Can I repair the CHEAPEST Apple Silicon Mac?

[@Rugenus]

What’s crazy is you could of used it with an external monitor and basically had an m1 Mac mini for $150

[@LoganLayneOffical]

With a back up battery!

[@cornishpasty6926]

How do you use an external monitor if the screen is completely black???

[@igorlis380]

@@cornishpasty6926 you plug it in? or just close the lid and it should mirror onto an external monitor.

[@AlMarche90]

Maybe not as cheap as yours, but I also managed to find a good deal on a broken MacBook Air M1 here in Mexico. Bought the laptop with a faulty keyboard and trackpad for around $270 USD. Replacing the top case costed me around $110 USD. A bit more than yours in total, but prices are way higher here than in the US, and getting a fully functioning M1 MacBook Air for $380 is fantastic no matter where you are. Fixing broken devices rocks.

[@paws315]

Love it! Great job doing it yourself -- it's even harder to find Apple Stores outside of the US. To the executives at Apple responsible for serializing components and subjugating user-repair behind anticompetitive software locks: a big middle finger. The environmental focus at the last Apple event was corporate greenwashing at its ugliest 🙄

[@arturoehr]

@@Halo-yd1rghay buenas promos en hot sale y buen fin. En el pasado hot sale de mayo, compre una Air M1 nueva en 13,000

[@Peluchin-Pelao]

Vale la pena!

[@MrCharlieBros]

Achis, donde conseguiste el teclado?

[@TEKDAD]

And you have a real screen.

[@Gearsandco]

I know why this Mac has a cracked screen, it looks like the previews owner tried to cover the camera with a piece of tape or something, as you can see the damage started around the camera. another thing I like to mention, I think Aliexpress sells the same screen assembly unit for 80 to 120$, the top case is also only 59$ too, I think it's very cheap to make this mac look as brand new as possible is you have the technical skills to do so.

[@richardpolonskyi9219]

that is 100 percent the reason, kudos to you !

[@akshajhui]

Agreed

[@SonnyHung]

That is a possibility. My daughter placed a security camera slide cover on hers and that how her M1 Air screen cracked. But that would have limited the damage to underneath the camera. In this situation I would suggest that maybe they closed the Air with a cable sandwiched in between the screen and the keyboard. That would account for the damage going wider across the top of the screen.

[@richardpolonskyi9219]

Do remember, the mb air is a thin device so a decently thick cable and slight pressure could even bend the top case 😇

[@zoruaboy]

@@SonnyHungactually since the camera and the screen are so close together, and the display being so thin, pressure on the camera can actually crack the LCD.

[@Evie0133]

the only problem is that the replacement display you got seems pretty substandard. As soon as you booted the machine up, the display looked really green and weird. Maybe you could calibrate it to make it look better, but it certainly isn't the best example of an aftermarket display, could've done better with that one! Still a banger deal tho :D + I’ve seen a lot of comments about the lack of True Tone causing this issue. That’s certainly not it. I’ve replaced many Apple displays with OEM panels (official Apple panels with only the broken front glass replaced), and the display looks virtually identical as the original, only with a tiny bit of blue tint caused by the lack of True Tone. But the difference shouldn’t jump off the screen, since the white balance should look similar to older Macs without True Tone. And the lack of True Tone shouldn’t make a display super green either, True Tone usually turns the display either warm or bluish depending on the lighting around you.

[@trikster.online]

I agree. For day-to-day use, probably not a huge issue. If I was going to do anything that needs proper color, I would lose my mind. Why not just use the warranty and pay for the replacement display via Apple?

[@MJsTechWorld]

i noticed that myself. that would really annoy me if i was using that MacBook.

[@jason-5932]

Where would you recommended getting a replacement screen? All the eBay listing seem to sell the same 3rd party screen

[@scottgriz]

Probably the lack of TrueTone. Custom display profile would fix that.

[@onouphrios]

lol okay buddy. $333 > $1k

[@bryans8656]

That's a great find. Your MacBook repair videos have always been my favorites, I've used them as tutorials for upgrading old laptops.

