iFixit

We're getting ready to examine the brains of this device, but not before clearing out the rest of the surrounding peripherals.

Several screws secure the power/volume buttons ribbon cable assembly to the rear case.

The endless battle with adhesive rages on as we heat the backside of the rear case in hopes of loosening the adhesive securing the logic board to the rear case.

Applying heat to an aluminum frame like this makes it too hot to touch—luckily we keep a silicone pot holder on hand just for this sort of thing.

Once the adhesive is loose, we arm ourselves with a spudger to dislodge the logic board from the rear case.

Nothing to see here.

Unlike the iPad 3's dock connector, the Mini's lightning port is permanently soldered to the logic board. That design decision will make certain repairs very expensive.

The A5 processor has 512 MB RAM, just like the processor in the latest iPod Touch.

• How do we know? The package markings E4064P3PM-8D-5 indicate the A5 has two 2 Gb, LP DDR2 RAM dies inside, according to Chipworks.

These die photos from Chipworks shows the inner workings of the A5. Care to see the die in all its gory glory? Check out the high-res version.

The top side of the logic board houses all of the ICs:

• Hynix H2JTDG8UD2MBR 16 GB NAND Flash
• Apple 343S0593-A5
• Apple 338S1116 Cirrus Logic Audio Codec
• Fairchild PCHPS FDMC 6676BZ
• Fairchild BC7BE F0MC 6683
• Apple 338S1077, aka Cirrus Logic Class D Amplifier (thanks Chipworks!)

Strong adhesive continues to slow our advance, so another hit with the heat gun is prescribed to pry the headphone jack and front facing camera assembly out of the rear case.

The iPad Mini does well in the camera department. While most hardware specs closely match the aging iPad 2, its cameras match those found in the the Retina iPad. Its front-facing FaceTime HD camera delivers 1.2 MP photos, and the rear-facing iSight camera delivers 5 MP resolution and HD video.

iPad Mini Repairability: 2 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair).

• The LCD and glass are not fused together and can be replaced independently.
• The battery is not soldered to the logic board or other components.
• Teeny-tiny screws can be easily misplaced if you're not careful. Don't sneeze too hard while taking them off.
• Copious amounts of adhesive hold many components in place -- front glass, logic board, battery, front camera, back camera, ribbon cables -- making repair extremely difficult.
• The Lightning connector is soldered to the logic board, so don't bend its pins.
• Hidden screws mean you'll need to be very diligent when trying to remove internal components.