15-inch MacBook Air teardown reveals bigger battery, not much else [Video]

From the outside, Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air is largely the same as the 13-inch model…just with a bigger screen. A new teardown from iFixit now reveals whether the same is true for the inside, showing off the internal layout of the 15-inch MacBook Air.

In the video posted to YouTube this weekend, iFixit takes apart Apple’s first-of-its-kind 15-inch MacBook Air. Right off the bat, and unsurprisingly, it’s clear that Apple hasn’t made any efforts to improve the repairability of the MacBook Air design compared to the 13-inch model. iFixit used a variety of different ways to describe the teardown process, ranging from “miserable” to a “maze.”

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that iFixit did point out in its M2 MacBook Air teardown last year that Apple has slowly optimized the MacBook Air for easier repairability in certain areas. This, of course, comes as Apple has also continued to expand its self-service repair program.

Putting aside questions about repairability, the 15-inch MacBook Air includes a few small changes compared to its smaller sibling. There’s a tweaked speaker layout, which makes sense to accommodate the upgraded six-speaker sound system. The 13-inch model has a four-speaker system.

Elsewhere, you can clearly see the upgraded battery inside the 15-inch MacBook Air, which comes in at a whopping 66.5-watt‑hour size arranged via one large cell and four smaller ones. This is up from the 52.6-watt‑hour lithium‑polymer battery inside the 13-inch model. Apple says you can expect around the same battery life on both machines, with the 15-inch model having a bigger and higher-resolution display to power.

Even though there’s nothing too exciting to see here, it’s always fun watching the iFixit experts take a tour inside a new Apple device. Check out the full video below.

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