[@mdwahiduzzaman7315]

I bought an M1 Air last week for 350$ from the Facebook marketplace. It had two dead pixels and some scratches. Later found the previous owner had Apple Care+ but was completely oblivious to that. I cashed in that. Now I've got a perfectly working Macbook M1 Air and I'm commenting here using that. Not only the dead pixels were gone but also all the scratches are taken care of !!! Sweet deal for me !!!!

[@andi]

Good that you mentioned the apple repair programme and the screen pairing. They really should give us access to the calibration tool or whatever it is to enable true tone for the screen.

[@tgvinfinite2607]

verified?

[@hishnash]

The flip side of that is all/most of the cheap screens for sale are from iCloud locked (possibly stolen) devices. To do the True Tone calibration (if they gave up on iCloud locking) would be a color meter and possibly something that can emit a solid known reference color (like a iPhone screen you hold over the sensor).

[@nadiro]

​@@hishnashMost of them are not stolen, it's from school/organizations that replaced them without taking time to remove icloud

[@hishnash]

@@nadiro For laptops yes but for phone parts the math is different, prior to the intriuciton of iCloud locker there were large gangs expliclty targeting the theft of phones as the main income source for the gang. This stoped very fast as soon as the value of stolen phones dropped, just locking the SOC is not enough as the display is a large part in the devices cost. I think apple should only provide profiles for devices that are not iCloud locked but they should activity market this so that recyclers know how much more valuable a device that is unlock is and push pressure ($) on schools etc to bother to do this or to sign the needed paperwork that would let the recycler do it.

[@sujeewarathnaweera]

Is that program available worldwide? Apple is not officially a company in Sri Lanka, but they conduct business under distributors.

[@Anichepod]

Luke, make more Mac repairs videos! We love them!

[@darijoe1]

Became a subscriber of yours Luke in 2019, purely because of your awesome Mac repair videos. My body starts to tingle whenever I see a new one of these appear. Great result and wonderful work!

[@jidofole]

tingle?

[@robertcampos4722]

@@jidofole lol I was thinking the same thing.😄

[@SamThe_1st]

Make sure you turn the hinge with your hand 🖐️ if you use spudgers you might risk damaging the screen 😊

[@stevey500]

Nice job! I found the same model macbook air 2 years ago at a local rural pawn shop for $350. The unit did not boot up but it did power on to the "new" recovery menu that had me realizing this was of the m1 series. The tag just said "macbook." They promised money back if it is icloud locked. I offered $280 and they took it. It had 20 battery cycles or so. I've still got truetone. This computer replaced my i7 2018 macbook pro 13" before it. This m1 base model has been the best laptop I've ever had and I've had a lot of laptops of various makes and models. I love this computer.

[@willm5032]

it's criminal that they software lock displays. Otherwise, great find!

[@Sloppyjoe96]

yeah its insane apple does it with everything now, like you replace your screen on a iphone and it will disable your face id and selfie camera aswell as the true tone

[@IMDYT420]

@@Sloppyjoe96I believe only changing the front cameras causes Face ID to stop working and I believe they fixed the cameras not working but replacing the screen without transferring the serial number from the old one to the new screen will cause True Tone to not work.

[@khumanthempoireiton5036]

​@@IMDYT420even battery replacement lock true tone and face id the mechanics unlock them for us

[@andi]

@@IMDYT420 I wonder if it is possible to transfer the serial number from the old macbook display to the new one like on iphones to restore the true tone feature :D

[@hishnash]

So stopping you from using a display that is otherwise paired to a device that is locked through iCloud (possibly flagged as stolen) is criminal?

[@richarddelloyd3387]

Nice spot dude... been scanning your channel for a while, I refurbished every single Mac desktop and laptop that existed from 1998 to 2015 when the ****s locked everything down. Selling on ebay since 2005 to 2013, then Amazon till 2018 when they (Apple) restricted second hand resellers... love your channel dude, the pushing of the limits in mods and right to repair.. keep on keeping on my man! Much love

[@sujeewarathnaweera]

I am not defending Apple, but isn't this "iCloud lock" such a pain in the a** on these because the person who put it to recycling, did not recycle it and the seller who could be the recycler or someone who bought the laptops from the recycler is not disclosing it when he is selling it to you?

