MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

Written By: Taylor Dixon

Published: 18/11/19

Comments: 151

MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

Published: 18/11/19

Teardown

Introduction

A beloved old feature returns to the MacBook Pro, and it starts with M-a-g. If you guessed MagSafe, we have disappointing news, but if you said “Magic Keyboard,” we have the teardown for you. It’s the all-new, butterfly-less, 16-inch MacBook Pro, and we’re here to turn it inside-out—from the fancy new thermals to those thumping loud speakers. Be sure to read our blog post for our initial take, and then meet us back here for the full teardown.

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Tools

Step 1

The modern MacBook Pro ranks among Apple's most divisive devices, but that wasn't always the case. We'll keep our fingers crossed that this new model represents a return to form. Specs on our teardown ~~victim~~ unit include:
16" LED‑backlit IPS Retina display with True Tone, 3072 × 1920 resolution (226 ppi)
2.6 GHz 6‑core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 4.5 GHz), paired with an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M
16 GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 SDRAM
512 GB SSD
100 Wh battery
Six-speaker sound system and high-performance microphone array
From the outside, Apple doesn't give much away—at the very least, they haven't facelifted this design just to attract impulse buyers. The only real clue comes from the new model number: A2141 and EMC 3347.

This video is blatantly erroneous and gave me just enough confidence in the wrong move as to (cosmetically only) damage the computer I am working on. It should be taken down immediately. If you dont know what I'm talking about consider getting a new job. "With a bit of force" smh. And I fell for it. The correct answer was buried under several copies of this same (well promoted and extremely bad) video. The correct answer is to pull the backplate towards the front of the computer NOT "WITH A BIT OF FORCE". I am wondering how many people have damaged their equipment as a result of this extremely amateur video coming from the people who make the toolkit I have in my hand.

Fix this please. Its embarrassing. For you.

Tyler Vega -

Step 2

Stacked up like pancakes, you'll notice the new MacBook Pro is noticeably bigger (and just a hair thicker) than the latest 15" model. It actually compares well with the 2015 model—in size that is, not port selection.
With the 16" Pro back-to-back against the 2015 Pro, you're almost seeing double ... until you look closer. The display hinge has changed, and the old Pro's keys peek out just a bit more.
In a similar game of "spot the differences" between the two 2019 MacBook Pros, the 16" version gets:
A physical Esc key, separated from the Touch Bar
A matte finish on the Touch ID/power button, matching the rest of the keys
A Touch Bar shortened in length by about 19 mm
Inverted-T arrow keys, all half-sized
If you zoom and enhance the left grille, you can see the camouflaged holes for the improved triple-mic. And now, you can never un-see it.

Ich habe mein MBP16” Im Februar 2020 erhalten und dieses hat die erwähnten Löcher für die Mikrofone nicht…

Atomic One - 06/12/20

Step 3

Time for us to do what we do best: jam tools into things and see what comes apart.
Let's start with some keycaps. Remember the iMac's Magic Keyboard? It's a well-liked, reliable design that Apple calls the "core technology" for the redesigned keyboard in this new machine.
That might be understating it slightly: side by side, we're hard pressed to spot any differences. Scissor switches, keycaps... There's slightly less space surrounding these new keys, and pundits will celebrate those reconfigured arrow keys—but everything else looks nigh identical.
News flash: there's not even a dust-proofing membrane on these new switches. We're inclined to take this as a very good sign. (It means we can finally eat Doritos during teardowns again.)
To round out the comparison, here's a third image showing the controversial (and notoriously temperamental) "butterfly" switch in the 15" MacBook Pro released just a few months ago.
But why stop there? Here's a shot of the scissor switch in the "unibody" 2012 MacBook Pro design...
...and the scissor in Apple's last laptop with a "good" keyboard, the 2015 MacBook Pro with Retina display.

Its hard to follow which bullet point is related to which picture.

Gouthaman Raveendran - 19/11/19

You meant “there's even” and not “there's not even “ right?

kabir - 20/11/19

The absence of a dust membrane is the culprit of many issues with the keyboard. This model Mac has the worst keyboard ever witnessed on a Mac. I have such a Mac for one year now, and I'm going to need my second replacement topcase!

E.R. -

Step 4

What's underneath the scissor mechanism? Hey, we'll ask the questions here—you just finish taking this thing apart.
Wait, scratch that—reverse it.
Here's a look at the "Apple-designed rubber dome that stores more potential energy for a responsive key press."
Beneath that, a backlight assembly with an interesting pattern—more on that later.
And bordering all that, a thin black gasket—presumably to stop the bright bits from bleeding out past the edge of the key.
Compared once again with the desktop Magic Keyboard:
The two scissor mechanisms look nearly identical. The old Magic scissor is ever-so-slightly thicker (1.6 vs 1.38 mm).
0.22 mm may not seem like much, but no doubt a lot of engineering went into the re-creation of this slender new scissor switch.

What happen if we use desktop magic keyboard scissor mechanism(the thicker one) in Macbook Pro keyboard ?

Friday -

I'd rather have the 0.22 mm and a reliable keyboard. Instead of this useless piece of garbage.

E.R. -

Step 5

Despite the differential in thickness, these keyboards look so similar that we're tempted to mix dark Magic with light and see what happens...
*Heavenly chorus* The Creation of Magic
Yes, what you're looking at is a 2015 white Magic Keyboard keycap on a 16" MacBook Pro keyboard and scissor. It works!
The old Magic command key is smaller (hence the larger gap around the key) and thicker than the new one.
Not every single key is interchangeable, and the old Magic keys don't have transparent lettering for the backlight. So don't get too excited yet, keyboard modders.

Let’s start Modding of Macbook Pro :)

Pavel - 31/12/19

Step 6

Having finished poking at the keyboard (for now), let's de-lid the chassis and look inside.
Apple already showed us this angry owl in a GIF from their press release, but what we haven't seen yet are high-energy X-rays passing through the owl to show us what's behind its frustrated facade.
The X-rays make it even angrier! Run away! Luckily our friends at Creative Electron are taking all the risk here—we'll resume disassembly after things calm down.

I’m still not clear on how exactly the keyboards are different - all the snark got in the way, but quite bemused by the ‘angry owl’!

Kit - 20/11/19

The six screws on the bottom plate of the MacBook Pro 16 are Pentalobe P5 type.

Greg Conquest - 14/04/20

The six screws on the bottom plate of the MacBook Pro 16 are Pentalobe P5 type. The two near the hinge are longer, about 7mm. The other four are about 3.5mm long. After removing these screws, though, the plate does not come off. Are there more screws under the rubber feet?

Greg Conquest - 14/04/20

You lift off the front of the bottom panel and pull forward. The back edge near the hinge has a series of prongs that slide out forward for removal, and backwards until you hear/feel a snap/click sound for reinstallation.

Dice Yamaguchi - 08/07/20

Step 7

Torx screws, schmorx screws—our Marlin driver set does it all. (Although come to think of it, we've yet to find a use for the schmorx bits.)
Even with this computer open, we're faced with more mystery—a masked MacBook! Is it you, Bruce?
Apple touts major advancements in this MacBook Pro's thermal design, and says this heat sink is 35 percent bigger. (We'd have guessed 34, but let's take their word for it.)
We also found some upgraded hardware covering what we presume to be fast new GDDR6 chips—a copper shield and a couple aluminum thermal pads.

