iFixit Tears Down M5 MacBook Pro

Repair site iFixit today did one of its device teardowns on Apple's new M5 MacBook Pro model, which Apple released on Wednesday.


Unsurprisingly, there are few changes to the device because the only new features are a new M5 chip and a faster SSD, but iFixit did find some subtle tweaks related to repairability.

The MacBook Pro's casing is still secured with P5 screws, and battery replacement is more difficult than it needs to be because Apple only sells the battery as part of the main chassis that also includes the keyboard. Getting to the fan, ports, and other components inside the ‌MacBook Pro‌ requires removing the logic board, and iFixit says that essentially every component in the ‌MacBook Pro‌ has to come out to perform a battery replacement following Apple's official repair steps.

On the plus side, iFixit found that the trackpad no longer needs to be removed to access the pull tabs on the central battery cells, a small but useful update. There is a new 72.6 Wh battery in the ‌MacBook Pro‌, which is a little bit higher capacity than the 72.4 Wh battery in the prior-generation M4 MacBook Pro. The battery finding is a bit odd, since Apple's own specifications page still lists a 72.4 Wh battery.

Since little has changed with ‌MacBook Pro‌ repair, iFixit gave the device a repairability score of 4 out of 10.

Tag: iFixit

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
macOS Tahoe 26 Thumb

Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.2 With Edge Light

Friday December 12, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Apple today released macOS Tahoe 26.2, the second major update to the macOS Tahoe operating system that came out in September. macOS Tahoe 26.2 comes five weeks after Apple released macOS Tahoe 26.1. Mac users can download the macOS Tahoe update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. macOS Tahoe 26.2 includes Edge Light, a feature that illuminates your face with soft...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...

Top Rated Comments

hgfjhbvytjdnb Avatar
8 weeks ago

It is replaceable. Just not by morons.
That means you wouldn't be able to replace it, clearly.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jicon Avatar
8 weeks ago
It wasn't that long ago a Macbook had a little latch would drop the battery out so a different one could be used. Elegant and convenient. I get it... the compromise is a thicker machine. But these are pro machines. Leave the non replaceable batteries to the Air.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hagar Avatar
8 weeks ago
Still have a 20 year old PowerBook G4 that has a removable battery (with lights indicating how full it is) and user accessible ram. Apple could bring these features back if it wanted to.

At least it would lend some more credibility to their “Mother Nature” act.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Slo Pesci Avatar
8 weeks ago
Yup, that's a Macbook alright.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Hajj.david Avatar
8 weeks ago

Still have a 20 year old PowerBook G4 that has a removable battery (with lights indicating how full it is) and user accessible ram. Apple could bring these features back if it wanted to.

At least it would lend some more credibility to their “Mother Nature” act.
You cannot have removable ram, and the power that comes with unified ram at the same time it’s a one or the other type of thing. There is a reason why Apple computers are being used for LLM’s. They’re the only ones that provide huge amounts of unified memory.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rachid Vàzquez Avatar
8 weeks ago
Where is the EU when it comes to enforcing repairability?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)