2Nokia N8
3Nokia N8
4Nokia N8
5Nokia N8
6Nokia N8
7Nokia N8
8Nokia N8
After removing some screws and popping out the antenna, the mid-plane can be removed. “The design of the mid-plane is pretty genius,” states iFixit, explaining that Nokia integrated a large EMI shield into the mid-plane to protect the N8’s main chips. Thermal pads on the face of the mid-plane also conduct heat away from the chips.
9Nokia N8
10Nokia N8
With the motherboard out of the way, the flash unit lifts right out. “As opposed to many other smartphones that use either a single or double LED for the flash,” states iFixit, “the N8 uses a Xenon flash tube similar to the kind of flash found in full-size cameras.” The brightness of the N8’s flash comes from the high voltage of the flash module.
11Nokia N8
12Nokia N8
iFixit gave the N8 a high score for “repairability”—an 8 out of 10—citing how easy it is to replace the battery and the glass not being fused to the display. It even went so far as to describe the N8 as having a rugged feel. “This is the beefiest phone we’ve taken apart all year,” the site reported.