The photo in the linked Marlin screwdriver set is of four Phillips and one flathead driver, rather than the described pentalobes, torx and tri-point?

Feanor - 22/08/20

Thanks for the catch! We’re working on fixing the incorrect image.

Arthur Shi - 24/08/20

Shouldn't the thermal paste cover more of the CPU heatspreader, or is that a normal amount?

cgjovag -

Step 8

We can't stop thinking of these logic boards as mustache-shaped, so let's take the anthropomorphic analogy way way too far and comb through the bristles. Here's what sticks to our comb:
9th-generation Intel Core i7-9750H 6-core processor
16x Micron MT40A1G8SA-075 8 Gb DDR4 SDRAM (16 GB total)
AMD Radeon Pro 5300M mobile GPU
4x Samsung K4Z80325BC-HC14 8 Gb GDDR6 RAM (4 GB total)
Toshiba TSB4227VE8434CHNA11926 and TSB4227VE8437CHNA11926 flash storage (512 GB total)
Apple T2 APL1027 339S00536 coprocessor
Intel JHL7540 Thunderbolt 3 controller

Five (5) NAND packages… Doesn’t that strike anyone else as odd? How does that possibly work out to 512 GB?

repoman27 - 19/11/19

Same question here. One for redundancy? Want to know how 1T,2T,4T,8T organized.

Walter - 19/11/19

For the GDDR RAM, you say “8Gb” and then “4GB total”…can you clarify that notation? Is there 4GB of GDDR in the machine, or 8? If onul y 4, then what does the “8Gb” refer to?

dontinw - 19/11/19

8Gb is the capacity for single GDDR6 chip. There are four 8Gb GDDR6 chips. Total video memory capacity is 32Gb(4GB).

JJ Wu - 09/12/19

@dontinw: 8Gb is 8 gigabit (how memory and flash manufacturers specify chip capacities). 8 bits to a byte, so 8Gb = 1GB (capital B). So 4 x 8Gb chips for a total of 4GB GDDR6 RAM.

Colin Ng - 19/11/19

@repoman27 @Walter Five flash chips is a little odd, but flash chips are made in odd sizes. The 2018 Retina MacBook Air had three flash chips at 43 GB each for a total of 129 GB, sold as 128. This was also the reason for its weird 1.5 TB max capacity. The 2019 refresh dropped to two chips.

My bet is 103 GB flash chips are a little bit cheaper per gigabyte than 128 GB. 1 TB and up will probably be eight chips.

Zimmie - 19/11/19

Can the hard disks be easily upgraded?

L Tan - 20/11/19

Is this “Apple T2 APL1027 339S00536 coprocessor “ there to protect boards from 3rd party and unauthorized repairs?

Babak - 21/11/19

Ostensibly no. It’s a hardware encryption co-processor. It allows for much higher speeds while maintaining very high levels of encryption.

It also integrates many extra functions. It replaces many of the discrete components into a single black box as well.

System Management Controller, image signal processor, audio controller, and SSD controller

Taken from https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208862

It also is the core of Touch ID and all of the secure boot and encrypted storage functions.

However there are concerns that this may become the fact. As this is the SMC (System Management Controller) it could be used to track the serial numbers or other applicable identifiers to make sure that no component is replaced without an AASP resetting the coding.

This is only a concern but with apple and the iphone error 53 fiasco we know they obviously have no qualms screwing over their customers to prevent 3rd party repairs.

Grant Spedding - 22/11/19

Where is the Soundchip / DAC?

Edit: Sorry, next Step. maybe the Renesas 225101C

Ballerjockel - 07/12/19

What DAC and amplifier are there?

djmultik - 26/02/20

i started using Macs Fan Control to control heating and the app takes advantage of controlling the two fans independently. What is the orientation of the logic board. Are we looking at it here as if you were facing the laptop with the screen open? I’d like to know which components are closest to which fan, R or L. Thanks.

smithereens - 27/03/20

Hey smithereens! The orientation of the Logic board in the first photo is the same as its orientation in the computer when working on it face-up, meaning it’s flipped horizontally from what it would be when you are using it—L is R and R is L. Hope this helps, it’s a bit hard to describe with words! If you want you can go back and look at the photos above this step (while the board is still in the laptop) and map it out the orientation in your mind based on visible ICs on the board.

Taylor Dixon - 30/03/20

Where is the SPI flash rom?

abductedaliens - 13/06/20

Is there any way to get access to the hard drive to backup the information if the logic board isnt working?

David García - 29/06/20

Hi David.

Difficult question.

In some cases if the board dies the data dies with it.

In others it can be connected to another machine to recover the data.

In others it can be but needs board repairs (apple does not offer this so 3rd party only and bye bye warranty)

Best case would be to ensure an up to date backup is kept and keep nothing mission critical on the machine

Grant Spedding - 29/06/20

Step 9

We continue combing for silicon. Silicon comes from sand. Have we been doing this all wrong?
Intel SR40F platform controller hub
Texas Instruments CD3217B12 (likely power controllers)
338S00267-A0 (likely Apple PMIC)
Texas Instruments TPS51980B power controller
339S00610 (likely Apple Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module)
Intersil 6277 PWM modulator
Renesas 225101C

It’s a pretty minor bit of silicon, but I also spy an NXP CBTL06142 DisplayPort 1.2 switch in between the CPU and GPU, likely for switching between integrated and discrete graphics for the built in display panel. This one is marked 6142E, but several previous iFixit Mac teardowns have revealed either the 6142F variant, or the Diodes Incorporated (Pericom) equivalent PI3WVR12612. For instance, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar has a pair of these to share the two display outputs from the integrated GPU with both Thunderbolt 3 controllers.

And is the Intel QMS380 chipset custom for Apple or does this appear elsewhere? It’s tiny compared to the normal PCH package.

repoman27 - 19/11/19

You have listed a WiFi/Bluetooth module there. I can’t it’s location marked on the board. Can you tell me if it is a fixed module solded to the board. I only ask as Apple has again not gone the full Monty and only put in an AC spec wifi module when they have included the AX spec in the new phones.

Michael Rapkins - 21/11/19

I can’t tell which component is the Apple 339S00610 WiFi/Bluetooth module in that illustration. Is it still on an m.2 card, or has it been soldered to the motherboard now?

Bryce Glover - 08/12/19

@ Michaek Rapkins & Bryce Glover: It’s the silver component circled in light blue in the second image. It’s a Broadcom based combo SiP module from Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), and it’s soldered to the logic board.

repoman27 - 14/12/19

Step 10

With the motherboard out of the way, we can take a peek at the rest of the improved thermal design.
Pardon us while we vent for a minute. Stacked atop its slightly-older sibling (the 15-inch 2019 model), the new MacBook Pro has some noticeably larger exhaust holes.
That combined with these new fans, which feature bigger impeller blades, pushes 28% more air through the new Pro.
This may sound like a bunch of hot air, but all these cool improvements allegedly allow this 16" Pro to sustain up to 12 more watts during intensive workloads than the previous design.

The dancing indie video game creatures are adorable!

