Apple finally announced the 15-inch MacBook Air during the WWDC event in early June after months of rumors. And it was exactly what we had expected it to be — a 13-inch MacBook Air, but bigger.
That is of course precisely what we’d been hoping for as well. But as much as this is the same as the older, smaller model, there are a couple of small differences. And those differences are exactly what iFixit found when they set to taking the 15-inch MacBook Air apart.
The result of that teardown is a new video that takes us through the process of ripping one of Apple’s best Macs apart, and as usual, the insides are just as impressive to look at as the outsides.
Bigger battery, extra speakers
When Apple announced the 15-inch MacBook Air we were told to expect the same battery life as the 13-inch model thanks to a larger battery. That extra battery goes towards powering that larger display, but that’s all — the two MacBook Airs use the same M2 chip, of course.
One of the other changes is the addition of a new 6-speaker array which is an upgrade over the 4-speaker array found in the 13-inch MacBook Air.
The final change? A slightly larger trackpad makes it easier to use the Mac when you can’t connect a mouse for whatever reason.
As for repairability, the reason that iFixit took the 15-inch MacBook Air apart in the first place, it isn’t good news. They found the laptop to be difficult to repair, thanks in part to the fact that many vital components can’t be replaced or upgraded — including the RAM and storage.
You can of course thank Apple silicon for that, but considering that’s also what makes Apple’s latest Macs so great, it might be a trade-off some are happy to make.