Leaked iPad 3 parts match, suggest Sharp-made Retina Display

9to5 Staff | Feb 13 2012 - 5:03 am PT

Mounting screw holes on an alleged iPad 3 back plate fit those found on Sharp’s high-resolution LCD panel, believed to be designed specifically for iPad 3.

As the rumored early-March iPad 3 introduction draws near, purported parts have leaked increasingly. One of the more prominent spy shots came last week through Japanese blog Macotakara that published an image supposedly representing a high-resolution iPad 3 panel manufactured by Sharp, which was obtained by parts reseller Eye Lab Factory. Today, the reseller matched the leaked parts, namely the alleged iPad 3 dock connector, back plate, and Sharp’s LCD panel.

According to the post, the back panel hints at a slightly thicker iPad 3 gaining about 1mm in profile that is likely to house new components and a bigger battery to drive more on-screen pixels and a dual-LED backlit system. Other than that, the back panel part purportedly belonging to iPad 3 is the same width and height as on iPad 2. As for the 2,048-by-1, 536-pixel resolution display allegedly manufactured by Sharp, it is a perfect fit…

According to the post, screw holes on the back plate are in the all the right places, so the Sharp back panel fits the iPad 3 back plate’s mounting screw holes perfectly. This fact led the author to conclude with a high degree of certainty that Sharp’s Retina Display LCD panel is designed for the leaked iPad 3 chassis. Additionally, the way the LCD panel’s cable folds and connects to the base reinforces the thesis. The supposed iPad 3 dock connector also fits the slightly thicker product shell perfectly. The alleged iPad 3 case even has a camera hole almost indistinguishable from iPad 2 when viewed from the outside. The outside hole diameter is 7mm versus 4.5mm for the inside hole, which is almost the same as on the iPad 3. From the inside, however, design differences hint at a redesigned camera system similar to the iPhone 4S. A machine-translated quote indicates the following:

I think it is mounted on the camera lens and iPad2 are different because of the different shape of the mount of the camera when viewed from the back but there is no mistake.

This all hints at an upgraded camera lens and sensor on iPad 3 that is hardly a surprise knowing the iPad 2’s iPod touch-grade camera is on the low-end. With iPad 3’s Retina Display being 3-megapixels, upgrading both cameras is a prudent move. Look for 1080p video recording like the iPhone 4S augmented with about 5-megapixel still image resolution. Of course, it is wise not to read too much into the leaks as these parts could easily belong to early prototypes. If you are wondering what DON’T we know about iPad 3, make sure to read our exhaustive analysis.

iPad 2 vs iPad 3: Back camera hole

iPad 2 vs iPad 3: Purported back camera parts