Kent Jenkins - 19/11/19

Step 11

We slowly peel away the keyboard backlight, hoping to find Magic underneath.
The backlight assembly consists of a flexible diffuser, which carries light from LEDs along the edges. Flexible diffusers are common, but this one looks specially etched, possibly to maximize brightness and evenness.
Underneath the backlight, we spot some Pentalobe P2 screws along the edges of the metal keyboard frame. Could it be? Can we unscrew this thing to swap a busted key after a Dorito-fueled type-a-thon?
Nooooo! Once again, the keyboard assembly is riveted down. Though the switches are likely less vulnerable to crumbly assailants, the keyboard itself isn't any more repairable than the Butterfly boards.
It's basically 2016 all over again: we've got a new keyboard married to a non-serviceable design, with only Apple's word that it "won't break." And this one isn't even a part of the Keyboard Service Program, so ... : /
The one glimmer of hope is that this new keyboard design is extremely similar to past Apple keyboards that have mostly withstood the test of time.
Refusing to leave this keyboard interaction empty-handed, we pry up the keyboard as much as we can to get a glimpse at what makes it click. We are rewarded with a look at the flexible PCB layer sandwiched between the key and the metal backplate where the button presses happen ... but no magic.

http://nooooooooooooooo.com/

Evan - 20/11/19

Apple keyboards are notoriously prone to liquid damage. Would have been nice with screws.

Matthias - 21/11/19

“Apple keyboards are notoriously prone to liquid damage. Would have been nice with screws.”

No, Apple doesn’t like its products repairable. Reparability means recyclability means less profit for Apple.

Harry - 30/11/19

is the backlight glued ?

Ale - 09/05/21

my keyboard is not working even after I replace the logic board purchased from apple twice. and keyboard I replaced Chinese copy is there any sensor or terminal command that help keyboard detecting after main logic board replaced.

Atif Ali -

Step 12

Now that all our keyboard questions are laid to rest, we can move on to the rest of the bits still lying around.
First up, these fancy new ~~XL-Earpods~~ speakers with an extended enclosure, and opposed woofers on the top and bottom.
The opposed woofers are supposed to cancel each other's vibration out. Kinda like the anti-noise feature of the new AirPods Pro, but ... with bass. Anti-bass?
We aren't as sure about the elongated enclosure, but our best guess is that the new shape redirects sound to improve its quality. Maybe extra volume was needed to accommodate the second woofer?
Next, another sound upgrade: a "high performance" three-mic array. It's laid out similarly to the three-mic array in the 2018 MacBook Air, but looks a little beefier, which could mean these are higher-quality mics.
Finally, the lithium powerhouse that's probably drawing a suspicious glare from the FAA: Apple's 99.8 Wh battery (11.36 V, 8790 mAh).
That's the largest battery we've ever seen in a MacBook—a 4.8 Wh increase over the 17" MacBook Pro, and a huge 16.2 Wh increase over the latest 15" MacBook Pro.
Where did this extra capacity come from? Here, Apple pulled an iPhone 11—each battery cell looks identical to its predecessor, but measures 0.8 mm thicker on average.

The battery is only .3 Wh larger than the 2015 MBP 15”, though, which has a 99.5Wh battery: https://support.apple.com/kb/sp719?local... So you would probably be better off mentioning that than the 17” macbook pro, which is almost a decade old at this point.

steven - 18/11/19

The speaker enclosures are mostly to eat the sound which would otherwise radiate from the back of the driver. A free-floating electromagnetic speaker radiates from both sides of the membrane, but 180º out of phase, and the resulting audio interferes with itself in complicated ways. By having one face radiate into an enclosure, you get less self-interference. The problem is enclosures contain air, radiating sound into them compresses that air, and air doesn’t want to be compressed. A larger enclosure presents less resistance to the driver’s movement. Odd shapes don’t help quite as much as regular shapes, but the added volume is still beneficial.

Zimmie - 19/11/19

Step 13

Teardown Update: Hey, what's this little flex cable doing here? We don't remember seeing this before, and MacRumors was kind enough to ask us about it.
We have to fully remove the display to investigate, but it turns out there's a new sensor facing the left-side hinge, and a magnet embedded in the hinge itself. The arrow on the magnet indicates alignment/polarity, which rotates in sync with the display.
Looks like Apple added a lid angle sensor. Why would they need that? Will this enable some cool new macOS feature?
Maybe. It could also be a clever way for Apple to trace the history of how the device was used if repairs are needed. For instance, if the display cables fray, Apple might want to know how much the display was adjusted, and how often.
MacRumors did some additional gumshoeing, and found out that Apple wants this little sensor calibrated after repairs. Check out our post to speculate with us!

I wonder if they doing some HRTF audio tricks and bouncing sound off the display, it does have amazing stereo imaging. The sensor may allow them to calculate the screen angle and adjust output. I suppose it could be used to improve the mic noise cancelling with the same info, calculating delay/distance to the reflected sound off the display

mail - 20/11/19

Its still a Hall sensor! In this case is a radial sensor so the rotation is sensed. The 2019 used two edge sensors just in front of the USB ports (L&R) to sense the lifting of the lid. The only thing I can think of is if you are using an external display with a BT/USB keyboard/mouse/trackpad the lid could be placed at an angle so the speakers can broadcast outwards. The three microphones could even be used to measure the reflectance, similar to the HomePod.

Dan - 20/11/19

Apple wants this little sensor calibrated after repairs.

I hope they don't use this as another way to curtail repair (think iPhone XS battery). I can see it now:

Cannot adjust brightness. Please visit AASP for calibration.

Patrick Lienau - 20/11/19

Not really a tech, but could it be used to detect clamshell mode for some reason?

kevinharter - 20/11/19

I would guess that with six speakers, two fans and a haptic touchpad, they were running out of spots to place the pair of a magnet and hall effect sensor where they wouldn’t get cross-talk from other magnets. Sticking the pair right on the hinge and measuring rotation makes sense in that there was probably less competition for space there. The tradeoff is the need to calibrate the hall effect response rather than doing a more naive binary threshold.

Nirav Patel - 20/11/19

This is a welcome improvement over the old, too sensitive sleep sense arrangement. This will prevent the machine from waking when the display is barely lifted from park and will also eliminate waking if a key is depressed when the display is closed - which can easily occur since the display rests just 0.40 mm above the keys when folded. Noticed this immediately while qualifying RadTech’s ScreenSavrz for this machine.

John Grzeskowiak - 20/11/19

if combined with time and logged a complete lid-position history. will be created, which could be used for research purposes. Info about typical viewing angle could be a subject. However, so fare John Grzeskowiak’s comment is my favourite for the correct answer.

bjoern holst jespersen - 20/11/19

Agreeing with John, this would just seem to be a replacement for the old laptop close sensor.

It would need to be recalibrated after repairs because a hall effect sensor and magnet pair form a vary… analog… arrangement. That is, while the values should be very repeatable in ‘static’ arrangement, as soon as things get jostled about, the values could jump quite significantly from pre-jostled ones.

Eric Merrill - 20/11/19

Eek. I can smell what they are planning on doing, and not in a good way.

But how cool is a lid-angle measuring device? Pretty cool if you ask me…

If you think a magnetic closing lid is to disrupt microphones, think again. Most lids now more or less have magnetic-assisted closing motion, anyway.