[@wemelkuan]

This was pretty much what happened with my M1 11-inch iPad Pro where only the display was cracked and wasn't iCloud locked. I won it at an Ebay auction for the same price as a 9th gen iPad today. +$70 for a glass replacement.

[@ralphdsouza6775]

After the screen replacement, does the screen look like its having a greenish tint overall or is it just the wallpaper?

[@ryancassanelli8324]

Yeah that’s was I was thinking, the color seems weirdly calibrated

[@hishnash]

@@ryancassanelli8324 Yes that is expected each panel needs to be calibrated as they are not identical, that is just how the manufacturing process is.

[@5urg3x]

I would just use it with an external monitor and call it a day! That’s still a good deal even if you can’t repair it. You got lucky though lol.

[@Command3rplvto]

I purchased a gold m1 air for $350 cash back in February!! Right now I use a 15” M2 that I got on marketplace for $550!

[@virusumf]

unfortunately you can tell the difference in the display colour even on video, if I would use this macbook it would be really difficult to ignore, I made mistake once by replacing an Iphone 12 screen with an after market one and it was extremely bad, the colours were off and the battery drained so fast I had to keep charging the phone during the day, now I am not sure if this is applicable to the Macbook, perhaps someone would have information about the battery life using this kind of displays

[@techkidwhiz]

It's unlikely that this display would affect the battery life of the MacBook. The iPhone 12 probably drained faster because it was likely replaced with an LCD screen instead of a more power efficient OLED screen. The MacBook Air already uses an LCD screen.

[@ChengTeoh]

Anyone else wondering why the person who sold this Air didn't use the warranty to save a basically new machine?

[@Portal_3]

Pretty sure the warranty won’t cover the display but idk why they didn’t just replace it

[@harrysmbdgs]

No, because warranties do not cover user damage.

[@paulhorn24]

Maybe the original owner is too lazy and has too much money, so he just orders a new Apple laptop with same day delivery?

[@zoruaboy]

Limited warranty doesn’t cover user damage. Only AppleCare+ does that.

[@kr555wizard]

Wait how could they know it was user damage? or do they immediately just assume it is?

[@tvandever2010]

If the computer is in warranty would apple replace the screen? And if so which would be cheaper?

[@zircoben]

Under warranty, they wouldn't with physical damage

[@maybelbdidit]

You can reprogram true tone, the hall effect sensor for lid-closing sleep mode and everything else you lose as long as you keep the broken screen to transfer across the serial numbers.

[@ThePolaroid669]

how do you do that?

[@ken1w]

Great deal! Those first M1 MacBooks (Air or Pro) from late 2020 remain more than capable enough for most users. Apple still sells that one (as new) for $999 retail in base config. I have Pro with higher storage/memory specs, can’t imagine needing more for my daily use.

[@CCC54E]

Luke, I always get excited when you do a video like this one. I think that, yeah, I could do the same thing. Then, I think that there must be some times when you did not get an awesome deal like the Apple Silicon Mac, so the good deals and bad deals would kind of average out. I realize that you are an expert, so you would avoid more of the bad deals than I would. After reasoning it through, I decide to just enjoy your videos and pay up on Apple products to avoid the bad deals. Thanks for your videos, Luke.

[@SankeshwarSivakumar]

it would be interesting if you review the self service repair program for the Macs, there isn't a video about it on youtube, you could do it

[@MrPnew1]

There are videos about that program, you aren’t looking hard enough. Try Hugh Jeffreys and Louis Rossmann for starters

[@SankeshwarSivakumar]

@@MrPnew1 no I haven’t seen anyone repair a Mac with self service repair

[@walpoleandworcester]

Ohhhhh boy! Time for another Luke Miani classic.

[@saiyancatszx2]

Yooo congratulations! That's a very good deal! Glad you got it!

[@ak95purebeatzrecords83]

Just a colour calibration and done, ur a happy guy. nice video

[@anothervisionofthings]

Definitely my favorite kind of videos from you !!

