A teardown of the iPad Air 2
A teardown of the new Apple iPad Air 2 tablet computer by iFixit reveals the device comes with a 27.62Wh battery, smaller than the original Air’s 32.9Wh capacity.
It is perhaps logical that the device – a slim 6.1mm – is going to require smaller components.
The 9.7-inch iPad Air 2 debuted last week alongside its sister device, the 7.9-inch iPad mini 3.
Consumer tech giant Apple claims the new tablet has the same 10-hour battery life as the original iPad Air. This is no doubt made possible through the new A8X chip built specifically for the iPad Air 2. The A8X chip is 2.5 times faster than the previous A7 chip for the original iPad Air, and boasts 180 times faster graphics performance.
Overall, the iFixit teardown reviewers decided the new screen on the iPad Air – which consists of an LCD screen, a touch layer and a micro thin layer bonded together to create a single component with no air gap – is more robust than the previous Air’s screen and more shatter-proof.
However, would-be repairers would be forced to replace the entire display, hiking up the cost of repair considerably.
“In all seriousness, the 6.1mm profile is impressive. Not only is the iPad Air 2 thinner than the original iPad Air, it’s even thinner than the latest iPhones—and lacks the latter’s controversial camera bump.
“Not only is this iPad Air 2 thinner, but it is lighter too. How much lighter? About 12 pennies worth.”
iFixit also rated the iSight camera on the new iPad Air 2.
“When compared to the larger, bump-inducing iSight camera from the iPhone 6 Plus, we can see they aren’t quite the same – but it’s indeed a leap in quality over the iSight camera found in the first-gen iPad Air.”
