Apple returned to its roots with the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro ($313.99 at Best Buy) , but the tablet hasn't come very far in terms of repairability. The slate scored a measly two-out-of-10 from teardown experts iFixit, who warned DIY technicians not to try this at home, citing difficult-to-replace parts and "gobs of adhesive."

"One day, perhaps, Apple will put its massive engineering prowess to work on the problem of how to make a tablet that opens for servicing—without the nail-biting 30-minute process of heating, blind prying, and suctioning it currently demands. But it is not this day," iFixit wrote.

Inside, the specialists find a new display cable configuration (now located in the bottom right corner), and an EMI shield covering the logic board, similar to one in the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

There is a notable difference between the Pro siblings: Cupertino filled the larger device with four massive speakers, whereas the 9.7-inch tablet squeezes them in at the margins.

The neighboring 12-megapixel iSight camera—with support for 63-megapixel panoramas and Live Photos—is the same shooter featured in the iPhone 6s Plus , and an upgrade over the 8-megapixel 1080p shooter built into the previous Pro. There is also a 5-megapixel 4K FaceTime cam for users to make front-facing photos or video calls.

The 7,306 mAh battery, meanwhile, hogs most of the slate's interior. Unfortunately for at-home repairs, it lacks the adhesive pull tabs found in the larger iPad Pro (and every iPhone since the 5s), making removal "a sticky affair," iFixit said.

Other complications include the Smart Connector port, which the team said is "virtually impossible" to replace, and an LCD and front panel glass that are fused together, increasing the cost of restoration and risk of damage.

Despite a meager repairability score, the teardown experts still seem impressed with the new iPad Pro.

"It's refreshing to see a redesign that seems to focus on features rather than a nigh-pointless reduction in thickness, in a device that's already thinner than a pencil," iFixit wrote.

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