A disassembly report of the new Mac mini equipped with the M4 chip and the M4 Pro chip published on Friday, November 8, 2024 was published on iFixit, which researches the problem of repairing smartphones and other devices. Since the SSD is now replaceable, Charlie Sorrell, who dismantled it, expressed his delight, saying, “We’re back with upgradeable storage!”
All welcome back 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 – Upgraded, Powerful, and TINY Storage – YouTube
As for the previous model, Mac mini (2023), storage was set at 256GB or 512GB for models equipped with the M2 chip, and only 512GB for models equipped with the M2 Pro chip.
Apple Announces Next Generation SoC “M2 Pro” and “M2 Max”, New MacBook Pro & Mac mini Also Revealed – GIGAZINE
On the other hand, in the case of the Mac Studio released in 2022, the SSD was removable, but had a software lock that prevented it from being recognized even if it was inserted into replace or add.
The SSD of “Mac Studio” is removable, but software is locked and restored – GIGAZINE
However, according to Mr. Sorel, who disassembled it, the SSD of the Mac mini (2024) is fixed with only one screw and there is no software lock, so it is possible to put one with a larger capacity instead. Since the format is proprietary, third-party finished products cannot be used, but it is expected that parts removed from other Mac minis (2024) will appear in the aftermarket in the future.
Also, through disassembly, we discovered that the size of the cooling device is different between the model equipped with the M4 chip and the model equipped with the M4 Pro chip.
In addition, the USB Type-C port and the earphone jack on the front are modular and can be easily removed individually. All of the ports on the back were padded, Sorel said, “Actually, I’d like all the ports to be modular, but the front ports are especially prone to wear, so I think It’s a smart compromise.” he said.
Mr. Sorel rated the ease of repairing a Mac mini (2024) at 7 out of 10.
