Repair site iFixit today did one of its device teardowns on Apple's new M5 MacBook Pro model, which Apple released on Wednesday.
Unsurprisingly, there are few changes to the device because the only new features are a new M5 chip and a faster SSD, but iFixit did find some subtle tweaks related to repairability.
The MacBook Pro's casing is still secured with P5 screws, and battery replacement is more difficult than it needs to be because Apple only sells the battery as part of the main chassis that also includes the keyboard. Getting to the fan, ports, and other components inside the MacBook Pro requires removing the logic board, and iFixit says that essentially every component in the MacBook Pro has to come out to perform a battery replacement following Apple's official repair steps.
On the plus side, iFixit found that the trackpad no longer needs to be removed to access the pull tabs on the central battery cells, a small but useful update. There is a new 72.6 Wh battery in the MacBook Pro, which is a little bit higher capacity than the 72.4 Wh battery in the prior-generation M4 MacBook Pro. The battery finding is a bit odd, since Apple's own specifications page still lists a 72.4 Wh battery.
Since little has changed with MacBook Pro repair, iFixit gave the device a repairability score of 4 out of 10.
