Mac Studio Teardown Indicates That SSD Storage May Be Upgradeable

by

The Mac Studio's SSD storage is not soldered in place and could be upgradeable, according to a teardown performed by YouTube channel Max Tech.

mac studio ssdImage via Max Tech

In a detailed teardown video of the new ‌Mac Studio‌, Max Tech revealed that the ‌Mac Studio‌'s SSD storage is located in two slots, and is relatively easy to remove or replace since it is not soldered down. The individual SSDs can be swapped between the two slots and appear to be modular.

On its website, Apple claims that the ‌Mac Studio‌'s SSD storage is "not user accessible" and encourages users to configure the device with enough storage at the point of purchase. This is likely because the internals of the ‌Mac Studio‌ remain difficult to access from the outside. The rubber ring on the base of the machine has to be removed to reveal four screws that provide a way to open the device, but once inside, the SSD storage is fairly easy to access and remove.

Max Tech suggested that Apple could offer SSD storage upgrades at a later date, similar to how it introduced a kit to upgrade the Mac Pro's storage in mid-2020, but the easy access could be intended for use in repairs only, enabling repair technicians to remove and replace SSDs more conveniently.

The SSD storage in Apple's other custom silicon-based Macs, such as the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini, is soldered in place and cannot be easily upgraded, but some skilled technicians have attempted to do so.

Related Roundup: Mac Studio
Buyer's Guide: Mac Studio (Neutral)
Related Forum: Mac Studio

Popular Stories

airpods pro 3 purple

New, Higher End AirPods Pro Coming This Year

Tuesday January 20, 2026 9:05 am PST by
Apple is planning to debut a high-end secondary version of AirPods Pro 3 this year, sitting in the lineup alongside the current model, reports suggest. Back in September 2025, supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to introduce a successor to the AirPods Pro 3 in 2026. This would be somewhat unusual since Apple normally waits around three years to make major...
Read Full Article • 108 comments
smaller dynamic island iphone 18 pro Filip Vabrous%CC%8Cek

iPhone 18 Pro Leak: Smaller Dynamic Island, No Top-Left Camera Cutout

Tuesday January 20, 2026 2:34 am PST by
Over the last few months, rumors around the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design have been conflicted, with some supply-chain leaks pointing to under-display Face ID, reports suggesting a top-left hole-punch camera, and debate over whether the familiar Dynamic Island will shrink, shift, or disappear entirely. Today, Weibo-based leaker Instant Digital shared new details that appear to clarify the ...
Read Full Article • 57 comments
Apple Logo Spotlight

Apple Expected to Unveil Five All-New Products This Year

Wednesday January 21, 2026 10:54 am PST by
In addition to updating many of its existing products, Apple is expected to unveil five all-new products this year, including a smart home hub, a Face ID doorbell, a MacBook with an A18 Pro chip, a foldable iPhone, and augmented reality glasses. Below, we have recapped rumored features for each product. Smart Home Hub Apple home hub (concept) Apple's long-rumored smart home hub should...
Read Full Article • 64 comments
Liquid Glass App Store Feature

App Store and Apple TV Experiencing Outage

Tuesday January 20, 2026 4:36 pm PST by
Apple's App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple TV service are experiencing an outage at the current time, according to Apple's System Status page. Apple says that some users may be experiencing issues with the App Store and iTunes Store. Apple also says some users may be seeing intermittent issues with Apple TV. The Apple TV Channels feature is down too, and users may be unable to access some...
Read Full Article • 42 comments
airtag prime day 2

Apple Developing AirTag-Sized AI Pin With Dual Cameras

Wednesday January 21, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27. The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the...
Read Full Article • 132 comments

Top Rated Comments

HappyDude20 Avatar
HappyDude20
50 months ago
I find it funny when I first read this that I considered it to be Good News,

But really
It’s just the way it should have always been.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alpi123 Avatar
alpi123
50 months ago

Great news.