[@ronferry3069]

I bought a MacBook Air M1 Base for $250 a year ago with a cracked screen that I thought about replacing. The problem is the keyboard was damaged as well and a European version. From my understanding the Touch ID won't work if you replace it. Also to replace all those parts is way too much. So for now it's a Mac mini that my kid uses connected to a monitor. Doesn't need to take it on the go so not sure it would even be worth fixing.

[@alan.otoole]

Woo! These are some of my favorite videos!

[@JojinKang]

I bought an iCloud locked M1 MacBook Air which is now a door stop. If I bought a same model M1 MacBook Air with a broken screen but unlocked, would I be able to just switch out the screen? The one I'm looking at is a different colour but that doesn't bother me.

[@visyen]

looks like this could've been a good headless macbook too

[@pasquale78]

Yeah, it’s now basically a Mac mini M1.

[@TimR123]

Am I the only one who thinks the replacement screen has a green/blue cast? I saw that True Tone is inactive. But can this panel be color calibrated without it? If the color shift is as bad as it looks in the video, it can't be used for any visual creator tasks.

[@Alexei-im6dq]

I love your shirt, it's so elegant

[@RobertR602]

I purchased an M1 Mac Air for $350 secondhand a few months ago and it still has 95% battery life and it’s a boss machine!!! I used it attached to my old Thunderbolt Display and so now I have a two display computer for a few hundred.

[@Evie0133]

dude this is insane, even the broken ones usually go for way more, so that price is wild! You could either fix it to get a cheap laptop, or just remove the display to make it a $150 Apple Silicon Mac Mini! At that point, it's actually LESS than the price that Apple charges for their Magic Keyboard and Trackpad combined, truly insane :D

[@WarriorsPhoto]

Doing the math. Depending on how much you made from this videos ads and sponsored content. This computer could be close to or free. Congratulations 🍾🎊🎈🎉 Luke.

[@mads_ittmann1823]

hi Luke, really love the content you have been putting out lately. I do have a small question: Where do find most of the macbooks you repair in your videos? Im looking to buy one with a broken screen and just use in clamshell mode with an external monitor.

[@CelesteWuff]

eBay, he mostly uses eBay

[@laserwizard2]

Great resource and inspiration for a project computer!

[@anthonymayorgarcia1735]

I found a late 2019 MacBook Pro with an i9, 32 go ram and 2tb of storage for $100 at a local pawnshop. Only caveat was that it was MDM locked… I did bypass the lock but I ended up selling it because it was going to keep showing the profile as long as the server it was tied to would still be up.

[@LaimisMatas]

goddamnit, that's a nice machine..

[@iawindowss4061]

If you see a MDM lock you should 100% try calling the company if you explain your circumstance they might remove it for you.

[@markredf150]

It would be sweet for you and Psivewri to do a video together🎉

[@justinbricco6086]

Stick an Alan key or small screwdriver in one of the screw holes on the hinge to pry backwards as to not put any pressure on the screen as you do the spudger

[@unknown-fg9yf]

I just got one with a broken screen for $185 and replaced the screen for $175. $360 m1 macbook air! Hows that?

[@aleksystrzecki205]

Isn't the display locking the software cuz of the serial number?

[@ViorelIanasi]

Mmm... so this display can be replaced without the Apple proprietary calibration software like on the MacBook Pro 14/16. Just curious, is True Tone still working? LE: Found out that True Tone is not working but is it still OK that is useable anyway. On the Pro 14/16 sot so much.

[@alemoraesoliveira]

Nice repair!! I Love it!! Always sharing you channel to friends!!

[@slowesti4]

Back in 2021 I bought an 2020 13" M1 256GB MacBook Pro for $225 from a pawn shop on 40 battery cycles, only defect was on the bezel where it says "MacBook Pro" there was a tiny crack, there's definitely some gold out there for sure!

[@paulianclarke]

Whats the origin of the replacement screen from Ebay? Remanufactured? Is it as good as the original Apple screens?

[@bj97301]

The new display looks off. Is that the same as stock?

[@letiziasparks5144]

whoo hoo finally another repair video, my favorite thanks Luke!

[@ak95purebeatzrecords83]

There are display programming devices for iPhones. surely there is also a way to program the screen from a mac, EPORM is the keyword

[@josemedeiros007]

God video Luke. I am curious, do you find the M1 Mac Book Air that much faster then your 2013 Mac Book Pro? What is your Mac daily driver?

