Apple’s new MacBook Neo has been identified as the most affordable MacBook by far. Alongside its pricing, the device is also standing out for its internal hardware design.
An in-depth teardown by the how-to website iFixit has determined that the Neo is the most repairable MacBook released in about fourteen years.
According to the teardown, the big story regarding the design of the MacBook Neo is its battery.
Older MacBook batteries are supposedly glued into place, making them difficult to remove and replace.
However, the MacBook Neo introduces a different mechanism, utilizing a battery that is held by a tray secured with 18 screws.
While acknowledging that 18 is a lot of screws, iFixit noted that “screws still beat adhesive every time.”
This new arrangement should make it much easier to replace the MacBook battery, a discovery that “sent cheers across the iFixit office.”
Other changes further contribute to making the MacBook Neo more repairable, including a flat disassembly tree.
On the software side, the system’s Repair Assistant appears to accept replacement parts without complaint.
Additionally, both the display and the keyboard have been designed to be easier to replace compared to older models.
Despite these favorable changes, iFixit still had concerns regarding some of the internal components. Specifically, both the RAM and the storage are soldered directly into the machine.
Because of these soldered components, iFixit ultimately gave the MacBook Neo a repairability score of 6 out of 10.
However, despite the score not being perfect, the teardown concluded that for a MacBook, “that’s a strong score.”