iFixit has the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro with Apple M2 (approx. 1,599 euros on Amazon) in the video embedded below, and found just as few innovations as we did in our test of the laptop. The Apple M2’s heatsink has slightly less rounded corners, and a few chips on the motherboard have changed, but that’s about it for the new features.
Therefore, iFixit tried to see if it would be possible to fit the M2 MacBook Pro motherboard into the older Apple M1-based MacBook Pro in order to upgrade the device. And indeed: It works, with some restrictions. If you swap out the motherboard, you also have to swap out the trackpad, keyboard, and Touch ID fingerprint sensor with new components that are compatible with the Apple M2, so such an upgrade makes little sense.
iFixit criticizes this approach, because at least the keyboard and the trackpad should work with the new chip if Apple would not prevent this. The teardown video also explains why the base model with 256 GB of memory achieves significantly slower read and write rates than the previous model: Apple only installs one memory chip in this model, while the variant with M1 even uses two memory chips in the base model. This decision could either have cost reasons, or be due to the availability of smaller flash memory chips.
I have been writing for various publications in the technology sector since 2009, before joining Notebookcheck’s news department in 2018. Since then I have combined my many years of experience in the field of notebooks and smartphones with my lifelong passion for technology to inform our readers about new developments on the market. My design background as art director of an advertising agency also allows me deep insights into the peculiarities of this industry.
Tag: macbook issue, macbook pro, macbook release, macbook macos