iFixit Teardown Shows New iPad is a Repackaged First-gen iPad Air

[Jacob Black]

iFixit got ahold of Apple’s brand new 9.7-inch iPad and did what they do best: strip it down to the frame so we can see what’s inside. Turns out it’s pretty much just the first generation iPad Air with a Touch ID Home button.

The original iPad Air and the new 9.7-inch iPad look essentially the same on the outside, and on the inside, too. iFixit noted the WiFi module in the newer model is a little smaller, and the display is a little brighter.

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Both are 9.4-inches by 6.6-inches, although the new model is slightly thicker at 0.29-inches compared to the first Air at 0.24-inches. It also weighs a little more at 1.03 pounds instead of 0.96 pounds. The extra weight and thickness is likely because the display’s digitizer isn’t laminated.

Other than that, the spring 2017 iPad is essentially a throwback to the original iPad Air which was introduced in fall 2014.

The new iPad may pack old specs, but it does come with the lowest price for an Apple tablet at US$329 for the WiFi-only 32 GB model. Apple is selling the new 9.7-inch iPad online and in its retail stores.