Get the free digest
AI & Tech

Apple's touchscreen MacBook Pro does not like to be taken apart

Apple's first touchscreen MacBook got a mixed reception from iFixit's teardown specialists, who praised its easily replaced lid but found fans and USB-C ports buried beneath the logic board.

✦ Extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting•From 1 source•1 min read•Updated November 11, 2026, 3:34 PM UTC
Key points
  • It features a tandem OLED screen that stacks two layers of organic light-emitting pixels, eliminating the need for a backlight, and adds touch capability to the MacBook line for the first time.
  • Despite concerns about Touch ID fingerprint authentication, everything went relatively smoothly when iFixit paired a touchscreen from one machine with a logic board from another.
  • Under the bottom cover, the PROLED has a similar internal layout to the last few models of MacBook Pros, with the fans, board, speakers, and trackpad all in the same places.

For these reasons, the MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display earns a 5 out of 10 repairability score from iFixit, but this is actually a one point increase over the score it gave the M5 MacBook Pro.

Its three-screw hinges closely resemble those on the M6 14-inch MacBook Pro, while streamlined display cable brackets simplify removal.

Additional details
  • The headphone jack and the fans also require removing the system board first, and the HDMI port and SDXC card reader are soldered to the board itself, as is the storage and memory.
  • Although the vendor was patted on the back in recent years for improving the repairability of its famously locked-down products, this machine shows Apple still has some way to go.
  • Apple's Repair Assistant tool also handled a full system board swap well.
  • The reason, we're told, is that blue OLED materials wear out faster, so a larger subpixel can emit the same amount of light while putting less strain on the material.
  • The MagSafe power connector can be removed via two screws and a bracket, yet the USB-C ports can't be extracted the same way because the logic board is in the way.

How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →

Advertisement

Every article behind this summary — 1 article from 1 outlet

The RegisterNovember 11, 2026, 3:34 PM UTC →

Related stories