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Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown

Written By: Evan Noronha (and 9 other contributors)
Published: April 24, 2016
  • Comments: 68
  • Favorites: 32
  • Views: 219.1k

Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown

Written By: Evan Noronha (and 9 other contributors)
Published: April 24, 2016
  • Comments: 68
  • Favorites: 32
  • Views: 219.1k

Teardown

Introduction

A year after release, Apple just announced its first update to the 12" MacBook with Retina Display. It's sort of a baby update, so we decided to match it with a baby teardown. Besides a faster processor and zippier flash memory, what changed? There's only one way to know: crack it open and spill its secrets. Join us for a mini-teardown of the Retina MacBook 2016.

For a no-holds-barred disassembly of the initial Retina MacBook release, check out our Retina MacBook 2015 teardown.

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What you need

This teardown is not a repair guide. To repair your Retina MacBook 2016, use our service manual.

  1. Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown, Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 1, image 1 of 2 Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown, Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 1, image 2 of 2

    • With the MacBook jumping on the Rose Gold bandwagon, who knows what's lurking inside? Here's the lowdown so far:

    • 12-inch 2304 × 1440 (226 ppi) IPS Retina Display

    • 1.1 GHz dual-core Intel Core m3 processor (configurable up to 1.3 GHz dual-core Intel Core m7)

    • 8 GB of 1866 MHz LPDDR3 RAM

    • 256 or 512 GB PCIe-based flash storage

    • Intel HD Graphics 515

    • 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi wireless networking and Bluetooth 4.0

    • Single USB-C port and 3.5 mm headphone jack

  2. Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 2, image 1 of 2 Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 2, image 2 of 2

    • If it weren't for the rose gold finish, we'd be hard-pressed to distinguish between this year's Retina MacBook, and the one of yesteryear.

    • The exteriors look identical, from the Pentalobe screws in the lower case all the way down to the model number—A1534.

    • The only telltale sign that something's different is the updated EMC number: 2991 compared to last year's 2746.

  3. Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 3, image 1 of 2 Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 3, image 2 of 2

    • Popping the hood on this MacBook gives us an indication that the rose gold beauty is much more than skin deep.

    • Before delving any deeper into this beauty, we take a quick look at the chips powering the trackpad:

    • Broadcom BCM5976 Touchscreen Controller

    • STMicroelectronics 32F103 ARM Cortex-M3 Microcontroller

    • International Rectifier IRFH3702 Single N-Channel HEXFET Power MOSFET

  5. Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 4, image 1 of 3 Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 4, image 2 of 3 Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 4, image 3 of 3

    • What's that? The pesky tri-wing screw we saw last year grew another, um, wing—now it's a regular ol' repair-friendly Phillips.

    • If you weren't put off by the Pentalobes on the lower case, then a tri-wing probably won't slow you down much—but hey, we'll take what we can get!

    • Thankfully, all the other internal screws remain standard Phillips and Torx screws.

    • However, another surprise awaits at the hinge screws, whose Torx heads are filled with some sort of substance that disintegrates when you insert a screwdriver. Are you sealing our MacBook with tamper-evident screws, Apple?

  6. Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 5, image 1 of 2 Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 5, image 2 of 2

    • And at the other end of the MacBook, it seems the USB-C hardware has also changed. The cable is now perma-fixed to the USB board, condensing the two components into a single unit.

    • ...Also, the silicon is new and moved from the cable itself to the USB board. Here's a comparison of the new USB-C hardware (top) with that of the 2015 Retina MacBook (bottom).

    • Parade Technologies PS8741A (likely an iteration of the PS8740 USB Type-C Redriving Switch)

    • This new USB and cable arrangement is one thing that's not compatible with previous Retina MacBooks.

  7. Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 6, image 1 of 2 Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 6, image 2 of 2

    • The battery's form factor seems 100% identical to the multi-lobed cell we found in the 2015 Macbook.

    • And yet somehow, Apple managed to squeeze in a 4% capacity increase from the 7.55 V, 39.71 Wh battery in last year's model. Apple claims this new 7.56 V, 41.41 Wh Li-ion power source should provide up to 11 hours of iTunes movie playback.

    • We're guessing this capacity increase is owed to improved battery chemistry (though it's also possible that Apple's engineers have shaved away just enough material from the lower case to allow for a thicker battery).

    • Unfortunately, they did not squeeze in any of those nifty adhesive pull tabs we've seen in Apple's iDevices.

    • Regardless, our tests indicate this beefier battery is compatible with last year's MacBook. Nice!

  8. Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 7, image 1 of 1

    • Logic Board! What chips is this MacBook serving up?

    • Intel SR2EN Intel Core m3-6Y30 Processor (4M Cache, up to 2.20 GHz)

    • Toshiba TH58TFT0DFKLAVF 128 GB MLC NAND Flash (+ 128 GB on the reverse side for a total of 256 GB)

    • Micron MT41K256M16LY-107 4Gb DDR3L SDRAM

    • Universal Scientific Industrial 339S0250 Wi-Fi Module

    • Broadcom BCM15700A2 (as seen in several other MacBook models)

    • National Semiconductor 48B1-11

    • F4432ACPE-GD-F (with SSD controller presumably layered underneath)

  9. Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 8, image 1 of 1

    • But wait, there's even more chips on the back:

    • Toshiba TH58TFT0DFKLAVF 128 GB MLC NAND Flash

    • Samsung K3QF4F4 4 GB LPDDR3 RAM (x2, for a total of 8 GB)

    • Apple 338S00066

    • Texas Instruments/Stellaris LM4FS1EH SMC Controller (Replacement codename for TM4EA231)

    • SMSC 1704-2 Temperature Sensor

    • Texas Instruments SN650839, TPS51980A, and CD3215B01

    • Intersil 95828

  10. Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 9, image 1 of 2 Retina MacBook 2016 Teardown: step 9, image 2 of 2

    • Retina Macbook 2016 Repairability Score: 1 out of 10 (10 is the easiest to repair)

    • Those pesky tri-wing screws are gone, replaced with lovely standard Phillips screws—but tamper-evident hinge screws make you feel like a hoodlum for repairing your own machine.

    • The processor, RAM, and flash memory are still soldered to the logic board.

    • The battery assembly remains entirely, and very solidly, glued into the lower case.

    • The Retina display is still a fused unit with no separate, protective glass. If the display needs replacing, it'll cost a pretty penny.

    • While it's no more repairable than last year's edition, it does benefit from sharing a lot of the same parts and repair procedures.

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Evan Noronha

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