If you’ve recently gotten your hands on a new PlayStation 5 Slim in Europe, you might have more than you bargained for—and in some ways, less. The gaming community was recently taken aback when it was discovered that Sony had quietly begun shipping a revised CFI-210 model series, most notably featuring a reduction in internal storage from 1TB down to 825GB, reportedly to sidestep further price hikes.
But what else has changed behind that iconic white and black facade? Until now, that was a mystery. Popular tech YouTuber Austin Evans got his hands on the new model and performed a full teardown, revealing a console that’s not just lighter on storage, but in its literal weight and internal construction. The discoveries include some clever cost-saving measures and a few head-scratchers that leave us wondering about Sony's long-term strategy.
You can watch his full investigative process in the video , where he meticulously compares the new model against its predecessor.
The External Tweaks: A Move to Matte and a Lighter Feel
Before even cracking the case, Evans noted two immediate physical changes. The first is a shift away from the glossy plastic accents found on the original PS5 Slim. The new CFI-210 model sports an all-matte exterior, doing away with the glossy sections on the side panels and the black central strip. For many, this is a welcome change. Matte finishes are far more forgiving when it comes to hiding the microscopic scratches and dust smudges that are an inevitable part of a console's life, helping the system look cleaner for longer.
The second immediate difference was the weight. Putting the new PS5 Slim Digital Edition on the scale, it clocked in at 2,433 grams, a notable 123-gram drop from the previous model's 2,556 grams. While a smaller SSD could account for a few grams, it certainly doesn't explain such a significant difference. This weight loss prompted the deep dive inside.
Inside the New PS5 Slim: Thinner Metal, Fewer Components
Once the shell was removed, the reasons for the lighter frame began to emerge. The most straightforward change is the thinner steel plate that shields the motherboard. This is a clear cost-saving and weight-reducing measure, though it's unlikely to impact durability in any meaningful way for the average user.
The plot thickened when Evans examined the cooling system and motherboard. The heat pipes, crucial for managing the AMD-powered system-on-a-chip's temperature, have a new, unique orientation compared to the previous design. Furthermore, the revised motherboard features fewer Voltage Regulator Modules (VRMs). This simplification could point to a more power-efficient design or, again, a cost-cutting initiative.
The most curious find, however, was related to the very component that was downgraded: the storage. Despite offering less overall space, the 825GB SSD in the new model actually uses more individual NAND memory modules than the 1TB version. This is a counter-intuitive discovery that suggests a shift in Sony's supply chain for NAND flash memory, potentially using lower-density, cheaper chips to hit the 825GB capacity.
For a deeper look at the AMD internals that power these consoles, a recent report dives into the specifications.
Performance and Thermals: Does the Lighter PS5 Run Hotter?
With all these internal changes, the million-dollar question is: how does it perform? Evans put the new CFI-210 model through its paces, testing power consumption and thermal performance.
The results were largely reassuring. The new PS5 Slim Digital Edition does not consume more power than the model it replaces. Thermally, it runs only marginally warmer, a difference that is unlikely to have any real-world impact on performance or longevity. Anecdotal evidence from the teardown even suggests that the large internal fan might run a bit more quietly, though this is difficult to quantify without specialized equipment.
In essence, the core gaming experience remains uncompromised. The system plays the same games at the same fidelity, which is the most important factor for most buyers.
The Bottom Line: A Clever but Contentious Redesign
Austin Evans’s teardown paints a picture of a console that has been thoughtfully, if not heavily, revised for manufacturing efficiency. The move to an all-matte finish is a consumer-friendly improvement, and the weight reduction and internal tweaks show Sony's engineers are constantly looking for optimizations.
However, the elephant in the room remains the reduction in storage capacity. In an era where blockbuster games can easily consume over 100GB of space, starting with 175GB less is a significant drawback. For new PlayStation converts, this will almost certainly mean making difficult choices about which games to keep installed or, more likely, investing in a compatible PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD expansion drive—an additional cost on top of the console itself.
The frustration is compounded by the context: this change was likely made to avoid a price increase. If Sony is ultimately unable to hold the line on pricing for the digital edition, the value proposition of this revised model will be seriously undermined.
This isn't the only mysterious PS5 revision on the horizon, either. Another model, the CFI-7121, believed to be the much-rumored PS5 Pro, has also begun appearing in Europe. Only a future teardown will reveal what power lies within that chassis. For now, the new PS5 Slim stands as a capable, slightly leaner, but undeniably more storage-constrained version of Sony's flagship console.
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