A teardown by OWC on Apple's new 13-inch MacBook Pro with no Touch Bar revealed that the laptop has a removable SSD, which is great news for customers who are interested to make aftermarket upgrades to the computer.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro with no Touch Bar and Touch ID is the first model released into the market among the updated MacBook Pro lineup of Apple, which the company announced earlier in the week.
OWC, a company which provides third-party upgrades for Apple's Mac computers, was able to acquire a unit of the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro for testing purposes. OWC performed a teardown on the laptop and made several noteworthy observations.
The first discovery that OWC made on the 13-inch MacBook Pro with no Touch Bar is that the SSD module is removable, meaning that it is replaceable and could be upgraded by users after purchase.
Previous models of the MacBook Pro also featured removable SSD modules. With the thinner body of the new MacBook Pro models, it was unclear if their SSD modules would still be removable.
Fortunately, they still are, giving owners of the new entry-level MacBook Pro more options for their SSD. This does not outright mean that third-party upgrades to the laptop's SSD will be made available in the future, but just having the possibility is already welcome news for interested users.
Other observations that OWC made in its teardown of the new 13-inch MacBook Prow with no Touch Bar is that its bottom was harder to remove compared with previous models, but it was not glued.
To pull back the SSD, users will have to remove the laptop's speaker module first. In addition, there is a very strong tape that covers the SSDs interface port.
The question, however, is whether the other models of the refreshed MacBook Pro lineup, specifically the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, will also allow for upgradeable SSD modules.
While the build of these other models are similar, the incorporation of the new feature could mean a different set-up for their internal hardware. Unfortunately, the question will likely not be answered until the rest of the new MacBook Pro lineup are released in the middle of November.
The price of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with no Touch Bar starts at $1,499, while the price of the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $1,799 and that of the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar starts at $2,399. For interested customers looking to enjoy up to $300 in savings when purchasing the computers, take a look on how to do so through B&H Photo.
