Apple didn’t change much feature- or looks-wise on its newest iPad, but it turns out not much has changed on the inside, either.
Courtesy of iFixit, the 2018 sixth-generation iPad teardown is here, and Apple’s newest tablet unsurprisingly received a poor repairability score.
The teardown shows that the new iPad indeed features an A10 Fusion coupled with 2GB of LPDDR4X RAM. One of the reasons why the $429 CAD tablet offers support for the Apple Pencil is thanks to the Broadcom touchscreen controllers.
The teardown also shows that the LCD display repairs are easier on this iPad than the iPad Pro models because the screen is not laminated. However, this does not make the job of the repair expert any easier thanks to the abundant amount of adhesive that is being used.
Noting the 2018 iPad is very similar to the model it replaced, iFixit says “As in all iPads, a solid barrier of very strong adhesive bars the way to any repairs, and makes rework a sticky proposition.” As a result, it gives the tablet a 2-out-of-10 repairability score.
Some of iFixit‘s final thoughts are as follows:
The LCD is easy to remove once you separate the cover glass/digitizer.
Air-gapped, separately replaceable cover glass and LCD makes many drop damage repairs far less expensive.
As in all iPads, a solid barrier of very strong adhesive bars the way to any repairs, and makes rework a sticky proposition.
More adhesive holds nearly everything else in place. Battery replacement is particularly challenging.
The LCD has foam sticky tape adhering it to the front panel, increasing risk of damage during disassembly.
Unfortunately, the takeaway from all this is that the new iPad isn’t going to be any easier to repair than prior generations, which were already borderline unrepairable.
You can read the iFixit‘s entire teardown of the sixth-gen iPad here.
