iPad 4 Teardown Reveals A6X Chip With 1GB RAM, LG Display

Hot on the heels of disassembling the iPad mini, iFixit has also disassembled the 4th generation iPad, which also went on sale in 34 countries earlier today.

The 4th generation iPad looks exactly like the iPad 3 (new iPad), but it comes with a number of improvements such as Apple’s new faster A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera, expanded LTE support and Apple’s new Lightning connector.

Not surprisingly, iFixit hasn’t discovered too many changes in Apple’s new iPad. Here are some of the highlights:

• One of the major differences in the 4th generation iPad is the Lightning connector. But iFixit points out Apple didn’t save any space by switching to the new connector which is 80% smaller than the 30-pin connector as the Lightning cable sits in a frame the same size as the 30-pin dock connector (upper). iFixit felt it was disappointing as Apple could have used the space for bigger, better speakers.
• Apple had used an LG Display in the iPad 4 unit that iFixit had disassembled, their iPad mini unit came with a display made by Samsung.
• It has the same 3.7 volts, 43 Whr battery as the iPad 3.
• It is powered by the faster A6X chip with 1GB RAM. It has the same RAM as the iPad 3 and iPhone 5.
• The 1.2 megapixel FaceTime HD camera is thicker than iPad 3′s 0.3 megapixel FaceTime camera, but still manages to fit in the same space.
• iPad 4 received a low repairability score as the front panel is glued to the glass , which could increase the changes of cracking the glass and due to other factors.
• iPad 4 includes the following chips:
  • Apple A6X Processor
  • Hynix H2JTDG8UD2MBR 16 GB NAND Flash
  • 2 x 4Gb Elpida LP DDR2 = 1 GB DRAM in two packages
  • Apple 338S1116 Cirrus Logic Audio Codec
  • 343S0622-A1 Dialog Semi PMIC
  • Apple 338S1077 Cirrus Logic Class D Amplifier
  • Broadcom BCM5974 Touch Screen Controller
  • Broadcom BCM5973A1 Touch Screen Controller
  • Texas Instruments CD3240B0 Touch Screen Line Driver
  • 2 x Fairchild BCHAH/FDMC Voltage Regulator / Reference
  • Murata 339S0171 Broadcom BCM4334 WiFi Module