RapidRepair got one of the first commercially available iPhone 3G S’ from France and performed a quick teardown. They’re in the process of conducting a more detailed analysis, but they’ve already found out that the 3G S runs on a Samsung S5PC100 SoC (system on a chip). The S5PC100 is capable of running at up to 833 MHz, but is downclocked to 600 MHz, presumably for power-saving reasons. (Photo: The 3G S board is on the left, 3G is on the right)

The graphics processor is capable of encoding and playing high-def 720p video but why Apple decided not to enable that is anyone’s guess. My guess is that the new video editing app isn’t fully optimized for HD video yet, and also because of power concerns. It’s either that or Apple is planning to release an iPhone HD in the near future…

If you want to get technical, click here for a brochure about the Samsung SoC (PDF link).

AnandTech has a technical analysis of the iPhone 3G S based on what they know of the iPhone 3G; it’s a bit out of date, but expect an update soon.

Apple traditionally doesn’t reveal the exact hardware used in the iPhone, but Samsung recently announced the Jet, a phone with an 800 MHz processor, rumored to be an identical Cortex A8. It’ll be interesting to see how the Jet performs with an unfettered 800 MHz processor, and the effect on battery life.

RapidRepair via IntoMobile

Additional S5PC100 information from 9to5Mac