The battery difference is perhaps the most significant compromise given that the Touch Bar versionВ has more components to power. All told, the differences amount to a machine that gives up some things to accommodate the Touch Bar, Touch ID sensor, and extra ports. Other differences include a smaller battery assembly, 49.2 watts to 54.5 watts, two fans compared to the other versionвЂ™s single fan, and speakers that are set lower in the chassis. That makes the more expensive version less flexible than the non-Touch Bar version, which has a proprietary controller that is at least theoretically upgradeable. On the Touch Bar version, the storage is soldered to the motherboard, meaning that it is impossible to upgrade. Perhaps the most significant differenceВ is the lack of a solid-state drive card.

The iFixit team spent some time making note of the differences between the two models. There is also a complete lack of user-serviceable parts inside even for the intrepid soul who owns the right tools Such machines typically have everything glued together to achieve the kind of tight fit that makes such thinness possible.

As usual, AppleВ uses its non-standard pentalobe screws that deny access to the machineвЂ™s insides to anyone unwilling to invest in a specialized screwdriver. Most of the machineвЂ™s design is similar to its Pro sibling. Apparently, that was enough of a difference to make it just a touch more serviceable than the more expensive model.ДЄccording to iFixit, the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar deserves a one of out 10 teardown score. The primary differences between the two MacBook Pro variations include: the lower-end model has two USB Type-C connections instead of four, does not support Touch ID, and of course, does not have a Touch Bar. The non-Touch Bar MacBook Pro, which differs somewhat from its higher-end sibling, scored a two out of 10 according to iFixitвЂ™s metrics. The MacBook Pro is a marvel of engineering and construction but it is also built in such a way that it is almost impossible to fix, which iFixit discovered in its teardown of the Touch Bar version of the machine. One of the most significant is the need to cram all of the components into such a tight enclosure and to affix them and connect them using more permanent methods. With such minuscule dimensions, however, comes certain design constraints. Sam Lionheart/iFixitAppleвЂ™s 2016 MacBook Pro line is incredibly thin and light, so much so that the companyвЂ™s thin-and-light banner bearer, the MacBook Air, has less relevance except as a low-cost option.

Non touch bar macbook pro vega 20