MacBook Air 13" Early 2020 Left Speaker Replacement

Written By: Carsten Frauenheim
  • Comments: 7
MacBook Air 13" Early 2020 Left Speaker Replacement

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

8

Time Required

15 - 45 minutes

Introduction

Use this guide to remove or replace the left speaker in an Early 2020 MacBook Air.

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    • Before starting this procedure, you should disable your Mac's Auto Boot feature. Auto Boot powers on your Mac when you open the lid, and may be accidentally triggered during disassembly. Use this guide to disable Auto Boot.

    • If your MacBook is running Big Sur v11.1 or later, disabling Auto Boot may not work. You can proceed normally, but make sure to disconnect the battery as soon as you're inside.

    • Completely power off and unplug your MacBook Air before you start. Close the display and flip the entire laptop upside-down.

    • Use a P5 driver to remove the following screws:

    • Two 7.9 mm screws

    • Two 7.1 mm screws

    • Six 2.6 mm screws

    • Throughout this repair, keep track of each screw and make sure it goes back exactly where it came from to avoid damaging your MacBook.

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    • Wedge your fingers between the display and the lower case and pull upward to pop the lower case off the Air.

    • Remove the lower case.

    • To reinstall the lower case:

    • Set it in place and press firmly to engage the two hidden clips underneath. You should feel and hear them snap into place.

    When reassembling, the “snaps” are in the middle of the laptop (from top to bottom), and just to the left and right of center. I assumed it was near the hinge so it took a bit for me to hear the snaps.

    Laurie McCall -

    Laurie, the two clips are outlined in the third photo of step two. Hope this helps—happy fixing!

    Carsten Frauenheim -

    What tool kit should I use for this?

    Lucas Lee -

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    • Peel back the tape covering the battery connector enough to reveal the connector underneath.

    This image is incorrect correct for the A2179 EMC 3302 model, also doesn’t match the next image in this guide

    Steven Friar -

    There is other guide for the model you reffer to, I was using that one until i realize it was different, this is the one you are looking for: MacBook Air 13" Retina Late 2020 Repair

    Marco Rojas -

    How do you find out if you have a Retina Late or Retina Early model?

    Inji E -

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    • Use a spudger to slide the battery connector parallel to the logic board and out of its socket on the logic board.

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    • The left speaker will be on your righthand side when working on the MacBook, as it's laying upside down.

    • Slide the pointed end of a spudger underneath the left speaker cable and pry straight up to disconnect it from the logic board.

    • With the connector disconnected, slide the flat end of a spudger under the cable to separate the adhesive securing the cable to the logic board.

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    • Use a T3 Torx driver to remove the 4.2 mm screw securing the left speaker to the case.

    El tornillo es un Torx T3

    Israel Adame -

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    • Use a pair of tweezers to peel back the black pull tab on the speaker's stretch-release adhesive until you can grip it with your fingers.

    • Grab the adhesive strip's pull tab and slowly pull the adhesive strip out from underneath the speaker.

    • Keep the angle of the adhesive strip as parallel to the laptop as you can. Try to avoid dragging it across the inside of the case.

    • Pull the adhesive strip until it's freed from under the speaker.

    • If the adhesive strip breaks, use a heated iOpener, a heat gun, or a hair dryer to help remove the adhesive:

    • Apply heat to the speaker to soften the adhesive underneath.

    • Carefully slide a spudger or opening pick underneath the speaker to separate the adhesive.

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    • Remove the left speaker.

    • During reassembly, to ensure the speaker performs as expected, install a strip of replacement adhesive on its underside before placing it back into the case.

Conclusion

Compare your new replacement part to the original part—you may need to transfer remaining components or remove adhesive backings from the new part before installing.

To reassemble your device, follow the above steps in reverse order.

Take your e-waste to an R2 or e-Stewards certified recycler.

Repair didn’t go as planned? Check out our Answers community for troubleshooting help.

Author

Carsten Frauenheim

Member since: 10/03/20

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