Soldered RAM is not upgradeable.

No.

Modern laptops like the Dell XPS and MacBook Air use RAM that’s literally part of the motherboard — soldered directly to the board, not in a socket. There is no DIY guide that ends well.

Theoretically, a professional rework station could desolder the old RAM chips and solder new ones, but that’s a board-level repair requiring specialized equipment, BGA rework skills, and firmware tweaks. Even then, the system may not recognize the new RAM because the memory controller or BIOS is locked. A handful of repair shops have done it for older models (ThinkPads, some MacBooks), but it’s not a weekend project. You’re more likely to brick the laptop than save money.

If you need more RAM, buy it upfront. Future You will thank you.