MacBook Neo teardown: iFixit gives Apple’s most repairable laptop in 14 years a 6/10 score
Apple recently launched its most affordable laptop, the MacBook Neo, powered by an A18 Pro chip, the very same one found in the iPhone 16 Pro. For the first time in 14 years, repair services are hailing Apple’s newest endeavor, calling the MacBook Neo its most repairable MacBook to date. The 13-inch MacBook Neo, starting at $599, with 8 GB of memory and options for 256 GB or 512 GB of storage, goes toe-to-toe with budget laptops aimed at light users and students.
Apple’s MacBook Neo stands out with its budget-friendly $599 price point and improved repairability
iFixit recently performed a deep-dive teardown of the MacBook Neo and gave it a repairability score of 6/10, the highest Apple has achieved in over a decade. This time around, Apple has ditched the adhesive stretch-release battery swap for a 36.5-watt-hour battery held down by 18 screws, which carries a much lower risk of damaging the lithium-ion cell.
However, Apple is still using pentalobe screws on the bottom, which, once removed, allow the MacBook Neo’s bottom shell to clip off easily. The upside is that everything inside the MacBook is neatly arranged and easily accessible, including the battery, speakers, USB-C ports, trackpad, and display. The USB-C ports are modular, meaning a broken port doesn’t require end users to replace the entire logic board; they only need to replace the USB-C port itself.
After unclipping the antenna and hinge screws, the display comes off seamlessly. For the first time, it is now possible to replace the keyboard without replacing the entire top shell.
Apple’s MacBook Neo keyboard replacement requires removing 41 screws
However, that is where the MacBook Neo’s downsides appear. You need to peel off a layer of adhesive tape and remove 41 screws, which is in stark contrast to many new laptops these days, such as the Lenovo T14 Gen 7, which offers tool-free keyboard replacement.
The MacBook Neo uses the same A18 Pro chip found in the iPhone 16 Pro; this configuration also limits RAM to 8 GB and storage to 256 GB or 512 GB, both soldered to the logic board. That means the MacBook Neo may find that both its storage and memory limitations prevent it from being a viable threat to both Apple’s MacBook Air and competing ultrabooks over time. However, on the flipside, if the board ever fails, recovering your data will be nearly impossible.
Another trade-off is the built-in speakers. While they are easy to replace, they do not sound as crisp or dynamic as those in higher-end MacBooks, such as the new 13-inch MacBook Air M5 or the 16-inch MacBook Pro M5.
The MacBook Neo’s trackpad also skimps on haptic Force Touch in favor of simpler controls, which, in part, makes it easier to service.
Last but not least, Apple has made parts replacement easier thanks to the Repair Assistant tool introduced last year. Swapping out display panels, trackpads, batteries, or Touch ID modules is seamless, without the laptop triggering any warnings or locking users out of features.
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