Xavier Jiang - 20/11/19

I can see it as a way to replace the old “lid closed” sensor. Especially if you wear an Apple watch with a magnetic clasp. I’ve had a MacBook Pros go to sleep while I was using it because the band I had on was using a magnetic clasp, trigging a false lid closed.

tech - 20/11/19

Step 14

Let's lay out our feelings for this new MacBook Pro:
Though the fancy new-old scissor mechanisms may be more durable than fragile butterflies, the whole keyboard assembly is still riveted in place.
The revamped thermal system is a welcome improvement to the notoriously hot-and-throttled Pro lineup.
The 99.8 Wh battery flies just under the FAA radar, pumping out 16.2 Wh more capacity than the most recent 15” model. With such a slight increase in case size, this capacity increase is surprising.
Despite the thumping new speakers, the podcast-quality mic array, and that giant screen, we can't help but feel that Apple can do better—especially after seeing Microsoft perform some real engineering magic to make its latest laptops more repairable. Here's hoping that the 2020 Pro lineup will really take our breath away.
For now though, the only thing left to do is give this thing a score.

Step 15

The MacBook Pro 16" 2019 earns a 1 out of 10 on our repairability scale (10 is easiest to repair):
The trackpad can still be removed and replaced with very little drama.
Minor components are modular, but the processor, RAM, and flash memory are soldered to the logic board.
Glue and/or rivets secure the keyboard, battery, speakers, and Touch Bar, making those components a tricky fix.
The Touch ID sensor is the power switch and is locked to the logic board, greatly complicating repairs.

Author

Taylor Dixon

Member since: 26/06/18

63146 Reputation

98 comments

almost no repair choices even though its a “pro” device

Gage - 18/11/19

What does being a “pro” device have to do with high repairability? “Pro” (itself more of a marketing term than a technical one) covers a proud range of areas. My sister is a pro graphic designer. She can do amazing things with illustrator or photoshop. She couldn’t tell you the next thing about processors or keyboard switches. For her the “pro” is what she can get done, not whether or not she can pop open the case. I’d be willing to lay odds thats true for a lot of people.

Repairability and pro are not connected. Some people value the former, some the later, some both, some neither.

kreutz - 19/11/19

In response to kreutz.

Hypothetical:

The Pro Graphic Designer is working on a commission that has taken several weeks. She has completed another days worth of work while out and about (the main point of a laptop, portability) someone drops liquid into the unit and it fails.

She could just redo the hours of work she just lost after her last backup (assuming she is someone who backs up religiously), however her deadline is tomorrow morning.

If she is using a true pro device she could drop by a computer repair place. Have them remove the SSD and recover the data. (in the macbook pro the SSD is soldered and even if it wasn’t the T2 chip prevents an external computer from reading it). If she is using the “PRO” device that apple sells she is $@$* out of luck and has to pull an all nighter to redo the work or loose the commission and be out all of the work she has done.

The ability to respond to unexpected situations damage, moisture, internal failure or design fault is what should set a PRO device apart.

Grant Spedding - 19/11/19

@grantspedding The T2 does not prevent an external computer from reading the SSD. It is connected to one of the USB-C ports. There is a tool you can connect which will boot the T2 in DFU mode, prompt for the user’s password, tell the T2 to load the SSD, then dump all the data to an external drive.

Though I seriously wonder what professional would use a machine with no backups of in-flight work. Especially when it’s a Mac, and every macOS since 10.5 in 2007 has included Time Machine.

Zimmie - 19/11/19

For those suggesting that the moniker PRO doesn’t need to mean ‘repairable’, ‘accessible’, ‘non-complicated’, just consider any other PRO industry who relies hugely on repairability and the ability to get inside their devices / tools / instruments to keep them going as long as possible. A music producer wouldn’t throw away a 50 channel recording deck because 2 channels failed one day. A musician wouldn’t put their guitar in the dump because a machine head broke, $10 would get that musician back on stage again. A chef that finds their knife no longer sharp doesn’t look for the bin and a wholesale knife catalogue to buy a new one, they get a hone, or a stone and in 10 minutes their knife is possibly as good as new.

Apple have chosen this route for us and all to shave a few millimetres and grammes off laptops that Pro’s need to have as functional as possible. The moniker PRO is assumed to not only be top quality but top at saving the day when $@$* hits the fan and these machines are no longer that.

John Ward - 19/11/19

Between work I’ve done at an advertising agency, and a free lance photographer; you’d be amazed how many people market themselves as "Pros” but don’t have any backup of their work. Or they have a single external HDD which has all their work and accept that as their backup because time machine is running on it. The idea of “PRO” here is its Apple’s highest end laptop, and people can feel like calling themselves “pro” is justified. This has nothing to do with sensible backup strategies or thinking ahead to the what if scenario of a computer failure.

Gouthaman Raveendran - 19/11/19

@zimmie So if the motherboard fails completely. ie when a mac gets a whiff of moisture in the air (hyperbole obviously) and the main board craps out and cannot enter DFU mode. What then?

Grant Spedding - 19/11/19

@kreutz Additionally I would agree that the PRO moniker is massively overused/misused however all of Apple’s marketing really emphasizes specifically pro use.

As you said

“Repairability and pro are not connected. Some people value the former, some the later, some both, some neither.”

I would argue however that the pro you are referring to is a marketing gimmick just like “Mitsubishi Heavy Industries” in reference to normal domestic air conditioners. It has no right to claim the “Pro” moniker just as the air con has no right to claim “Heavy Industries”. So the people valuing PRO are quite literally valuing an empty marketing promise over something that could save their business when something goes wrong.

Grant Spedding - 19/11/19

@grantspedding You CAN do that, but not always. For example, recovering data after damaging the laptop would be much harder since everything is encrypted. If the T2 chip is damaged in some way (by water, for example), then all of the data on there is unrecoverable.

Ethan Zuo - 21/11/19

@ethanzuo

The T2 chip is separate to my issues with this unit. Yes (very) theoretically you could recover from a damaged board. If you look at a comment above by Phillip Hue this requires several things including an intact T2 Chip and power rails to supply power.

However my big problem is the use of an ssd soldered to the motherboard. With a removable ssd it is possible to recover data even if the rest of the board has literal holes in it, components completely corroded off the board or if the USB-C ports are damaged (as in the comment above by Phillip specifies that these are required). My problem is with the way that apple have chosen to have absolutely no replaceable parts.

1 Ram chip fails… That’s a motherboard

1 Ssd chip fails… That’s a motherboard

A USB-C socket fails… That’s a motherboard

The wifi module fails… That’s a motherboard

anything goes wrong… That’s a motherboard

It’s a wasteful and anti consumer decision that cannot be justified

Grant Spedding - 21/11/19

As a pro user, there’s definitely something to be said for repairability. However, as any pro should know, you never trust any one device or system completely. 99.9999% reliability still isn’t quite perfect, and I’ve experienced failures. That’s why I have backups. I NEVER rely on one storage medium. It’s much easier for me to quickly recover a file from Backblaze and work on another machine.. Price is also an important factor - it’s much less costly for me to quickly download a file and get back to work on a backup computer and FedEx my laptop to get repaired under warranty than it is to take time out of my day, pay out of pocket, and wait for a repair shop to recover my data. SSDs fail too, and being able to remove an SSD doesn’t do me much good if it’s what’s broken. Most of us work from servers or external drives regardless. Repairability matters, but my camera bag is already heavier than I’d like - if I have to sacrifice repairability for my back health, I’ll take it

Ashley Ryan - 10/12/19

well well. like 30 years of PRO models by every single other manufacturer.. well including apple till 2015, including Mac Pro. one of the best examples is HP Probook. it is clearly designed to be serviceable, you can swap the hard drive with 2 screws, you can clean fans, you can replace keyboard, etc. PRO means that you do not need to buy a new one as soon as you drop a few drops of liquid.

