This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Introduction

Original Apple SSD’s for the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are very expensive, especially compared to the price of standard NVMe SSD’s designed for Windows PC’s. macOS Mojave (and High Sierra) supports NVMe drives as boot device in MacBook Pro models released from late 2013 to 2015 and MacBook Air models from 2013 to 2017.

Why would I want to do this?

• Standard NVMe drives are cheaper. Much cheaper than original Apple drives.
• Many of the current NVMe drives are faster than the stock Apple drives that shipped in the MacBook Pro.
• NVMe drives are much easier to source. They can be bought everywhere online or in IT stores. Original Apple drives are almost impossible to buy new, so you’re limited to buying used drives on sites like Ebay for inflated prices.

1. Buy Early 2015 13' MacBook Pro 'Retina' 2.7GHz i5/8GB/128GB/macOS MF839LL/A with fast shipping and top-rated customer service.Once you know, you Newegg! Newegg offers customers an awesome experience shopping for computers, hardware, electronics, networking solutions, and more.
2. Nov 15, 2017  Marco Arment, a developer best known for co-founding Tumblr and creating apps Instapaper and Overcast, believes the 2012 to 2015 era 15-inch MacBook Pro is 'the best.

Refurbished: Apple MacBook Pro 13.3' Retina - Core i5 2.7GHz, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, Intel Iris Graphics 6100, MacOS Mojave v10.14 - A1502 MF839LL/A (2015).

What do I need?

• First you’ll need a suitable adapter. The SSD connector on the MacBook Pro motherboard is not a standard NVMe interface, so you need an adapter. The best adapter currently available is the Sintech NGFF M.2 nVME SSD Adapter Card. This is a full length card that holds the SSD much more securely than the short, connector-only adapters that many sellers are selling online.
• A USB memory stick of at least 8GB capacity, to use for installation of macOS Mojave on the new SSD
• A suitable NVME SSD. Note that certain SSD’s have compatibility issues with macOS – including the Samsung PM981 and the Samsung 970 EVO Plus (the original 970 EVO works fine, though). Some of the best NVMe SSD’s currently available, with tested macOS compatibility, are the Samsung 970 EVO, the Samsung 970 PRO, the Sandisk Extreme and the WD Black.
• A Pentalobe screwdriver is needed to remove the screws on the base of the MacBook Pro.
• A Torx T5 screwdriver, to remove the screw securing the SSD and slide it out of the slot.
• A MacBook Pro or MacBook Air from late 2013 onwards (not USB-C models) that has been updated to macOS High Sierra or Mojave.

Installation process

Make sure that you have upgraded your Mac to High Sierra or Mojave with the original drive installed before beginning. This ensures that the EFI firmware in your Mac is updated to the latest version with NVMe support.

Also, to be safe, make a backup of your data and important files to an external drive. You can copy this back to the new drive after installing macOS.

1. Create a bootable USB installer of macOS Mojave following these instructions from Apple.
2. Turn the MacBook Pro face down on the desk and, using your Pentalobe screwdriver, carefully remove the screws on the bottom. Once all screws are removed, lift off the bottom plate.
   
3. Peel up the black tape covering the battery connector and disconnect the battery from the motherboard using a plastic prying tool or your fingernail.
4. With the battery nearest you, you should see the SSD at the rear of the motherboard, on the right. Using your Torx T5 screwdriver, remove the screw securing the SSD and slide the SSD from its socket.
   
5. Fit your new SSD into the adapter, making sure that it’s fully inserted in the slot. The screw hole on the SSD should align with the one on the adapter.
6. Insert the adapter and the SSD into the slot on the motherboard. It should be inserted at an angle of around 30 degrees.
7. Gently screw the drive into place using the screw provided with the adapter. Be careful not to screw it in too tight as it could cause the SSD to bend. It should be screwed in firmly enough to hold it in place but not over-tightened.
8. Reconnect the battery to the motherboard and replace the plastic tape.
9. Replace the bottom case, putting the screws back in the same place you removed them from (they may look the same but they’re actually different sizes).
10. Plug your bootable macOS installation USB into a USB port and turn on the Mac while holding the Option key. From the boot screen that appears, choose the USB drive.
11. Once the USB has booted, it’s time to format the drive. Open the Disk Utility app from the menu and select your NVMe SSD in the pane to the left. Click “Erase” then select APFS as the format and “GUID Partition Map” as the scheme.
    
12. After the drive has finished formatting, quit the Disk Utility app and select “Install macOS” from the menu. Select your freshly formatted NVMe SSD as the installation drive and macOS will be installed to the new drive.
13. Once the installation finishes, the computer will boot into macOS and you can restore your old files from the backup you made before starting.

…and that’s it. You should now have a working NVMe drive in your Mac for a fraction of the cost of an original Apple drive.

