Nov 14, 2024 14:00:00

Disassembly of the 2024 Mac mini reveals that the SSD is proprietary but replaceable, the front ports are modular, and the M4 Pro model has more powerful cooling than the M4 model

A disassembly report of

the new Mac mini with M4 and M4 Pro chips , released on Friday, November 8, 2024, was published by iFixit, which investigates the repairability of smartphones and other devices. Charlie Sorrell, who disassembled the device, expressed his joy, saying, 'The return of upgradeable storage!', as the SSD is now replaceable.

All Hail the Return of Upgradeable Storage! Mac mini 2024 Teardown - iFixit
https://www.ifixit.com/News/104302/all-hail-the-return-of-upgradeable-storage-mac-mini-2024-teardown

M4 Mac mini Teardown - UPGRADABLE Storage, Powerful, and TINY - YouTube


For the previous model, the Mac mini (2023), models with the M2 chip had fixed storage of 256GB or 512GB, while models with the M2 Pro chip were only available with 512GB.

Apple announces next-generation SoC 'M2 Pro' and 'M2 Max', new MacBook Pro and Mac mini also appear - GIGAZINE

On the other hand, in the case of the Mac Studio released in 2022, although the SSD can be removed, it is software locked so that it will not be recognized even if it is replaced or added.

'Mac Studio' SSD is removable, but replacement and expansion are software locked - GIGAZINE

However, according to Sorrell, who disassembled the Mac mini (2024), the SSD is fixed with only one screw and is not software locked, so it can be replaced with a larger capacity one. Since the format is proprietary, it is not possible to use a third-party off-the-shelf product, but in the future, it is expected that parts removed from other Mac mini (2024) models will appear on the aftermarket.

Disassembly also revealed that the size of the cooling device differs between the model equipped with the M4 chip and the model equipped with the M4 Pro chip.

In addition, the USB Type-C ports and earphone jack on the front are modular and can be easily removed individually. The ports on the back were all soldered, and Sorrell commented, 'I would really like all the ports to be modular, but the front ports are particularly prone to wear, so I think this is a wise compromise.'

Sorrell rated the Mac mini (2024) as 7 out of 10 for ease of repair.