Apple’s new MacBook Neo — the $599 budget laptop powered by the A18 Pro chip — just went under the knife at iFixit, and the results are surprising in the best possible way. In a teardown published March 13, 2026, iFixit awarded the MacBook Neo a 6 out of 10 repairability score, calling it “the most repairable MacBook in fourteen years.”
For a company that has spent the better part of the last decade gluing, soldering, and otherwise discouraging independent repair, this is a genuinely significant shift.
Read the full teardown at: iFixit MacBook Neo Teardown
The Battery Is the Big Story
The headline finding is the battery design. In most modern MacBooks, the battery is glued in using adhesive that makes removal risky. The MacBook Neo takes a completely different approach: the 36.48 Wh dual-cell battery is mounted in a removable tray secured with 18 screws. Screws are predictable, reversible, and far safer than glue. iFixit noted the change sent cheers through their office. Apple even printed the required screwdriver sizes directly onto the internal hardware.
Opening It Is Surprisingly Easy
Getting inside requires just eight pentalobe screws, after which the lower case lifts off by hand — no heat, no prying, no picks. Once inside, the battery, speakers, USB-C ports, and trackpad are all clearly visible and within easy reach without being buried under other components.
Modular Components Earn High Marks
- USB-C ports — modular, damaged charge port does not require logic board work
- Speakers — individually replaceable
- Headphone jack — modular
- Keyboard — replaceable without replacing the entire top case (41 screws required)
- Display and Touch ID — iFixit swapped these between two units with no parts-pairing warnings; macOS Tahoe Repair Assistant handled calibration seamlessly
What Holds It Back
- Soldered RAM and storage — cannot be upgraded after purchase
- 41 screws for keyboard replacement — possible but tedious
- Pentalobe screws on the bottom case (standard across all Macs)
For context, Lenovo’s ThinkPad T14 Gen 7 recently earned a perfect 10/10 from iFixit with near tool-free keyboard removal, modular RAM, and modular storage. The MacBook Neo still has room to grow — but a 6/10 is the best Mac score in 14 years.
Why Is the MacBook Neo More Repairable?
The Neo is aimed at the education market ($499 for schools, $599 retail), competing directly with Chromebooks used in 93% of US K-12 schools. School IT departments factor repairability into purchasing decisions, making this a smart strategic move by Apple. EU right-to-repair regulations for batteries almost certainly also played a role in the screw-tray design.
Logic Board: iPhone DNA in a Mac
The MacBook Neo’s A18 Pro chip shares an identical footprint to the silicon in the iPhone 16 Pro — a fascinating glimpse at the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The Neo also drops the Force Touch trackpad in favor of a simpler mechanical mechanism, and iFixit noted the absence of an ambient light sensor cable that is actually referenced in Apple’s own repair manual.
The Verdict
The MacBook Neo earns a well-deserved 6/10 repairability score from iFixit — the best result for a MacBook in roughly 14 years. Screwed-in battery, modular ports, accessible internals, and official day-one repair documentation all point to a genuine, if cautious, shift in Apple’s design philosophy. Whether this extends to future MacBook Air and Pro models remains to be seen.