NVMe drives are compatible with the following MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models

• MacBook Air 11-inch and 13-inch (Mid 2013)
• MacBook Pro 13-inch and 15-inch (Retina, Late 2013)
• MacBook Air 11-inch and 13-inch (Early 2014)
• MacBook Pro 13-inch and 15-inch (Retina, Mid 2014)
• MacBook Air 11-inch and 13-inch (Early 2015)
• MacBook Pro 13-inch (Retina, Early 2015)
• MacBook Pro 15-inch (Retina, Mid 2015)

So you've held on to your previous MacBook Pro for as long as possible, but the time has come to replace it. Unfortunately, whether it's the more shallow travel and reports of failure of the butterfly keyboard, the lack of port variety, or the expense or size of the 16-inch MacBook Pro, you've decided that newer models of the MacBook Pro aren't for you. What you want instead is a computer with a wider variety of ports and an older style of keyboard, and you want it as new as you can get it. You want the 2015 MacBook Pro.

There's a problem, however. Apple discontinued the 2015 MacBook Pro in mid-2018. And now, you can't get it new from any retailer without paying a boatload of money. Instead, you'll probably need to settle for buying the 2015 MacBook Pro used or refurbished.

Buying used or refurbished

Buying a used or refurbished Mac is a great way to pick on up at a lower price, but it comes with some caveats. It helps to make your purchase from a reputable source, for instance. If it's not through Apple (and it won't be in this case, as Apple doesn't sell refurbished 2015 MacBook Pros), then you'll want to take extra care that you know exactly from whom you'll be purchasing your computer.

You'll also want to make sure that the seller has wiped all data from the device you want to purchase. This includes disabling Find My Mac and signing out everything that uses their Apple ID, including iTunes. Leaving these things undone is a potential security risk, so contact the seller if you can to make sure this is all done. If your seller needs help checking to make sure the Mac is removed from their Apple ID, they can head to appleid.apple.com, sign in, and check for it under 'Devices.'

You'll want to get information about the battery health of the device, how well the keyboard works, and, obviously, make sure the seller will be including the charger.

Importantly, ask to see the original proof of purchase. A good way to avoid a shady situation is to make sure that you're getting your MacBook Pro from the person who originally bought it.

How to tell which model the 2015 MacBook Pro is

When buying a refurbished Mac, you'll want to make sure that you're actually getting the right model. To do that, you'll want to check the model number, which Apple also calls the 'part number.'

Note: The 'xx' in each model number serves as a placeholder for a two-letter section of each part number that changes based on the specific configuration.

If you're looking for the 13-inch 2015 MacBook Pro, the model numbers you're looking for contain some configuration of MF839xx/A, MF840xx/A, or MF841xx/A. The 15-inch model will contain a configuration of MJLQ2xx/A, MJLT2xx/A, or MJLU2xx/A.

Where to buy

If you're looking to buy a 2015 MacBook Pro, you're buying options are going to be firmly in the 'used' category if you don't want to spend a small fortune. While private sellers will increasingly become your most viable options as supplies dwindle, you can still purchase refurbished models through sites like Amazon or Newegg. Just know that those models will likely not be sold directly by the site but by other third-party merchants.

Amazon

You can get both the 13-inch and 15-inch models of 2015 MacBook Pro refurbished through Amazon. And as noted above, these models aren't sold by Amazon itself, but rather through other merchants.

Newegg

You can also find 2015 MacBook Pro refurbished on Newegg. Again, these models aren't offered directly by Newegg itself, but through other third-party merchants.

eBay

With this one, you have to be very careful. You'll want to check out each individual seller's rating to see if people have had problems with them in the past. Since you're often buying from individuals rather than companies, you'll want to be completely clear that the seller has completely wiped the MacBook, and that they've signed out of their Apple ID.

Limited options

Unfortunately, it's increasingly more difficult to find the 2015 MacBook Pro. Given that the computer is almost five years old at this point, and many people seem to be hanging on to their older MacBooks as long as they can in the hopes that Apple will deliver something with a better keyboard than the current models, that's not surprising. Used and refurbished is the only way you can really go.

Now that Apple is offering the 16-inch MacBook Pro with a new scissor switch keyboard, Mac users are holding out hope that the smaller MacBook Pro gets a similar treatment, at least in terms of the keyboard. Now that the scissor switch is back, I wouldn't be surprised to find demand for the 2015 MacBook Pro taper off, except for those looking to save money by buying an older computer.

Updated February 2020: Added information on model numbers.

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Best Mac Os For 2016 Macbook Pro

Analyst says iPhone 12 will cost more even without charger and headphones

Best Mac Os For 2012 Macbook Pro

Jeff Pu, an analyst at Chinese research firm GF Securities, predicts that Apple will raise the price of the iPhone 12 by at least $50.