[@chenchomelo]

So satisfying! 😊

[@ChandrasekarThodla]

I bought a used M1 Mac Air 16GB RAM + 1 TB storage for 600 Australian dollars (which is 380 USD) - in great condition, genuine one with icloud clock reset. Such a great value find in FB marketplace!

[@TechSpec814]

I felt your pain when you opened that box. Last year I ordered a 2012 Macbook and when I got it, it wasn't even wrapped in bubble wrap or anything, just newspaper under it. It proved worthless as it came dented on the corner.

[@MasaDukie]

The seller of this MacBook M1 is a paid actor….. 😂

[@deacbeugene]

Is this replaced display color calibrated like original one? Does it have any screen ghosting without truetone calibration?

[@savagepro9060]

Me: isn't that a prime candidate for a cheap headless Apple setup?🤔🤨

[@cheap25]

Facebook marketplace. Found one for 300. Definitely a crazy one of a kind find. Just gotta keep your eyes peeled. It is crazy how cheap the M1 are going for now. People are having a tough time selling them at 500. That is insane Trying to find a buyer for a 512 GB upgraded one now at 650 and it’s just mind numbingly frustrating

[@bariumlanthanum6298]

11:33 Watching this on my Dell workstation, where going from a 1080p screen to a 4k screen was an extra $300 CAD (which I feel was worth it)

[@cody3026]

managed to get a m1 macbook air also for $80AUD on ebay. had water damage on the charging port. $10 replacement. Sold for $800 in less than a week.

[@samhendersonn]

I liked the sponsor, will definitely check it out cause I need this cleaner for my room.

[@GwejeofAfrica]

I have a 2015 MacBook Pro. It shows a red screen after booting. What could be the problem?

[@nerd20fromdiscord]

Im in canada and with our substantially smaller population its harder to find used tech deals like this (broken or not) since the competition just isnt as tight but i might have to start keeping an eye out for a broken m1 mac air, ive being doing laptop repairs for a while now and fixing up an apple one would be fun with the added benefit of having a nice laptop to use afterwards!

[@dylanlindsay1993]

Great Find Luke!!!! this reminds me of my 30$ airpods pro i got a few months ago! i found some airpods pro that were used on ebay for 30$ but they were listed as for parts/non working but the pictures in the listing seemed to show that they were working so i messaged the seller and it turns out that they listed them wrong! so i bought them! and surprisingly they still had about 4.5 months warranty left on them! theres only about a month left on that warranty now though because ive had them for about 3 months...!

[@thomasoreilly6140]

One piece of Apple hardware that still ages well is their 27" Thunderbolt Display. I wouldn't mind seeing more content about them.

[@michaelolz]

I'm still crazy about my M1 MacBook Air. It's been one of the most handy tools I've ever used. So it's good to see that it's still getting some TLC!

[@ajaysrtech]

Here we go again... 🫠

[@electronights3589]

It would have been even cheaper If it was just used as a bootleg mac mini and connected to an external display as a home PC.🤣

[@BrianWMay]

You took a chance and it paid off. Well done.

[@KimoKimochii]

he sold it to himself lol

[@hemantbhalsing6823]

Imagine being the owner of the broken MB and watching his video rn 😂

[@MStrong95]

I have a M1 Mac Mini that has Avira anti virus installed and it refuses to uninstall

[@tomwagner4516]

I did the exact same thing for my wife's M1 Air. My laptops cost $250 but that was one year ago. Couldn't be happier.

[@gregf9160]

I am _sooooooo_ envious!

[@4FJM]

Dude, you always seem to find these great deals on "old" or "damaged" Macs. good for you. Question....what do you do with all those repaired macs...sell, give away? just asking. Keep up the great videos.

[@5ingredients127]

Does the TrueTone work with non genuine display assembly?

[@edobosho]

I bought an M1 Air at my local pawnshop for for $380. Only now am i doing some digging to see if it was a good deal and with only 8 battery cycles, think i hit the jackpot on this one.

[@PossibleJothamChin]

Where the wallpaper from?

[@TheKaddster]

Where did you buy the display replacement?

