iFixit dismantles the iPad mini 4, finds a smaller battery inside

Apple's last keynote witnessed the announcement of a couple of iPhones, the iPad Pro and next-gen Apple TV, and in between those the iPad mini 4 got a few brief moments of its own. It was described to have the iPad Air 2 performance in a mini enclosure, but that's marketing talk and nothing beats a good old-fashioned teardown.

Specialists in the field from iFixit have taken an iPad mini 4 to pieces and report their findings. They call it a "pretty major overhaul", compared to the mini 3, and it starts with the fully laminated screen - a main contributor to the thickness reduction from 7.5mm to 6.1mm.

A smaller battery also helps achieve the slim profile, with capacity dropped from 6,471mAh to 5,124mAh (those numbers!). A switch has been made to a single-cell unit, compared to the two cells of the predecessor, but at least it's just as easy to disconnect, which is apparently praise-worthy when it comes to repairability.

The tablet is powered by the A8 chip as opposed to A8X, so the claim for bringing the iPar Air 2 performance into the mini 4 is not entirely true, but it's not like it wasn't in the specs. The 2GB of RAM has indeed moved to the iPad mini 4, so it's no longer a single-gig operation. A few elements have been shifted around in a push for optimization, and spots empty from function are filled with spacers to better support the display.

In the end, however, the iPad mini 4 still receives a 2/10 repairability rating, meaning you'd be happier if you leave it to the pros.

Source | Via