RipperDoc - 12/12/19

I can totally agree that a device’s performance is not affected by its repairability. But while you think that your device’s repairability has nothing to do with you, as you are not a professional repairer, the repairability of the device is very important when you run into a hardware issue. For example, a Thunderbolt 3 port on your MacBook is not working due to a malfunction of the Intel JHL Controller, that’s a motherboard right there, equivalent to nearly 2000 bucks, unless the repairer can perform micro soldering (Apple won’t do that). And who’s paying that fee? You, of course. Your screen cracks, another couple hundred bucks. Your keyboard breaks, no coverage program, bam, more money spent. In the end, you are suffering too. Apple’s gimmick is that they make things so unrepairable that your repairing fee is basically the same as buying another device (a tad bit cheaper), or that they simply don’t repair, so you are forced to buy more devices, and the more you buy, the more money Apple makes out of you.

KillerLab 233 - 24/04/20

I had my SSD cable broken last day, took out my SSD and connected it via USB, continued working until my new cable arrives in 3 three days. I do not have another laptop or PC. Being a pro does not mean you have multitudes of everything but being able to find quick solutions on the go. Now we can not do this with the new MacBook ‘pro’ . I upgraded my MacBook Pro (mid-2012) with an ssd and extended its life, but no more, now it is old and should get a new one. Stuck!

Deniz Ozut - 02/09/20

oh boy…why even allow it to be opened in the first place? rivets and glue just make this design worse.. I think you need to have a negative number for your review system- thx for the work on busting open these devices.

MND DESIGN - 18/11/19

i wish they would just allow the batteries to be easily replaced at the very minimum

jamieexeter - 18/11/19

Step 8. It says “Toshiba TSB4227VE8434CHNA11926 and TSB4227VE8437CHNA11926 flash storage (512 GB total)”.

Does it mean that it has two SSD sticks? RAID? Thanks!

Peter Gamble - 18/11/19

Just two NAND modules, one controller, so not RAID

nitesh singh - 18/11/19

Individual LEDs under each key cap are gone. Guess it can’t all be wins, I did like how much more precise the light was without bleeding out around it. Does the new one have more light bleed then?

nitesh singh - 18/11/19

Thanks for the teardown! Did they fix the fragile display cable? Or is that still bound to break?

Felix - 18/11/19

Hey Felix! It’s hard to say for sure whether they’ve totally fixed it, but last year they adjusted the length of the cables in question and as far as I know, those machines have yet to experience any display or backlight issues directly related to those cables. The 16” Pro’s display cables are still precariously placed and built into the display, but like the “improved” Pros of last year, they seem to have enough slack that they shouldn’t get stretched over the display controller board and short out over time.

Taylor Dixon - 18/11/19

Thanks Taylor!

Felix - 18/11/19

Men, I really hoped we would see replaceable RAM or SSD. I am still waiting out with a fully upgraded Macbook Pro 13 2012 non retina.

Guess I have a little longer to wait for a replacement. Nice to see the keyboard fixed though.

Peterdk - 18/11/19

Same here :( but low tech is the futur … ^^;

snoid2 - 20/11/19

I’m dissapointed about flash memory. The flash memory is soldered!!!! :(

Estoy decepcionado sobre el almacenamiento flash. El almacenamiento flash está soldado!!!! :(

joerfrada - 18/11/19

What’s the difference between TSB4227VE8434CHNA11926 and TSB4227VE8437CHNA11926 SSD?

Jay S - 18/11/19

No mention of the soldered on flex cable between the display and the motherboard. Is that still the case with this model?

wiggin - 18/11/19

Had the same question and got this very informative answer: MacBook Pro 16" 2019 Teardown

Felix - 18/11/19

I’m not sure it’s technically correct to conclude that “the keyboard itself isn't any more repairable than the Butterfly boards” just because the keyboard assembly is riveted in place. The Butterfly keyboards were less repairable than Apple’s 2015 Scissor keyboards, which were also riveted in place.

The Butterfly keyboards didn’t allow you to remove/replace keycaps, so if debris got underneath the key, your only hope was to spray some compressed air around the edge of the key and hope for the best. The ability to remove a keycap, spray for debris, and then replace the keycap itself makes this keyboard at least a little more repairable. (The MacBook keyboard has never had replaceable keyswitches AFIAK.)

dan - 18/11/19

This is a bummer. I should have waited until this release, before I bought mine. I really want the 32Gb. I was hoping to be able to upgrade it.

limegrntaln - 19/11/19

At least batteries should be replaceable with removable stretch tape. If half the computer has to be thrown away to replace a keyboard or battery, this is not environmentally friendly.

Richard Burton - 19/11/19

Hopefully Apple can apply the same improvements to the 13” to make it a 14” and change how batteries are attached to improve repair ability.

Richard Burton - 19/11/19

UWB - Ultra Wide Band Chip anywhere?

Steffen Thieringer - 19/11/19

Good job.

Jamal ALBUSIFI - 19/11/19

Why does it weight 2x an LG gram? Would love to see you tear down one of those and compare the weight of each part

Gregg Tavares - 19/11/19

Shame that people still buy these units. Soldered on everything is an absolute joke. What's even more comical is seeing all the articles come out commenting on the much improved keyboard. Does anyone even acknowledge the stupidity of that statement? It's a 2k-6k laptop and that's all the majority of people care about? Thank you for everything you do here, hopefully one day I'll be able to upgrade my 2011 17” mbp.

Mike M - 19/11/19

You nailed it. A decent keyboard is kinda expected, right? Not to mention that the Apple has been trying to quietly kill the MacOS for a long time. It needs a complete overhaul. iOS on ARM processors is the future, right? Buying a Macbook Pro is more costly than the initial inflated (customer gouging) purchase price. Open up the wallet people!! $379 + service fees.

AppleCare+ for MacBook Air and MacBook Pro includes:

Three years (total) limited hardware warranty.

Three years (total) technical support.

Coverage for two incidents of accidental damage (subject to a service fee of $99 for screen damage or $299 for other damage)

Customer901428 - 19/11/19

What makes a PRO device PRO is not necessarily “upgradeability” (which is also true) but repairability and compatibility…

When you have a memory, storage or any component failure (battery, display, etc) and you have to change the whole unit (maybe at your own expense) this is not a PRO device, it’s just a very fancy consumer product.

When you have to change your peripherals (PRO expensive peripherals you have acquired through years) just because your new “PRO” computer has changed the connectors and forces you to buy converters, dongles and all kind of expensive $@$* just to connect your existing equipment to a computer from the same manufacturer, then you don’t have a PRO computer. Even if it does have “PRO” in the name.

