Tablet

iPad mini Teardown By iFixit: Samsung Display, Difficult Reparability, And More

Sumit Passary

On Oct. 23, Apple revealed its one of the most-awaited devices, the iPad mini, which went to sale on Oct. 26. Users have started to get their iPad mini and a teardown of the latest tablet by iFixit.com reveals internal components like a Samsung display, and reflects the difficulty in repairing the tablet.

iFixit.com claims that the teardown of the iPad mini revealed the Samsung W1235 S6TNMR1X01 Display Driver LCD. The Web site also gave iPad mini "2 out of 10" for reparability.

iFixit.com confirms that the LCD and glass of the iPad mini are not fused together and can be replaced independently. The battery of the tablet is not soldered to the logic board or other components. The tablet has small screws which can be easily misplaced and the Web site avers "don't sneeze too hard while taking them off."

The teardown also reveals that an ample amount of adhesive has been used to hold many internal components in the latest iPad mini. iFixit.com also disclosed that the front glass, logic board, battery, front camera, back camera, and ribbon cables are all bound with adhesive, making repair extremely difficult.

The Lightning connector is soldered to the logic board. Furthermore, the Web site claims that the tablet has many hidden screws, which mean that anyone trying to disassemble the iPad mini will need to be very diligent when trying to remove internal components.
iFixit.com also revealed a full list of chips found on the logic board of the tablet, which are as follows:

  • Apple A5 processor
  • Hynix H2JTDG8UD2MBR 16 GB NAND Flash
  • Apple 343S0593-A5
  • Apple 338S1116 - an unknown chip also found in the fifth-generation iPod touch which is similar to Apple 338S1117 found in latest iPhone 5
  • Fairchild PCHPS FDMC 6676BZ
  • Fairchild BC7BE F0MC 6683

The teardown claims that the iPad mini has a camera similar to the Retina iPad.

"While most hardware specs closely match the aging iPad 2, its cameras match those found in the the Retina iPad. Its front-facing FaceTime HD camera delivers 1.2 MP photos, and the rear-facing iSight camera delivers 5 MP resolution and HD video," indicated iFixit.com.

iPad mini has impressive features which a user may want in a 7-inch tablet. However, we will have to wait and see if the iPad mini can grab a major chunk of the 7-inch tablet market in the future. 

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