DIY MacBook Neo Modification Successfully Boosts Storage To 1TB Using iPhone 16 Pro Hardware Components

YouTuber Dosdude1 successfully upgrades the MacBook Neo to 1TB of storage by soldering an iPhone 16 Pro NAND chip onto the A18 Pro logic board.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 10, 2026, 5:16 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from 9to5Mac.

Overcoming Factory Storage Constraints

The MacBook Neo, Apple’s entry-level portable, is officially sold with a maximum configuration of 512GB. For users requiring higher capacity, Apple offers no official internal upgrades. However, YouTuber Dosdude1 has pioneered a workaround that utilizes the hardware commonalities between Apple’s mobile and desktop ecosystems. Since the MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro—the same System on a Chip (SoC) found in the iPhone 16 Pro—the creator successfully integrated a high-capacity mobile storage chip into the laptop's architecture.

The Technical Execution: A Soldered Upgrade

The modification involves replacing the stock NAND storage with a 1TB K8A5 model chip. Because the storage is soldered directly to the logic board, the process is far more complex than a standard SSD swap. The upgrade requires specialized tools and expertise in micro-soldering, including:

Complete disassembly of the MacBook Neo chassis.

Precise removal of the original 256GB or 512GB NAND chip.