MacBook Pro 2021 Teardown: Easier to Repair, Harder to Score…

Last year we got our first look at Apple’s M1 silicon, and as the reviews came in we could feel change on the horizon. The performance gains Apple made by integrating their custom silicon with ultra-fast memory were incredible. We held off on assigning them a repairability score at the time, but now with fully-redesigned M1 MacBook Pros on our table, we’re determined to pin these things down on the repairability scale.

Want to see more of the 2021 M1 MacBook Pros? Check out our deep dive blog starring the 14” version, including a Polishing Cloth teardown.

00:00 Intro
00:33 What’s new on the outside of the M1 MacBook Pro?
01:03 A microscope look at the new Mini LED display
01:26 X Rays from Creative Electron
01:46 M1 MacBook Pro Opening Procedure
02:02 M1 MacBook Pro Interior First Impressions
02:55 M1 MacBook Pro Battery Removal
04:09 M1 MacBook Pro Trackpad Removal
05:11 M1 MacBook Pro Logic Board Removal
06:11 M1 MacBook Pro New Display Cable Design
06:45 M1 MacBook Pro Fan Removal
07:19 M1 MacBook Pro Speaker Removal
07:33 M1 MacBook Pro Display Removal
08:46 M1 MacBook Pro Repairability

#M1MacBookPro, #M1MacBookProTeardown, #iFixitTeardown

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[DrFarisArab]

Watching pro level tear down is so satisfying..i wish u dig deeper in the logic board though

[Bchan]

I like how the standards for "removable battery" went from a battery you could remove by pressing 2 tabs or one on the outside of the machine to...
single use adhesive hidden behind a plethora of screws

[kveiris]

Instant like for "scratches at level 1 with deeper grooves at level 2"!

[erickauffmann_official]

I’m really glad they made the battery removal process easier than before and that the display cables won’t be ripping like older models.

[MandoMonge]

I nearly cried not to stop when you said “this is getting long” I wanted it to keep diving it’s so AWESOME these videos

[jedics]

Bringing awareness to repairability is admirable, hopefully it helps push companies back towards it.

[colinsane]

This nuanced analysis and constructive criticism is delivered in such a cheerful, snark-less way. Love to see it! Great work

[PhilfreezeCH]

The shared SoC RAM I understand. It does actually provide a sizable performance improvement that is hard to replicate with other options at the moment but there is no good reason to solder on a SSD, the M.2 socket is tiny anyway and if you are concerned with the thickness there are even versions that live in a PCB cutout on the same level as the PCB instead of sitting on top of it.

[austinricker]

5:57 That spudger you're using is a glass-fiber reinforced spudger, meaning it has glass that may be exposed along the scraping edge. So it should be more like scratches at a level 5 with deeper grooves at a level 6, right?

[schmijo]

Can we just appreciate how beautiful the macbook looks from the inside

[jpdemer]

The speed of the M1 really does depend on integrated memory - the speed of electricity is actually a limiting factor, and shorter paths are better. On the other hand, I'd like to see the SSD socketed, so it could be swapped out without desoldering. The performance hit, if any, would be worth the tradeoff IMO.

[keco]

There should be separate "repair" and "upgrade" scores. Lack of removable memory would hurt the upgrade score but not the repair score since I've never seen an integrated memory module fail so it wouldn't hurt repair.

[sardanus]

So this is a REAL teardown for a long time now, well done ifixit!

[karthiksathyanarayanan]

The battery on frame is actually an unecessary hassle. If an additional part count can be avoided by a pull tab without impacting functionality and repair, it's a go.
The socketed memory, GPU would not achieve the same power vs performance gains as an integrated SoC. Trust me, the TDPs in SoCs in the same power envelope beat socketed parts any day.

[maybedonn]

I love everything you guys do but, I feel like the Pentalobe screw penalty makes me groan these days. I got a cheap screwdriver set for five bucks and it had a pentalobe bit, and pretty much every kit you've ever sold has a pentalobe bit. I get that it's non-standard, but if you're opening up $1000+ machines the tiny commitment it takes to spend a dollar or two on a pentalobe bit really should really have no impact on the device's repairability score. If Apple were changing it every year I'd get it, but it's one bit for every one of their devices since like, the iPhone 4S.

[Marngel]

Playing devil’s advocate, the tight integration between the SoC, ram, and SSD is not just to increase performance; it’s also to increase efficiency. Right now, there are laptops that are just as powerful, if not more powerful than these new MacBook Pros that maintain modular components for the ram and SSD. However, none of them have the power efficiency which is what makes these M1 MacBooks such incredible feats of engineering, even if it does come at a cost of irreplaceable memory and storage. That said, Apple definitely has a lot room for improvements in terms of battery replacements, screen replacement, or even just opening up the machines themselves. They definitely made improvements and they should get credit for it, but they still need to go further.

[aroberts]

I love this laptop so far. The screen, keyboard, IO and the speakers really make the upgrade worth it.. Oh and the much faster SOC.

[leokimvideo]

It's VERY similar to the previous 'touch bar' models. I just hope all the bugs with the logic boards are sorted but the whole soldered design is in my mind a huge issue. I had a 2017 MacBook Pro and the logic board failed within a year, the screen failed within 3 years, Yet my old 'classic' 2014 MacBook Pro continues on in 2021 without EVER a problem. Sort of says to me Apple made some very poor decisions in the redesign with the touch bar models. I wouldn't touch these new models until at least a year of others finding design faults and failures. It's just too much money to blow being the test pilot for this Apple bling.

[pluto]

Keyboard still riveted into place? Hope that changes too. Otherwise, huge upgrade in the repairability department. Well done, Apple!

[pldaniels]

As a person responsible for getting the boardviews / schematics out and about for the people repairing the mainboards, I am anxious to see how long before we can get our hands on those diagrams. In years past it was entirely normal / expected not to see anything for a couple of years, but in the last couple of years there's a very strong expectation to get access to them within 3~6 months... so here's hoping some "leaking" happens soon and that we ( repair people ;) ) can get them sooner rather than later.

I have to say though, I'm a bit disappointed with the component sprawl on the 16", I was rather hoping instead we'd see more development along the lines of the 820-020xx series rather than what seems to be now another 820-01700 remake :(