Apple computers are mainly known for their aesthetics. What is certain is that the manufacturer has not

Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch Core i5 computers share a characteristic common to recent MacBooks: they are thin, very thin. This great slimness, much appreciated and so ergonomic, nevertheless comes at a price that is still little known, but whose consequences are starting to be felt: soldered SSD hard drives. By soldering certain components to the motherboard, the American firm achieved a real gain in terms of thinness, and at the same time had the opportunity to lower costs, this method being more economical.


Indeed, this poses a major problem in the event of a data recovery attempt, following an electronic failure, or following a water damage incident on the machine. Previously, a knowledgeable user or an average repair technician was able to remove the hard drive from a MacBook like from any other laptop, in order to carry out a data recovery. Starting in 2016, and first on MacBook Pro models (including the Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch Core i5), the motherboard, now soldered to the SSD hard drive and to any type of NAND memory chip, can no longer be separated from it, and data recovery is now accessible only to a few highly specialized companies.
In short, if you suffer a serious electronic failure on your Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch Core i5 or other similar models, your usual repair technician will likely consider your machine impossible to disassemble. They may sometimes refer you directly to a company specialized in reliable and reputable data recovery. You can, of course, also contact one directly.

Models affected by data recovery issues

The Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch Core i5 laptop belongs to an entire generation of devices from the Apple brand likely to have this problem, notably since 2017 with the addition of the T2 security chip, which encrypts data even more securely to protect it, but which also makes data recovery more complicated. Finally, in 2018, still in the interest of lightness, Apple removed the Customer Data Migration connector, preventing data recovery after a motherboard failure. 


Here is a list of Apple models, of the Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch “Core i5” type, affected by this issue and requiring specific data recovery:

  • MacBook Pro 13″ A1989, released in 2018. The thinnest and first “touchbar” model
  • MacBook Pro 15″ Touch Bar (A1990), which is somewhat the older sibling of the previous one 
  • MacBook Pro Retina 13″ Touch Bar (A2159)
  • Apple MacBook Pro A2141 (EMC 3347) i7 16GB 512GB SSD – 16″: a slightly more powerful version with a large screen 
  • Apple MacBook Pro A2251 (EMC 3348) i5 16GB 512GB SSD – 13.3″, a well-balanced device
  • Apple MacBook Pro 13″ A2289, a pocket-sized MacBook, but with incredible performance
  • MacBook Pro Retina 13″ Touch Bar M1 (A2338): The MacBook released in 2020, combining incredibly slim design with impressive performance.

All these are models of undeniable reliability, whose ergonomics and performance are beyond question and worthy of the brand’s image. But, in the event of a problem, all these Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch Core i5 type models will need to go through the hands of a data recovery specialist, due to the design particularities we mentioned above.

How does this recovery process work?

Working on an Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch Core i5 whose T2 chips and SSDs are soldered requires skills that are still not widespread. The complexity of the operation does not allow for a 100% guaranteed result, but in the hands of a good professional, the chances are much greater. It also depends on the degree of damage to the motherboard, and therefore on the type of original damage: electronic failure, drop, fire, or liquid spill.


The process is fairly simple. First, you should contact your specialist to arrange the details of drop-off or shipping of your equipment. Once this is settled, you hand over your Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch Core i5 so that an evaluation, generally free of charge, of the failure and the condition of the machine can be carried out.
Following this evaluation, a quote is generally offered to you, based on the extent of the damage and the volume of data likely to be recovered. At this point you can approve the quote, which launches the data recovery procedure on your Apple MacBook Pro 13-Inch Core i5.
At the end of the process, you will receive a list of what could be recovered, and all that remains is your payment so that you can retrieve all the files thus saved.