iPad Mini 3 Teardown Reveals NFC Controller for Apple Pay, Hot Glued Home Button

After tearing down the iPad Air 2 earlier this week, iFixit has now moved on to the iPad mini 3, which also received a minor update during Apple's October 16 iPad event. Unlike the iPad Air 2, the iPad mini 3 saw few internal improvements, gaining a new gold color option and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

As expected, iFixit's teardown reveals many of the same parts that were used in first Retina iPad mini, now called the iPad mini 2. It continues to use the same 7.9-inch display, A7 processor with M7 coprocessor, 5-megapixel camera, and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

There is one new addition, which is directly related to Touch ID and the iPad mini 3's ability to support in-app Apple Pay payments. Like the iPad Air 2, the iPad mini 3 includes a 65V10 NFC controller manufactured by NXP.

ipadmini3teardown

NFC Controller in blue

There is no accompanying NFC antenna to allow the tablet to make NFC-based payments within stores, but there has been strong speculation suggesting the NFC chip is where Apple Pay's "Secure Element" is located. According to Apple, the Secure Element is a dedicated chip that stores encrypted Device Account Numbers, which replace credit card numbers for security reasons.

Though the iPad mini 3 and the iPad Air 2 are not able to make payments within stores, they can make Apple Pay payments within participating apps and thus utilize both the Secure Element and Device Account Numbers.

NXP's own site details the use of a specific integrated circuit designed for handling and storing secure data on its website, stating the technology has been integrated into its NFC controller chips. While the 65V10 is not mentioned by name, its appearance in both the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 suggests that it is indeed being used for its security function rather than its NFC function.

Aside from the inclusion of the 65V10 NFC chip, which is located in a spot on the logic board that was previously left blank, there are few other notable features about the iPad mini 3. iFixit did find that the tablet has new home button cabling to support Touch ID and home button brackets that are securely affixed by hot glue, which makes removing the home button a much more difficult task.

homebuttonglue
Like the Touch ID cable in the iPhone 5s, the location of the Touch ID cable in the iPad mini 3 makes screen repairs very difficult, as the cable is easy to sever when opening up the display. Due to the glue and the precarious position of the Touch ID cable, the iPad mini 3 earned a repairability score of 2 out of 10 from iFixit.

Apple's iPad mini 3 is currently available in both retail stores and from Apple's online store, with prices that start at $399.

Related Roundup: iPad mini
Buyer's Guide: iPad Mini (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

12vElectronics Avatar
123 months ago
People like to gripe just because they can. The former models home button was two sided tape. What does it matter if it is a industrial hot glue method??? Even your all mighty Android manufacturers use this method. I think Droidboys post on here all day just for kicks.

Post makes perfect sense. Problem is this is MacRumors and people are actively looking for something to gripe about.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lewisd25 Avatar
123 months ago
It is only a matter of time before they start using construction paper.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
soundguyami Avatar
123 months ago
People like to gripe just because they can. The former models home button was two sided tape. What does it matter if it is a industrial hot glue method??? Even your all mighty Android manufacturers use this method. I think Droidboys post on here all day just for kicks.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rGiskard Avatar
123 months ago
Same crap display panel.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rrm74001 Avatar
123 months ago
This is one of those things about Apple that just makes me scratch my head, just like Continuity not working on Macs it should, same with Air Drop, etc.
And now Apple Pay.

These are all great features added in software, but none of them are great enough to go out and buy a new Mac! Do they really think this is a great marketing angle in how to deal with loyal customers with machines they don't need replaced.

HEY WE GOT SOME NEW FEATURES, BUT OH, WE DISABLED THEM ON YOUR PRODUCT SO BUY A NEW ONE, NO BIG DEAL SUCKER!

Sorry Apple. I'm just not that gullible, but don't worry. Plenty of people here are.
What are you talking about? Previous generation iPad Minis did not have NFC. Or TouchID. It is not just software.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HyperZboy Avatar
123 months ago
This is one of those things about Apple that just makes me scratch my head, just like Continuity not working on Macs it should, same with Air Drop, etc.
And now Apple Pay.

These are all great features added in software, but none of them are great enough to go out and buy a new Mac! Do they really think this is a great marketing angle in how to deal with loyal customers with machines they don't need replaced.

HEY WE GOT SOME NEW FEATURES, BUT OH, WE DISABLED THEM ON YOUR PRODUCT SO BUY A NEW ONE, NO BIG DEAL SUCKER!

Sorry Apple. I'm just not that gullible, but don't worry. Plenty of people here are.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...