When you are forced to buy new equipment every 2 or 3 years to keep pace with the always-changing technology, or just to cover repair costs, you are never capable of getting a return of investment. That’s not a PRO equipment.

esmuposible - 19/11/19

I have been waiting for a fixed keyboard and 16 inch MacBook for a while. $@$*!& repairability, but it looks like I don’t have any other option other than buying it. Don’t want to go back to Windows, nor buying 2015 Macbook :(

Javanshir Alammadli - 19/11/19

Apple uses recycled aluminum for their bottom line, not to protect the environment from unnecessary waste. If you can repair you own MacBook Pro, then you don’t need to pay the Apple tax. Apple is terrified of losing a revenue stream. State of California, where are your right to repair laws? Laws for everything else. What a joke! Say one thing, do the opposite. My Lenovo Thinkpad (repairable) is more enjoyable to use, and gives me access to Ubuntu and Windows 10. Gaming and a work covered. My use cases for Macbook Pro, web browsing, email, imessage, and photo editing. Is the Macbook Pro worth the cost for mainstream users, not really. “innovation” (or reverse “innovation”) is being celebrated. Basically, it works like this, Apple makes a design decision for you in a vacuum. Then, you have to wait years and years for Apple to admit the mistake (if they do) and reverse it. If you have to buy a Macbook Pro, get it used for half the cost and help the environment from less Apple waste.

Customer901428 - 19/11/19

After nearly 8 years with my upgraded mid 2012 MacBook Pro Unibody, I decided it is time to get the 2019 16”.

With 4TB of SSD, 16gb ram and 2.7ghz Quad, there hasn’t been enough of a leap (or really a need) to get a new machine for my needs (lightroom, photoshop, indesign, illustrator). I’m uncomfortable with the all-soldered board - I’ve had 3 SSD failures on my current machine, but they were always an easy swap. Gone through 4 batteries as well.

With Ethernet, FW800, USB3, and ease of serviceability I believe this is one of the last truly Pro laptops from Apple. Unfortunately, quality parts are getting harder come by. The old keyboard needed to be replaced but is not as good as the original. Batteries from iFixit are failing much quicker than the Apple component. Cant even find a protective case for it these days.

I hope I can get the same amount of years out of the 2019 16”.

jason - 19/11/19

Shameless laptop, MUCH overpriced, no PRO at all, Will past………… A JOKE AT BEST

maximinlida - 20/11/19

@zimmie Youre actually wrong about the T2 part, specifically how it actually works. I work as an AASP technician, heres how it works. 1: it is not a tool, its a secondary macbook running apples Data Transfer Utility, which is part of the Mac Confoguration Utility Suite provided to us. 2: In order to *use* those utilities, you must have access to an AST2 account (https://diagnostics..apple.com) and be authorized to use that tool by whatever AASP you work for, or be authorized by apple for an apple store style job. 3: you must *also* have an active repair in apples GSX system (Global Service Exchange, gsx.apple.com) AND have the Logic Board (or replacement laptop) added to the repair itself. If no replacement board is added, then this utility tells you to f*ck off. 4: This tool 100% relies on the fact that T2, CD3215, USB-C port, NAND, and any relevant power rails and data lines are not dead or broken. If your T2 chip died, or a power fail on the board responsible for T2 dies, or NAND on the board dies, or any similar issues, youre f*cked. Plain and simple. You *have* to do board repait at that point to get it to a state where this actually works, assuming it isnt NAND , T2, or ISL9240 that killed itself. If these killed themselves then you have 0 chance of recovery since you cannot get these parts at all. Since you worded it as if any plain Jane can do it, youre intentionally making your argument invalid and youre also spreading misinformation about apples repair side and peoples ability as a consumer to actually practice recovering data form theirt dead macbooks.

Phillip Hue - 20/11/19

If you can get the machine to boot into Thunderbolt Target mode and have another Mac available, you can recover your own data. And every SSD has the same issues if the controller, SDRAM cache if present, enough NAND dies / packages, or host interface cease to function. The additional complexity of the Mac logic board does mean there’s a lot more opportunity for things to go wrong though. But you’d also be surprised what professional data recovery services are capable of, even going back to the days of spinning disks. If you’re comfortable doing BGA rework in the first place, it’s not that big of a deal to transfer a known good PMIC from another logic board. And depending on the circumstances, the data recovery may be worth enough to the customer to pay for something like that.

repoman27 - 14/12/19

@repoman27 While you are correct that involved repairs that require specialized equipment and training IE BGA rework. can recover almost anything from a macbook in any condition. Have you ever checked the cost of having someone do BGA rework on a motherboard? And will Apple ever offer the service?

And failing that will Apple ever help 3rd parties to complete these type of repairs, ie supply the required parts and manuals?

If you watch some of Louis Rossmann’s videos regarding parts availability and the CBS special on taking a macbook with a simple fault that was immediately quoted the cost of the unit and with no data intact.

Apple could resolve this cheaply and simply by making the SSD removable and to use either a removable TPM or include the encryption method on the SSD to allow for it to be connected to another system for data recovery.

Grant Spedding - 15/12/19

I won’t buy a new computer unless it’s repairable and upgradable. Apple is very close to loosing my 35 year allegiance (and I have purchased dozens of Macs over that period). The Windows notebooks my employer furnishes are not as pretty but they are way more repairable and upgradable. Apple charges more and used to offer top quality and longevity in exchange. Their last 4 or 5 years have been a downward spiral in both “advantages” accelerated by a string of buggy OS releases.

gary - 20/11/19

Pro is short for prostitute.

It just means that you get paid for doing it.

I expect a Pro device to be designed to minimise the chance of it needing repair.

Generally repairability is achieved at the expense of reliability.

Ifixit, great as they are, are biased on this topic as they make their money from device repairs. They have every motive to promote repairability over reliability.

Alex Bowden - 20/11/19

Let’s park the name pro. This is a very expensive laptop. So it should work for 8 - 10 years. In order to do so, it must be possible to upgrade and repair. But it is not.

Besides, our earth is fragile and has limited resources. Repair helps the planet. But this fancy laptop can hardly be repaired.

Ooh Apple, why are you so money focussed in stead of creativity focussed? Where are all the new devices and creative designs that you used to make in the past? We only see more of the same: thinner, lighter, with better battery and with a subwoofer. But no new products at all. No new groundbreaking pro software either. Apple was fighting Big Blue/ The System back in the 80’s. I’ll guess Apple itself is now The System…

Danny - 20/11/19

The bottom cover’s screws are still P5?

tong1774 - 20/11/19

Correct! They are still P5.

Arthur Shi - 20/11/19

They COULD do better, but why would they?

Apple is the only company with their own wireless (no blame for delivering Airdrop), apple-branded SSD (what the heck), T2 “security chip”.

That have nothing to do with “Pro”. That said, “Pro” users most likely will modify their hardware to suit their needs (or swap out broken stuff to make it live longer) but as far as I know this is against Apple’s intentions.

Hey, they still use screws.

Xavier Jiang - 20/11/19

10 points to Gryffindor for the Angry Face tear-down layout. Well played. As for the unit itself, I’m thrilled that they got so many of the crucial details right: massive RAM and SSD options (RAM reasonably priced, SSD…not so much), more battery, reliable heat dispersion, a keyboard we know works and feels right, and a small improvement in screen real-estate. I’m still on my original MBPr from 2013, and she’s still a workhorse. But the years are showing and it’s time to put her out to pasture. To those people who claim MacBooks are way overpriced, I counter with my nearly 7 year old MBPr and say, “$2,800 over 6 years is a pretty damned good ROI.” Hopefully, this new 16” will see 5-7 years as well.

