, logistics, marketing and other channel costs including not only the OEM's margin, but that of other resellers. Our cost analysis is meant to focus on those costs incurred in the manufacture of the core device (phone, battery, charger, some accessories, and packaging and literature) itself.

Manufacturing Notes

Country of Origin / EMS provider

This Motorola SLVR L7 was produced (final assembly, that is) in China, per markings on the device itself. Considering Motorola's tendancy to produce what seems to be the bulk of their handsets now in low cost China, so with repesct to subassemblies, unless specifically labeled, it was assumed that PCBAs and plastics, etc are also from Motorola suppliers and EMS providers in China. We generally assume that where not noted, that sub-assemblies and some custom manufactured items (plastics, mechanicals, etc.) will be produced in the lowest cost region in the absence of proof to the contrary. We therefore assumed that the PCBA was assembled in China, and that the custom mechanical components were also produced in China. This is not known - and these are merely assumptions.

Design for Manufacturing / Complexity

The total component count of the V1075 at 778 components approaches the high-end with respect to other clamshell designs, and as a point of references the Motorola PEBL came in at 570 components, and RAZR at 579. Clearly there is more functionality and complexity in this design, and it is reflected in the overall component count.

Component counts have a direct bearing on the overall manufacturing cycle times and costs, and also can increase or decrease overall yields and re-work. Our calculations of manufacturing costs factor counts and more qualitative complexities in the design. The cost of manufacturing is also high because of the assumed relatively modest production volumes (which increase the per unit amortized cost of certain NRE, tooling and other up-front charges), and the country of final assembly, being China, where our assumed loaded skilled (technical) and semi-skilled labor rates is the lowest worldwide. (We recently significantly increased the loading factor on our China labor rates, per industry feedback and a recent study by a major worldwide EMS provider.

Design Notes

The design of the Motorola SLVR L7 is almost identical to the V360 we previously analyzed with the exception of the power amplifier IC the V360 has. Similar to some Motorola designs (such as the PEBL, V360 etc.) we have seen, the L7 features Freescale's ICs for baseband but non-Freescale (mostly RFMD in phones we have seen) devices for the RF & PAM section. It also features ATI Imageon 2240 which is also in the V360 for co-processing image / video data. The Bluetooth chip, Broadcom BCM2035KWB, is even more common among recent Motorola phones such as the V360, PEBL and the RAZR V3.

Here is a summary of the major components used in Motorola SLVR L7 design:

Main PCB

Baseband

• DBB - Digital Baseband Processor - Freescale - SC29343VKP
• ABB - Analog Baseband / Power Management - Freescale - MC13890

Memory

• Intel - RD38F4050L0YBQ0 - MCP - NOR Flash 256Mb + PSRAM 64Mb

PAM

• RF Micro Devices - RF3178 - Transmit Module - PAM - Quad Band GSM850/900/1800/1900 w/ Integrated Power Control & Antenna Switch

RF Transceiver

• RF Transceiver - RF Micro Devices - RF6025 - Quad-Band, GSM/GPRS/EDGE, w/ Integrated SAW Filters

User Interface

• ATI - IMAGEON 2240 - Multimedia Co-Processor
• Broadcom - BCM2035KWB - Bluetooth Baseband - Single Chip HCI Solution

Camera Module

• Camera Module - Manufacturer Unknown
• Image Sensor - Micron Technology - MT9V112 - VGA, CMOS, 1/6' Format - 3.60um x 3.60um Pixel Size, 2.30mm x 1.73mm Active Image Area

Display Module

• Sharp - Display Module - 1.9' Diagonal, 262K Color TFT, 176x220 Pixels

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Motorola SLVR L7 Mobile Phone - Box Contents