iFixit’s much-anticipated teardown of the Apple M5 MacBook Pro sheds light on small but meaningful changes, along with the familiar hurdles that still make DIY repairs challenging. Here’s what buyers, tinkerers, and right-to-repair advocates should know.
Key findings from the teardown
– Slightly larger battery: The M5 MacBook Pro now carries a 72.6Wh battery, up from 72.4Wh in the previous generation.
– Safer battery procedure: Apple’s official repair guidance advises disconnecting the Battery Management System cable first during a swap, reducing the risk of short circuits.
– Battery replacement remains complex: Even with safer guidance, replacing the battery still requires removing multiple internal components.
– Logic board bottleneck: Swapping most parts still means taking out the entire logic board, adding time and risk to repairs.
– Display work is fussy: Replacing the screen requires removing the antenna bracket to reach several tiny P2 screws.
– Easier battery pull tabs: You no longer need to remove the trackpad to access the battery pull tabs—one of the few genuine conveniences.
– Repairability score: iFixit’s preliminary rating is 4 out of 10. For context, the M4 MacBook Air scored 5 out of 10.
Thermals and performance under stress
The M5 MacBook Pro’s single-fan, single-heatpipe cooling setup struggled to keep temperatures in check during the demanding Cinebench 2024 benchmark. Even so, it ran slightly cooler than its predecessor under the same load, posting an average core temperature of 98.95°C versus the M4 MacBook Pro’s 100.90°C. That suggests incremental efficiency gains, but the system still operates near thermal limits during sustained heavy workloads.
What it means for buyers and repair enthusiasts
– If you value repairability, expect modest improvements but similar constraints: the battery is a bit easier to approach, yet logic board removal is still a major gatekeeper for most repairs.
– The slight bump in battery capacity won’t transform endurance on its own, but every bit helps.
– Power users should note that while the M5 MacBook Pro can run marginally cooler under extreme stress, the cooling design still hits very high temperatures in sustained benchmarks.
Bottom line
The M5 MacBook Pro brings a small battery upgrade and a few smarter service touches, but it remains a difficult machine to repair, reflected in its 4/10 score. Performance under heavy load shows mild thermal improvements, yet the cooling solution is still pushed to the edge in intense scenarios. For most users, it’s a refined iteration; for DIYers and right-to-repair advocates, it’s progress—just not as much as hoped.
