MacBook Air Teardown Reveals M2 Chip and Single Storage Chip for 256GB Model

YouTube channel Max Tech recently shared a video teardown of the new MacBook Air, providing a look inside the redesigned notebook.

M2 MacBook Air Internals
Overall, the internal design of the new MacBook Air looks similar to the previous model, but the flatter shell allowed for Apple to fit larger battery cells inside the notebook. The new MacBook Air is equipped with a 52.6-watt‑hour battery, compared to a 49.9‑watt‑hour battery in the previous model, according to Apple's tech specs. However, Apple says both the 2020 and 2022 models of the MacBook Air achieve up to 18 hours of battery life per charge.

The teardown reveals the new MacBook Air's logic board, which includes Apple's new M2 chip. As confirmed by Apple last week, the teardown also shows that the 256GB model of the new MacBook Air is equipped with only a single NAND storage chip, resulting in up to 30% to 50% slower SSD speeds in benchmark testing compared to both higher-capacity MacBook Air models and the previous model with 256GB of storage.

M2 MacBook Air Logic Board

M2 chip (outlined in blue) and empty NAND storage flash chip pad (outlined in red)

As usual, storage and RAM chips are soldered to the logic board in the new MacBook Air, making it very difficult/unfeasible to upgrade these components after purchase.

Repair website iFixit will likely share a more in-depth teardown of the new MacBook Air eventually.

Related Roundup: MacBook Air
Related Forum: MacBook Air

Top Rated Comments

IsaacM Avatar
24 months ago
It's so funny seeing the fanboys defend Apple like this trillion dollar CORPORATION is their family member. ⚰️

The fact is MOST people get base model Macbooks and the new "supercharged" base model should NOT have slower speeds in any aspect than the 2 year old model, especially considering they bumped up the price by $200.

Stop sucking up to a corporation. They care about their shareholders and not you.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
24 months ago
Here we go again.
Low end SSD sucks, there’s no way around it.
But this is like thread 6000 on it, it’s old news at this point.
Why did Apple do it? I still say that it’s because of supply constraints.
If it was truly nothing but penny pinching, it’s a bizarre thing to cheap out on.
I’d think the color matched braided cables that don’t even come with the pro, or the high impedance headphone jack or something like that would’ve been the first thing to go before the fast SSD.
Anyway, I look forward to another 26 page thread about this
?
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
24 months ago
"Shhh. It's OK. Most people will never notice."



Attachment Image
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChristianSelig Avatar
24 months ago
Hold up Joe you're telling me this thing has an M2 in it??
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Account25476 Avatar
24 months ago
Having a M1 Air, the SSD speed is extremely important. I noticed this immediately when, after opening up a few apps, the 8GB started limiting at around 7GB and the swap usage became increasingly larger but the performance did not slow down! This meant the SSD speed was fast enough to substitute for RAM without appreciable cost. If the SSD has half the speed then going from base M1 to base M2 will not be an upgrade but a downgrade in performance. Potential purchasers should know this!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
24 months ago
Sheeeesh! It’s so compact! Impressed by the finest engineering. The internals looks well aligned and beautiful. Talk about attention to detail. Only Apple can do it. ??
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18 Apple Music Messages and Notes Feature 1

iOS 18 Rumored to Add New Features to These 16 Apps on Your iPhone

Tuesday April 30, 2024 10:44 am PDT by
Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and new features have already been rumored for many apps, including Apple Music, Apple Maps, Calculator, Messages, Notes, Safari, and others. Below, we recap iOS 18 rumors on a per-app basis, based on reports from MacRumors, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and others: Apple Maps: At least two new Apple Maps features are...
apple watch ipad demo 1

Check Out This Apple Watch iPad Demo Unit From 2014

Wednesday May 1, 2024 1:46 pm PDT by
With the 10th anniversary of the Apple Watch approaching, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at an interesting bit of Apple Watch history. After the Apple Watch was announced in 2014, and before it became available in 2015, Apple sent out custom Apple Watch iPad demo kiosks to retail stores. The Apple Watch and iPad units used for these devices were specially designed, had custom ...
maxresdefault

Will the New iPad Pro Really Have the M4 Chip?

Wednesday May 1, 2024 8:30 am PDT by
While Apple's upcoming iPad Pro models have been expected to feature the M3 chip for over a year, recent reports have unexpectedly suggested that the new devices will instead feature the as-yet-unannounced M4 chip. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that he now believes there is a "strong possibility" that the upcoming iPad Pro ...
Apple CarPlay Dash

Report Examines GM's Controversial Move to Abandon Apple CarPlay

Wednesday May 1, 2024 4:53 am PDT by
An in-depth Bloomberg report today resurfaced General Motors' decision to replace Apple CarPlay with its own software. Last year, GM announced that it planned to forgo Apple CarPlay in its new electric vehicles, starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV. Instead, the automaker introduced a proprietary infotainment platform, aiming to control and customize the digital experience within its...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 hero feature blorange

Kuo: Apple Watch Ultra to Get 'Almost No' Hardware Upgrades This Year

Wednesday May 1, 2024 6:53 am PDT by
Just over six months ago, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the likelihood of a new Apple Watch Ultra being released in 2024 was "decreasing," but it now sounds like there will be an Apple Watch Ultra 3 this year after all. In a direct message shared with MacRumors today, Kuo said that while the Apple Watch Ultra will be updated this year, the new model will have "almost no"...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...