iPhone 4 CDMA Repair

Background and Identification ¶ 

Seven months after introducing the iPhone 4, Apple announced a CDMA version—the first Apple device capable of running on Verizon's cellular network.

Apart from the differences in wireless technology, the Verizon version of the iPhone 4 is essentially identical to the existing (GSM-spec) iPhone 4, the fourth iteration of Apple's cellphone line. It is differentiated from earlier generations by having a squarish physical appearance, glass for both front and back panels, and a steel frame that doubles as reception antennas.

Difficulty with repairing the iPhone 4 depends on which part of the phone fails. The front panel glass is fused to the LCD and digitizer, which means that the glass can no longer be repaired or replaced individually. Users who accidentally shatter the iPhone 4's front panel will have to replace all three (as a single unit) in order to successfully repair their iPhone 4. The back panel, however, is replaceable by unscrewing two screws and sliding up the panel.

Replacing the battery, on the other hand, will be easily accomplished -- even though Apple ascertains that no parts within the iPhone 4 are user-serviceable. To replace the battery, the user can follow iFixit's battery replacement guide to remove the back panel and disconnect the battery.

Specifications ¶ 

Announced On: January 11, 2011

Model: A1349

Developer: http://www.apple.com

Operating System: iOS 4.0 through iOS 7.1.1

Display (Retina Display):

• 3.5 in (89 mm)
• 3:2 aspect ratio
• 960 x 640 px at 326 ppi
• 800:1 contrast ratio
• Scratch-Resistant, glossy, glass-covered IPS LCD screen
• Oleophobic coating

Camera: Contains both front and rear facing cameras.

• Front Camera
  • .3 MP
  • SD Video (480p) at 30fps
• Rear Camera
  • 5MP
  • HD Video (720p) at 30fps
  • LED Flash

Processor: Apple A4 system-on-a-chip

RAM: 512 MB eDRAM

Storage: 8, 16, or 32 GB Flash Memory

Wireless Connectivity:

• Integrated 802.11n (2.4 GHz only)
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• CDMA (EV-DO Rev. A, 800 MHz, 1900 MHz)

Battery: 3.7 V, 1,420 mAh

Dimensions: 4.5 × 2.31 × 0.37 in (115.2 × 58.6 × 9.3 mm)

Weight: 137 g (4.8 oz)

Colors: Black or White

Troubleshooting ¶ 

• Diagnose your hardware issues with our iPhone 4 Troubleshooting Guide.
• Diagnose and repair screen backlight issues with our iDevice Backlight Troubleshooting Page.

Additional Information ¶ 

• Thanks to Nathan Henderson for this great screw mat for the display repair: iphone4cdmascrewtemp.pdf
• Wikipedia: iPhone
• EveryMac: iPhone Specs
• Apple: iPhone Products
• iFixit Blog: iPhone 4 Wallpapers Gyros and Internals
• iFixit Blog: Verizon iPhone 4 Teardown
• iFixit Blog: iPhone 4G Processor Revealed