The launch of a new MacBook Pro is always a major event in the tech world, and the latest 14-inch model powered by the next-generation Apple M5 chip is no exception. On the surface, Apple has played it safe; the iconic aluminum unibody design is virtually unchanged from its predecessor. The headline upgrades are all under the hood: the raw computational power of the M5 and the blistering speed of a faster SSD.
While our own hands-on review noted performance leaps, it also highlighted some familiar pain points: fans that can get surprisingly loud under heavy load, the curious absence of Wi-Fi 7, and, most significantly, the continued lack of user-accessible maintenance options. But to truly understand what makes this new Pro tick—and what it takes to fix it—you need to look deeper. The renowned repair advocates at iFixit have done just that, performing a full teardown to see if Apple has quietly made any improvements for the DIY and professional repair community. Their findings are a mixed bag of small victories and significant frustrations.
The Battery Replacement Saga: A Sticky Situation Gets Only Slightly Better
One of the most common repairs for any aging laptop is a battery replacement. For the new MacBook Pro M5, this process remains, in iFixit's words, "unnecessarily cumbersome." The journey begins predictably: removing the familiar, screwed-on bottom case and carefully disconnecting the trackpad cable to avoid damage.
What awaits inside is the main event of repair frustration: a battery held in place by a formidable array of twelve adhesive strips. These strong pull-tabs are designed to allow for the battery's removal, but the process is fraught with peril, requiring patience, heat, and a steady hand to avoid puncturing a cell.
The situation is compounded by Apple's official policy. The company apparently does not trust users or even third-party repair shops with this task. Instead of selling the battery as a standalone component, Apple only offers it as part of a brand-new "upper case" assembly, which includes the entire keyboard, speakers, and aluminum chassis. To perform the repair "by the book," a technician would need to almost completely disassemble the laptop—a costly and time-intensive procedure that discourages affordable repair.
For a visual guide through this intricate process, the iFixit team has published a detailed teardown video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PXcZzMhSZs
Motherboard Removal: The Gateway to Most Repairs
Beyond the battery, the teardown reveals that for nearly any other internal repair—be it a faulty port, a damaged component on the logic board, or even the fan—the entire motherboard must be removed. This is a monumental task that involves cataloging and loosening a small forest of numerous, different-sized screws and meticulously disconnecting a web of delicate cables.
Only after the motherboard is out can users access and replace other key components like the trackpad, various internal connectors, and the cooling fan. On a positive note, iFixit points out that both speakers are relatively quick and easy to replace, a small win for a component that can occasionally fail.
Glimmers of Hope: Incremental Improvements for Repairability
It's not all bad news. Compared to the previous M3-powered model, iFixit did document several subtle but welcome improvements in the M5 MacBook Pro's design.
Most notably, the battery can now be replaced without first removing the trackpad. While this doesn't simplify the adhesive battle, it does eliminate one entire step and its associated risks from the process. Furthermore, Apple now provides an official repair manual for purchase with the laptop. This move towards documentation, however limited, is a step in the right direction from a company known for its secrecy.
The Final Verdict: A Score That Reflects a Contradiction
In the end, these incremental gains are overshadowed by the fundamental design choices that prioritize thinness and assembly efficiency over long-term serviceability. After weighing the frustratingly glued-in battery, the component bundling, and the motherboard-centric repair process against the minor improvements, iFixit awarded the 14-inch MacBook Pro M5 a repairability score of 4 out of 10.
This score is identical to its predecessor, underscoring a persistent contradiction in Apple's professional lineup: these are machines marketed for their unparalleled power and reliability to creators, developers, and professionals, yet they are built in a way that makes them exceptionally difficult to maintain over the long haul. For now, owning a MacBook Pro still means investing in Apple's ecosystem not just for the software, but for the repairs as well.