[@simonwilliams2109]

Hi Luke., thanks for the vid. Can you use an iMac(2012) as an external monitor for the Silicon MacBooks?

[@1natedoggy]

Do you resell the laptops you fix up or what happens to them?

[@walidkhan4132]

OG Luke Miani Video Very Classic ❤️

[@haiiirookami]

I would´ve thought that it might be a scam and actually be a 2020 Intel model or older because if I remember correctly the M1 Macbook Air doesn´t come with 128GB SSD as stated in the listing

[@Yuuki69y]

Fun fact: The 128GB M1 Air does exist, but it was made exclusively for schools, so you can only get it if you are in the education market.

[@pbatacan]

I was able to get a base non touch bar macbook pro 2017 for only 100 usd. the only issue it had is a non functioning facetime camera. i did not bother repairing it. it's still with me for 2 years now

[@mayrokmedia258]

What do you use for cleaning solution?

[@raskyofficial5246]

I found a second hand MacBook Air 2020 for 275€ the listing said “faulty screen”… was just dirty, I cleaned it with product and it’s brand new now, the only thing is the sticker on the back, you can kinda see them

[@Kaka..56p.s167]

did you use a apple original display for replacement?

[@Lying29]

The display from eBay is probably used or from some third party. Another possible source could be a defective one or a factory unit that doesn't meet Apple's quality then got stolen before being trashed.

[@LexAngel]

I do these all the time. They're new and they look better in real life.

[@Lying29]

@@LexAngel They could, but they won’t meet Apple’s quality. Though they would still be very capable. Several years ago, there was a debate between two influencers(one is the founder of Smartisan Phone) in China digging inside the “dark secrets” of all “Apple original parts from non-Apple sellers”and the video is still available. Apple factories have very high quality standards and is producing a lot of unqualified parts every day. These parts are not met with Apple’s quality but still way superior than almost any third-party copycats’. Some people work in Apple’s factory are willing to steal these unqualified parts for money, because it is basically impossible to steal any qualified parts. Apple also keeps an eye on these unqualified parts but less strict, creating a gap before them being trashed and recycled. Thieves will get ready with a batch of third-party low quality parts, replace the unqualified original Apple parts with them. Apple won’t pay too much attention to what they are going to discard. There is actually another way to get original Apple parts, which is exactly the same “replacement method” but the parts are “broken parts” from Genius Bar waiting to be trashed.

[@CautionusJay]

I found a 2018 MacBook air for $50 at a pawnshop laptop only no charger. well the only thing wrong with it, it needed MacOS reinstalled. That was an easy fix

[@3vlogs487]

I broke my M1 air and ordered the part from Apple to replace the screen, works perfectly and cost half as much as the Apple store wanted

[@KeithCozy]

I was a technician and Apples "OEM" parts were nothing but pre-programmed components (phones still had to be configured regardless) and branding

[@curtispazarjr4985]

great review!!!!!

[@GiancarloCarccamo]

Great video.

[@bartonlynch]

The "Miani luck" is alive and well… and strikes again.

[@kanecitizen]

does the eufy robot vacuum track my sleep without my consent?

[@zircoben]

Listing said it was 128GB, which configuration doesn’t officially exist. Did someone remove a SSD module or what is the story there?

[@fanz6410]

Does the display of all MBA M1 makes sound when being shaken vigorously?

[@michvod]

I paid a €120 for a liquid damaged M1 Air few weeks ago. Managed to repair the logic board (pain in the ass, but it works now). Due to liquid damage, the trackpad, the trackpad cable and intermediate board for the keyboard were gone as some of the components fell off due to corrosion. Also the small battery PCB got hit by the liquid and it stopped working. I managed to find a good but mangled top case with all those items for €40. And another €30 for a good used battery. So I guess mine was even cheaper ;)

[@braddl9442]

I think it would be helpful to have a video highlighting what mac products should be avoided on the Used and second hand markets. Like butterfly keys, Dead GPU models, Icloud locks, T1 issues.

[@Ssin1235]

If I remember correctly, recently Louis Rossman’s German repair shop friend found a way to calibrate the screen and bring True Tone and Lid sensor back.