But in general, I don't quite understand the fuss around user-upgradability. Why do storage and memory need to be upgradable? Just buy as much as you need right away. Think you will need 32 GB memory in the future instead of 16 GB? Then just get 32 GB memory now. Think you will eventually need 4 TB storage instead of 2 TB. Then just get 4 TB now.
The thing is, people usually don't know how much storage they would need, especially considering the Mac Studio will last them 3-4 years and more. There's a 95% chance you'll find yourself needing more space in the future, and although cloud and external drives exist, nothing beats the ease of use and speed of internal storage.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ilikewhey Avatar
ilikewhey
50 months ago

Great news.

But in general, I don't quite understand the fuss around user-upgradability. Why do storage and memory need to be upgradable? Just buy as much as you need over the machine's lifetime right away. Think you will need 32 GB memory in the future instead of 16 GB? Then just get 32 GB memory now. Think you will eventually need 4 TB storage instead of 2 TB. Then just get 4 TB now.

A machine that is good enough at the time when you buy it will also be good enough five years later.

Eventually after some years, the CPU becomes the bottle neck, and since that is not really replaceable anyway, whenever that point comes, you will need an entirely new machine anyway, not just a memory or storage upgrade.
because storage and ram gets cheaper as time goes on, 32gb today is the same price as 16gb a year or two ago. also it gives users options to just add more ram when they realized whatever new tasks they wanted to do requires it, instead of going out there to buy a new computer. the same is even more true for storage.

cpu is not much of a bottleneck unless you are running high intensive tasks all the time, a base i3 4 core from years ago is still relevant today for mundane task, this isn't the same as previous core 2 duo or bulldozer generation.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
greenbreadmmm Avatar
greenbreadmmm
50 months ago

Great news.

But in general, I don't quite understand the fuss around user-upgradability. Why do storage and memory need to be upgradable? Just buy as much as you need over the machine's lifetime right away. Think you will need 32 GB memory in the future instead of 16 GB? Then just get 32 GB memory now. Think you will eventually need 4 TB storage instead of 2 TB? Then just get 4 TB now.

A machine that is good enough at the time when you buy it will also be good enough five years later.

Eventually after some years, the CPU becomes the bottle neck, and since that is not really replaceable anyway, whenever that point comes, you will need an entirely new machine anyway, not just a memory or storage upgrade.
Apple charges $400 for 32 go ram upgraded (when it was user upgradeable) vs $150 out of pocket from bestbuy.

Apple charges $400 for 1tb SSD vs $150 out of pocket.

If you can afford the apple tax, great! But I reckon cost is why a lot of people prefer to upgrade their machines themselves.

Saying “just get 4tb now” for the insane cost apple asks, is quite the statement.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kennerpl Avatar
kennerpl
50 months ago

Great news.

But in general, I don't quite understand the fuss around user-upgradability. Why do storage and memory need to be upgradable? Just buy as much as you need over the machine's lifetime right away. Think you will need 32 GB memory in the future instead of 16 GB? Then just get 32 GB memory now. Think you will eventually need 4 TB storage instead of 2 TB? Then just get 4 TB now.

A machine that is good enough at the time when you buy it will also be good enough five years later.

Eventually after some years, the CPU becomes the bottle neck, and since that is not really replaceable anyway, whenever that point comes, you will need an entirely new machine anyway, not just a memory or storage upgrade.
Yeah, but when your computer runs out of warranty and your SSD or RAM dies, just buy a new computer, right?
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bokito Avatar
Bokito
50 months ago

[...] I don't quite understand the fuss around user-upgradability. Why do storage and memory need to be upgradable? Just buy as much as you need over the machine's lifetime right away. Think you will need 32 GB memory in the future instead of 16 GB? Then just get 32 GB memory now. Think you will eventually need 4 TB storage instead of 2 TB. Then just get 4 TB now.
3th-party SSDs and memory and just as good and sometimes even better than the ones Apple delivers for 50% of the price. Apple doesn't deliver something special though. Besides that those requirements change quicker than CPU, GPU and especially connections ports. By the time you need 128 GB RAM or 8 TB storage other vendors have it for 1/10th the price Apple is selling it now and the SSD might even be faster.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments