Can I upgrade the SSD storage on my M1 MacBook Air?

D.I. Johnson wrote:

+1 👍🏽

With the M series Macs, one is unable to alter the storage or the RAM capacity of the computers after the purchase.

The only exception being the 2024 M4 and M4Pro Mac mini. The storage on those machines is on a removable module, however it is proprietary and one cannot use off-the-shelf components as replacement.

Two other exceptions are the Mac Studios and the M2 Ultra Mac Pros.

In all three cases, the SSD controller is in the Apple Silicon chip, and the removable flash modules are raw flash modules, rather than standard M.2 NVMe SSDs. In all three cases, the Apple Silicon chip encrypts & decrypts data in real time. If you replace the flash modules on a M2 Ultra Mac Pro, you need the help of a second Mac to get things back in cryptographic sync afterwards, so you can restore everything from scratch. I imagine the same is true for the other machines.

The flash upgrade kits for the Mac Pro are not cheap. $1000 USD for 2 TB, $1600 for 4 TB, or $2800 for 8 TB, before adding the cost of professional installation. These kits replace the existing SSD (instead of adding more storage alongside of it), which makes upgrades even more expensive (on an incremental cost per TB basis).

Apple solders the SSD directly onto the motherboard. Swapping the SSD would be very difficult and meticulous. It is not practical.

Have a nice day!

+1 👍🏽

With the M series Macs, one is unable to alter the storage or the RAM capacity of the computers after the purchase.

The only exception being the 2024 M4 and M4Pro Mac mini. The storage on those machines is on a removable module, however it is proprietary and one cannot use off-the-shelf components as replacement.

Smartboiiyeet wrote:

Apple solders the SSD directly onto the motherboard. Swapping the SSD would be very difficult and meticulous. It is not practical.

Have a nice day!

Um.. no.

The M series processors are a system on a a chip. A single chip contains the CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage. There is no separate SSD at all. Of course the processor is soldered to the motherboard, so the entire motherboard would have to be replaced...

Re: “A single chip contains the CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage. There is no separate SSD at all.”

Not quite. The RAM dies are separate from the main System on Chip die, even though they are located next to it, and might even be in the same plastic package, giving the appearance of a single chip.

The flash chips are separate from the System on Chip - but typically soldered in (with some exceptions).

The System on Chip does contain all of the CPU cores, GPU cores, Neural Engine cores, display generator automations, and more. Thus the reason why the particular Apple Silicon chip in use is a strong predictor of the capabilities of the Macs using it, whether they be desktops or laptops.

Also +1. 🙂👍🏽

I didn't realize the Mac Studios and Pros had the similar build, though it does make perfect sense.