KEY FINDINGS
• From the outside, this new Mini looks exactly like a downsized version of the equally new iPad Air. Spoiler alert: Judging by our X-rays, it’s not. It looks exactly like an upgraded iPad Mini 4. We pull a cellular-capable iPad Mini 4 from the lab to confirm our suspicions. Headphone jack: check. Big bezels: check. Home button: check.
• As much as we wish Apple would come up with a better approach to tablet construction, we reckon we know how opening this will go: Heat. Slash. Repeat. Once the Mini is shucked, we get our first peek at the internals. We remove the bracket covering the display and battery connectors, and it brings along a friend. The battery flex connector is now adhered to that bracket, automatically disconnecting the battery. Nifty! Hopefully, this will help fixers to not accidentally kill the backlight on their displays.
• This Mini has a different battery model to its predecessor, with updated (i.e. incompatible) connectors. Rated for 19.32Wh, it matches the previous Mini’s, has less than the standard iPad’s 32.9Wh, and is just over the Galaxy Note9’s 15.4Wh. iPads still lag behind iPhones in construction— the home button being an example. On iPhones, this is an easy, elegant swap, but here it’s still a mess of glue.
• This Mini inherits the 7MP f/2.2 front-facing camera setup we first saw in the 10.5-inch iPad Pro. With the cameras out of the way, we get a close look at the new upper microphone array, now centered near the selfie cam.
• The iPad Mini continues to be its own entity—not quite a shrunken-down iPad, nor a miniature iPad Air. After a number of conflicting experiences ultimately leading up to this Mini’s glued-in battery, we’re no longer optimistic about seeing adhesive pull tabs for iPad batteries.
• Repairability score: 2 out of 10 (10 is the easiest to repair). A single Phillips driver takes care of all the screws. Many components are modular and can be replaced independently, but the Lightning port is soldered to the logic board. Battery replacement is possible, but still difficult. Gobs of adhesive hold many parts and cables in place, complicating repairs. Removing the home button is tough, and will be required for display replacement if you want to keep Touch ID functionality.