A slow laptop is not necessarily a finished laptop. On a great many machines an SSD and an extra memory module change daily use more than a cheap new computer.
But not on all of them: on plenty of recent models the memory is soldered. That is checked in two minutes, on your model.
Free diagnostics: first whether it can be done, then whether it is worth it.
Soldered memory is declared by the maker. Lenovo writes it in its spec sheets: «memory soldered to systemboard, no slots», and on a business machine the hybrid configuration «one memory soldered to systemboard, one DDR5 SO-DIMM slot». HP declares «two upgradeable memory modules supporting up to 64 GB» on the EliteBook 840 G11. Verified rule: LPDDR and LPDDR5X are always soldered.
Slots have not vanished: they moved. They survive on business and workstation machines and have gone from ultraportables and 2-in-1s — where soldered memory often is not even listed among replaceable components.
A real novelty, still rare: LPCAMM2. JEDEC published the CAMM2 standard on 5 December 2023, with two non-interchangeable variants and the note that «the pinouts for each differ». iFixit already publishes a replacement guide for a ThinkPad. In the real installed base of 2026 it is still a rarity.
On SSDs, the trap is length. M.2 codes are width by length: 2280 is 80 mm, 2242 is 42 mm, 2230 is 30 mm. Dell documents that a 2230 in a 2280 bay needs a dedicated bracket; the reverse cannot be done.
And on Macs? The question comes up just the same, and the answer is more nuanced than «nothing is upgradeable on a Mac». Three real cases. The 2018 Mac mini takes standard SO-DIMMs and the memory genuinely upgrades. The 21.5" iMac has modular, unsoldered memory — Apple calls it «not removable by users» because reaching it means taking off the glued display, so it is workshop work. And the M4 Mac mini brought storage back to a removable module, held by one screw — proprietary format and software pairing, but removable. Across the rest of the Apple Silicon range, memory and storage are soldered.
| Soldered or socketed memory | declared in the model's spec sheet |
|---|---|
| Hybrid configuration | one soldered bank + one slot: it exists and caps the upgrade |
| SSD form factor | 2280, 2242 or 2230 — length decides |
| Adapter bracket | a 2230 in a 2280 bay needs the dedicated bracket |
| Moving the system | cloning or clean install: agreed beforehand |
| Backup | data is secured before storage is touched |
| 2018 Mac mini | standard SO-DIMM memory — upgradeable |
| 21.5" Intel iMac | modular memory, reached only by removing the glued display |
| M4 Mac mini | storage in a removable module, proprietary format |
| Rest of the Apple Silicon range | memory and storage soldered |
The factors that actually move the cost of this job. They are not our rules: they depend on how the manufacturer supplies the part, and they are checked at the diagnosis stage before anything is ordered.
ElectrONIK Lab is an independent workshop: it is not an authorised service centre and is not affiliated with the manufacturers. The trademarks named here belong to their respective owners and are used only to identify the devices we work on. Your statutory consumer rights towards whoever carries out the repair are unaffected.
Free diagnostics, a clear quote and the part chosen by you.