iPad Mini 4 teardown reveals it's a smaller version of iPad Air 2
A teardown of the new Apple iPad Mini 4 revealed that the tablet is just a smaller version of the iPad Air 2, which was released last year, but it has a few additional surprising tweaks.
Last week, Apple enumerated the hardware components of the iPad Mini 4, but repair firm iFixit wanted to confirm a few things about the tablet, so it disassembled the device on Thursday. The company found out that the iPad Mini 4 has a smaller battery than the iPad Air 2 and has 2 GB or RAM, according to Apple Insider.
In terms of physical appearance, the iPad Mini 4 is thinner than its predecessor, and its round speaker ports are the same as those found in the iPad Air 2 and the upcoming iPad pro. The device also sports a laminated Retina screen for better visual experience, the report details.
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The latest iPad Mini is the latest evidence of Apple's ability to downsize a device battery without reducing its battery life. The 7.9-inch iPad Mini 4 is powered by a thin 5,124 mAh single-cell battery, in contrast to the iPad Mini 3's 6,471 mAh double-cell battery. Apple claims the battery of the WiFi variant can last up to 10 hours, while the cellular variant lasts for nine hours, Mac World reports.
Apple was able to create a miniature iPad Air 2 by reducing the front camera's footprint. It is worth noting that the WiFi antenna arrays of the WiFi-only version of the iPad Mini 4 are split, with one placed next to the camera and the other near the speaker at the bottom part of the device. The iPad Air 2's antennae are placed on top of the device.
The display cable of the iPad Mini 4 has also been buffed p with an A8 SoC processor, 8-megapixel rear camera, and Touch ID module, the report adds.
The WiFi variant of the iPad Mini 4, which has 16 GB of internal memory, comes with a price tag of $399. The 64 GB variant costs $499, while the 128 GB variant is priced at $599. The WiFi + Cellular model has a basic price of $529.