I just wish Apple would bring back the glowing  and the boot-chime…C'est la vie

AniMill - 20/11/19

960€ for additional 48GB ram, while one can get 64GB for 416€ (steepest price I could find) on the free market.

I wonder.. what kind of cool aid did you take to call Apple’s ram prices “reasonable “?

Ceyx - 27/02/20

Here’s another perspective on the “Pro” label. One might say, “who cares about ease of repairs if you’ve got a paid service plan like AppleCare…however they do it, it’ll get taken care of”. In the PC world, the business line of Dell’s laptops (“Latitude” labeled) are designed to be *very* repairable, especially compared to their lowest end products. How does this help the “pro” user? Pro’s who use their laptop every working second of the day really *hate* to part with it for long, especially if it is still mostly functional. It means that when someone has a broken keyboard, we can arrange for a company rep to visit on-site (This is included in the sub $200 service plan) and they’ll sit at our conference table and replace the keyboard in under an hour (their toolset consisting primarily of a few phillips head screwdrivers). Compare that to taking their MBP to the Apple Store and being told they’ll have it back in 2 days (or so).

davidw - 20/11/19

Overpriced paperweights. That is all these things are. The very idea that Apple makes it so difficult, if not impossible to repair your system, or even perform some of the most basic types of upgrades that virtually every other manufacturer allows you to make, is just a huge middle finger to their customers. I’m not gonna drop $2,500 on something that I can’t repair if something happens or goes wrong. I will stick with my $800 - $1,200 Windows machines that I know I can repair if needed. My current $850 lappy is still going strong after about 5 years of heavy use, and shows no sign of slowing down.

And Alex Bowden, Apple is equally, if not MORE biased in making sure that you are forced to purchase more of their products as often as possible, and they do that by making their devices unable to be repaired, or even upgrade-able. (Really? You can’t even let us upgrade the SSD now?)

Ryan Clarke - 20/11/19

I have to say the word “PRO” or Professional was or is an important factor in the ability to keep on going, or have the choice to make upgrades or any improvements along the way. As a person who has spent over 30 years in the “Pro” Audio recording business we have spent thousands of “Extra $” for the ability to repair, or upgrade as needed. And as quickly as possible! In the “Pro” markets, hardware, firmware and software upgrades are part of the deal. We anticipate the expected as well as the the unexpected. We do NOT spend tons of $ to “Use once, Then Throw Away “ I had considered buying the new 16” unit…. but now I shall pass after seeing what iFix-it has revealed to all of us “Pro” folks in the field. Another day, another dollar .

vic - 20/11/19

And yet Apple still refused to cool the VRMs properly. Those things will throttle like !&&* under full load, throttling the CPU and GPU. Why couldn’t they just put a copper plate on that covers the CPU, GPU, VRMs, and GDDR6? If I pay this much for it, I better not have an incentive to break into it with a screwdriver and a pack of thermal pads!

Ethan Zuo - 21/11/19

I don’t know how to put a thumbs up for definition of PRO for Grant Spedding & John Ward. Good jobs

Babak - 21/11/19

What about the cable connecting the LCD to the logic board? With the 2016+ MBP 15-Inch the cable was fixed on the LCD side and overtime got pinched. Did they fix this with the 16-inch?

Update: Flexgate issue -> https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/21/18634...

manish - 21/11/19

I will have to await an iMac redesign that will allow easy opening for cleaning/repairs/upgrades. Absent that, I will simply continue to make do with my late 2013 Macpro. While not upgradeable, except for memory and ssd, at least it is engineered to be dismantled for repairs. (Note ifixit’s repairability score.) The trash can’s performance is more than usable for my purposes, and it does run cool - the cpu rarely gets above 65C. Apple can’t seem to get it through their heads that the marketplace is demanding a repairable MacBook, and failure to provide one is only going to do continuing damage to their reputation.

Robert Meppelink - 22/11/19

I will correct myself here and say that the marketplace seems to be wanting a Macbook pro with a user replaceable ssd and battery, to be done with minimal tools, simply by removing the bottom cover. This would probably require the Macbook pro to be thicker, and very noticeably so. No one would care.

Robert Meppelink - 23/11/19

Do you see the flexgate issue recurring in this new MBP? It seems that with new design comes problems and i’m skeptical that they may have overseen the display flex cable issue this year.

Any clarification would be appreciated

Brian Ramirez - 23/11/19

I have owned and used many Apple products since 1999 (a relative newcomer, I admit, compared to many). It has always been for me a love/hate relationship. But lately, there’s been a lot more on the hate side than the love side. This 16” MBP does nothing to change that perception. I currently am using two 15” MBPs, a company-supplied 2018 i7 Touch Bar model, and a personally owned 2015 i7 Retina. The former has been rather a disappointment all the way around, while the latter is likely the last MBP I will ever buy, unless Apple changes course. I cannot, and will not, support the concept that devices with a finite number of write cycles should ever be soldered to a motherboard, let alone the lack of upgradeability.

My 2015 recently received a 2TB NVMe M.2 SSD upgrade, and actually has better R/W performance than the 2018. Cost around $200. I don’t even want to know what a comparable upgrade would cost for the 2018.

Useful lifespan used to be an Apple selling point. Not anymore, it seems.

Jeff Cook - 23/11/19

Apple’s trend towards soldered-on components and deliberately complicating repairs really makes me sad. I have tried to leave to other systems several times but I love the Apple ecosystem and always come back for it. The new continuity features are just amazing, especially SideCar… !&&*, I would spring for one of these new MBPs if they were more repair and upgrade friendly! but I’m not dropping $3k on something that, if a necessary component breaks a year later after warranty is up, will leave me out hundreds or thousands of $$ for costly repairs.

Apple wants people to just buy another one or pay a lot of $ for their Apple Care scam. Well, screw you too Apple, I’ll just keep buying older used Apple products on Craigslist and not give you any $ until you get your act together.

Tyson Roehrkasse - 23/11/19

I’m so salty that I bought a $4500 MacBook Pro like 3 months aaago. See what I did there? Any chance I can slaap one of those keyboards in for this HORRIBLE butterfly junk?

Drew Payment - 27/11/19

I see whattt you did there! Unfortunately, the internal frames between the butterfly and scissor keyboards are different and not swappable without considerable modifications.

Arthur Shi - 27/11/19

Hello what about the screen câbles which HAD problems before. Are they better now ?

Nicolas Rat's - 29/11/19

Check this comment out for a detailed response!

Arthur Shi - 02/12/19

Guess I’m keeping my 2010 pro another year at least…

turcottesh - 03/12/19

Curious whether this uses “TouchID 1” like the other Macbook Pros, or if we’ve gotten an upgrade to the faster TouchID 2 introduced in the iPhone 6S.

Eric Jacobsen - 03/12/19

do you discuss and demonstrate the complications of removing the bottom cover to this 16” computer? where is the demonstrating of pulling it off in your video? after taking screws out of the bottom cover, it is complicating to unhook it from the machine via specialized hooks - unlike older macbook pro computers.

please notate, thanks.

tiko - 28/12/19

tiko, these bottom covers are pesky to remove! We don’t have a guide for this 16” MBP yet, but you can check out our guide for the 15”—the procedure is the same. Hope this helps!

