Surface Laptop Ultra doubles Apple MacBook Pro's repairability score in iFixit teardown
The Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra ($3,299 on Amazon) is not exactly cheap, but aims to impress with a premium aluminum chassis, a 120 Hz Mini-LED display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and Nvidia RTX Spark.
The repair experts at iFixit have now taken Microsoft's most expensive laptop to date apart to show its internals in detail and check how easily the device can be repaired. The good news: Microsoft has already published an official repair manual at launch and plans to offer genuine spare parts through outlets including the iFixit online store in the future. Opening the laptop could hardly be easier – beneath the four clip-on feet are screws that simply need to be removed to take off the bottom cover.
The M.2 SSD can then be replaced or upgraded after removing just one screw. The 92 Wh battery is also secured inside the chassis with screws rather than adhesive, and even has a QR code linking to the repair manual. Replacing the stereo speakers, the 3.5 mm headphone jack and the magnetic USB-C port is similarly straightforward.
The other USB-C ports, however, are soldered to the motherboard. Repairs to the motherboard, display or trackpad are relatively complex. If the keyboard needs replacing, the entire chassis cover must also be replaced, which requires almost completely disassembling the laptop. RAM upgrades are not possible at all, as with all laptops based on Nvidia RTX Spark. All in all, the Microsoft Surface Laptop Ultra nevertheless achieves a respectable repairability score of 8 out of 10, while the M5 MacBook Pro scores just four points.
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