Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air has received the teardown treatment less than a week after going on sale. The internals reveals the laptop is similar to its 13-inch sibling, with two additional speakers and the larger battery being the only significant difference.
Thanks to the larger chassis, Apple has also managed to fit a bigger battery on the 15-inch Air.
15-inch MacBook Air has the same internal layout as the 13-inch model
In a detailed video posted on YouTube, the iFixit team went through the innards of the new MacBook Air and found it similar to the 13-inch model.
Accessing the innards of the 15-inch MacBook Air requires opening four pentalobe screws on all four sides. Then you need to use a pick to open the clips holding the bottom plate to the chassis.
Since the 15-inch MacBook Air does not use active cooling, it has no internal fans. While this allows the machine to run silently, it can heat up under sustained load.
Apple is using adhesive pull tabs for the 15-inch MacBook Air’s 66.5 Wh battery. However, its replacement is not easy, as reaching the cell requires the removal of the logic board.
New MacBook Air offers poor repairability
Overall, iFixit gave the 15-inch MacBook Air a low repairability score of 3. The company could earn additional two points by making repair parts for its new laptop available to the public.
Apple has not yet made last year’s 2022 MacBook Air part of its Self Service Repair program. So, its bigger sibling is unlikely to join the bandwagon anytime soon as well.
Look past the poor repairability score though, and the 15-inch MacBook Air is the perfect laptop for most consumers. Apple proudly claims it is the world’s slimmest 15-inch laptop, packing incredible power and efficiency thanks to its M2 chip. All reviews have unanimously praised the machine’s performance and battery life.