Taylor Dixon - 30/12/19

Hi! Thanks for the article. Can you please give a bit more details how to remove the speakers? Are they just glued?

sir_paul - 05/02/20

I’ve been in both the broadcast and consumer end of electronic repair for several decades and the label “Pro” use to be tied directly to the accessibility and repair-ability of electronic equipment. Pro equipment was designed to be repaired and maintained with relatively easy access. There where call outs on circuit boards and tie points for test equipment along with straight forward disassembly and reassembly. None of that existed on cheap consumer, non “Pro” equipment. Apple has merged the “Pro” and “Consumer” moniker to some degree with the high price of “Pro” and the inability to maintain or repair that embodies cheap “Consumer” equipment. They have not done themselves a great service by taking this approach.

Robert Dorr

Robert Dorr - 11/02/20

Hi! Thanks so much for your guide. Do you think is there any risk to speakers if you pass the vaccum cleaner over the spearks grill?

With regards!

Juan - 27/03/20

Could we have more details on the 3-mic array? It seems not a single source is available on the Internet about it.

Jiahe Shi - 19/04/20

Is it possible to fit 2017” MacBook pro 15” components in the 16” chassis? Asking for a friend.

Bobby - 24/04/20

Any comments on the LCD panel: how they achieved thin borders and its stack up?

V Sethna - 04/05/20

Hi any update on the LCD panel itself? I am interested on its thin borders and the overall stack up of the components. and the replaceability of the LCD panel.

V Sethna - 04/05/20

I cracked my trackpad. I see you note it’s replaceable, can I use the trackpad from an 15 MBP?

Gig - 08/05/20

I think the accelerometer was to prevent platter damage in a drop, there are on platters in this book, any idea why is the accelerometer there?

perris - 09/05/20

Hi,

Could be possible to exchange the keycaps on a Macbook A2141 with US keyboard, with those of a last Italian desktop Magic Keyboard?

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MQ052...

Thanks

Regards

Carlo - 18/05/20

Hi Carlo,

If the Italian Magic Keyboard is similar to the American Magic Keyboard, then yes, most keys should be exchangeable. You may have some issues with the larger keys, such as the shift and space keys.

Arthur Shi - 18/05/20

“Pro” means flexibility, and always has. It isn’t about whether the user does the upgrades themselves; it is about the power to upgrade a machine. This ability to continue to invest in your investment is part of what makes a machine “Pro.” I would rather pay an extra $1000 for a machine that is upgradeable, than for one that is not. Apple got it all wrong in this arena this time. Thin is overrated in a “Pro” product; Apple could have traded thinness for upgradability.

Segue - 09/06/20

The only reason I would trade in my matte screen 2011 MBP is that a charge only lasts an hour with a new One World replacement battery. I have googled the problem but found nothing beyond the usual “check if an app is using a lot of power”. After reading this, I think I will have to suffer a bit longer unless one of you guys can help me out with an explanation.

Ronald Chalmers - 25/07/20

where in the world is the FULL tear down video???

David Hernandez - 07/08/20

Tim Cook has slowly and deliberately undermined every reason to buy a Mac. He’s turning out to be Apple’s Steve Ballmer, no genuine passion for quality, just concerned about profits. But I’m not buying shares.

Came here to see if I could replace my mid-2009 with something viable for the same amount of years. It’s been through many hard drives, most spinning, and a few batteries. There have been times when I swapped a drive right out of a backup case and kept going. But the passion for quality and the company customer advocate was buried since my 2009 was made.

I hate dealing with the Apple Store, it feels like a contrived scam and I don’t want to give some big company my old hard drive with my data on it, nor do I want their techs to have access to it.

Thank you, iFixit, you’re doing dog’s work.

speedyk - 10/08/20

Would someone mind sharing where the Touch ID Cable is located and possible make a guide on how to reseat the connection. I am getting that dreaded “Touch ID Failed to complete Enrollment” Error. and nothing has worked to resolve it (PRAM,SMC,Fresh macOS, Revived/Restored Firmware via DFU mode) leaving me out of options. third MacBook Pro with this problem, and apple refuses to fix it. go figure.

Stefan Lewis - 17/08/20

No idea if it will help, but you can reseat the connection following steps 29-31 of this guide. Good luck!

Jeff Suovanen - 17/08/20

How on earth can Apple get away with attaching the battery in such a way that a battery replacement requires also replacing the top case, speakers and keyboard? Certainly they could have found a less user hostile way to attach a component with a finite life span.

Justin Sitter - 15/09/20

“Apple have chosen this route for us and all to shave a few millimetres and grammes off laptops that Pro’s need to have as functional as possible.”

That is a lie that they want us to believe. Microsofts new surface books are not glued together anymore and still are the same size. It is complete BS that glueing stuff together makes the device more slim.

Apple is corrupted by greed. It is simple “planned obsolence” what they are doing. Their environmental greenwashing statements they post on their website are nothing but shallow lies. Time to change. I am not buying Macs anymore unless this practice has ended.

Dr Dillio - 15/10/20

I have the 8TB model, and the flash storage isn’t Toshiba - it looks to be SanDisk. The chips are marked SDSBEGGKH-1T00 CN, and all 8 locations are populated (4 on each side of the motherboard), so I’m assuming that each chip is 1TB.

Jason Eckert - 08/11/20

OK let’s put it this way. The Thinkpad competitors to this notebook would be the P series. The P series actually have a parts list with FRU part numbers. FRU means field replacement unit, ie. they send it to you so that you can pop open the case and swap the bad part with the good part. Makes in place repair within a couple of days possible. Depending on the warranty coverage you can actually get 48-72 hours on-site repair, where a tech comes ou tot you with a tool case and spare parts and pretty much fixes the laptop on the spot. That is pro level hardware support for professional gear. BTW, I own a 16” MBP, so I actually have a horse, or two (couple of thinkpads) in the race.

sinan yilmaz - 17/11/20

If you want the ultimate in portability I suppose you need to accept that certain things are glued/soldered. I can understand this being the case for parts which rarely fail. But when you rivet the keyboard, solder the memory and SSD and glue the battery, this makes no sense.

I can also understand that it is more economical for vendors to replace entire boards while under warranty: the service centers need less equipment, less regulations to comply with (ventilation and exposure to toxic fumes), the technicians need less trainings, it is faster and potentially more reliable on the long term.

But basic components that frequently fail (memory, disk drives, batteries) should be end-user replaceable or at least without specialized skills/tools.

I have a ASUS ZenBook Flip which is even thinner than a MacBook Pro (ASUS is 13.9 mm thin while the thinnest MBP is 14.9 mm). Yet, the battery, disk drive and memory modules for ASUS are easily serviceable (they are not glued/soldered/riveted).

Bogdan - 30/12/20

Which sound chip does it use? Sound even through the 3.5mm jack seems nicer than on previous 15” macbooks or is it just me?

Alex - 12/05/21

애플이 이번에 수리 난이도를 겁나 올리려고 작정했고 결국 성공했군.

Turtle -

What happen if we use desktop magic keyboard scissor mechanism(the thicker one) in Macbook Pro keyboard ?

Friday -

Framework 16 is the laptop to go if you want high repairability

Albert -