A thinner iPad mini with an OLED screen sounds great. But once the screen breaks or the battery wears out, how much of that little tablet can I actually fix? I want to find out what Apple has made easier to take apart.
The new mini feels good in my hands. Its 8.5-inch OLED display and Acoustic Display audio are the big changes, and the speakers give me my first reason to open it.
What Happens to the Sound Without the Screen?
Before taking anything apart, I turn the volume up. The speakers sound good, although I can feel the tablet vibrate at full volume. Now I want to hear them without the display fitted.
After heating the edges and opening the mini, I try that comparison. It sounds worse without the screen. The display is doing more than showing a picture.
A Friendlier Way Inside
Once the speaker test is over, I get to the battery connection. Most of the screws I encounter are Phillips, so I am not constantly changing drivers. Two hidden screws still manage to spoil the mood a little.
With the shielding lifted and the copper tape moved off the rear camera, I can disconnect the battery, then the display. The screen can come off without removing the entire motherboard plate, which is a welcome bit of access.
The Battery Gives Me Another Surprise
I find five pull tabs down the side of the battery. The antennas make them a little awkward to reach, but the adhesive stretches out and all five tabs come free.
The battery lifts out without a fight. Underneath, the Apple logo sits in its own metal plate. Naturally, that gets me wondering about a glowing-logo mod. That is an idea for another day, not something I finish here.
Small Parts That Can Come Apart
The small tweeter comes away with very little adhesive, and the charging port looks straightforward to remove. As I work farther in, the front camera comes out easily. Even the Apple Pencil charger, which initially looks troublesome, gives way much more easily than I expect.
The motherboard does have adhesive underneath it. I also note a buying detail worth checking: Apple lists different chip configurations by storage capacity, so these versions are not identical beyond the amount of storage.
Do the Volume Buttons Come With the Speaker?
Working past the rear camera and Touch ID assembly brings me to the upper speaker. The volume buttons appear tied into it, so I keep going to see whether they are actually one part.
Above the speaker, I find a separate volume-button module with its own connection into the longer cable. It takes more work to reach, but the buttons are not simply inseparable from the speaker.
Final Thoughts
I enjoyed taking this mini apart, which is not something I can say after every Apple teardown. What I want next is for that accessible hardware to translate into sensible repair options and costs. Would a tablet you could keep fixing make the higher purchase price easier to accept?
See you in the next article!
