TechInsights Teardown: Apple Macbook Pro 13 laptop

Apple is known for two things: mobile devices and slick laptops that are used by both consumers and professionals.

For professionals, the device has become a staple for editing and music as well as for editing movies and television shows and much more.

The Macbook Pro 13 laptop includes many components necessary for these functions for consumers including the 3.2 GHz octa-core Apple M1 applications processor, 16 GB mobile LPDDR4X SDRAM, a handful of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), wireless components and more.

The following is a partial teardown into the Apple Macbook Pro 13 conducted by TechInsights.

Summary points

• 3.2 GHz Octa-core Apple M1
• 16 GB mobile LPDDR4X SDRAM
• 3-axis MEMS accelerometer, temperature sensor, ambient light sensor
• Thunderbolt/USB 4.0, Bluetooth 5.0

Target market: Consumer

Released: November 2020

Pricing: $1,899

Availability: Worldwide

The main board of the Macbook Pro 13 powered by Apple's M1 applications processor. Source: TechInsights

Main board

The main board of the Apple Macbook Pro 13 is the heart of the laptop, serving as the brains of the device in the Apple M1 octa-core applications processor. Other components on the board include:

• Dialog Semiconductor’s programmable mixed signal array and load switches
• NXP Semiconductors’ 16 bit I/O expander
• SK Hynix’s multichip memory controller
• SK Hynix’s multichip memory 8 GB LPDDR4X SDRAM
• Texas Instruments’ single-bit bus transceiver, current shunt monitor and LDO regulator
• Renesas’ battery charger
• Macronix’s serial flash memory
• Lattice Semiconductor’s FPGA

(Learn more about memory chips on Globalspec.com)

The touchbar board of the Apple Macbook Pro 13 is the control system for the laptop's touchscreen. Source: TechInsights

Touchbar board

The touchbar board controls the touchscreen display on the Apple Macbook Pro 13. The laptop has a traditional notebook keyboard and mouse, however, the touchscreen allows for additional controls for the laptop to consumers. The components include:

• 512 KB of serial flash memory from Winbond
• 4-line ESD protection from Semtech
• AMOLED display power supply from TI

(Learn more about touchscreens on Globalspec.com)

The microphone flex board contains MEMS devices to control the microphones inside the Apple Macbook Pro 13. Source: TechInsights

Microphone flex board

The microphone flex board contains the components necessary for communication with other people through the onboard camera. The components on this board include three MEMS microphones.

(Learn more about microphones on Globalspec.com)

Main components by cost:

• Integrated circuits — $365.58
• Display subsystem — $152.52
• Non-electronic parts — $58.31
• Battery subsystem — $44.05
• Modules, discretes and connectors — $42.46
• Other subsystems — $32.97
• Substrates — $18.99
• Component insertion — $12.97
• Final assembly and test — $9.17
• Camera subsystem — $5.04