Soldered RAM upgrades are basically a myth on ultra-thin laptops.

Don’t bother with the MacBook Air — it’s not happening.

Ultra-thin laptops like the MacBook Air or Dell XPS 13 have RAM soldered directly to the motherboard. No slots, no upgrade path. Even if you have reflow skills and a hot air station, you’re dealing with BGA chips that are notoriously difficult to remove without lifting pads or damaging the board. Success rate for a DIY attempt is near zero. Professional microsoldering shops might pull it off, but it’s expensive, voided warranty, and still risky.

Thicker business laptops like a ThinkPad T series or Dell Latitude are a mixed bag. Some models still use SO-DIMM slots — easy upgrade. Others solder RAM but leave one slot free. But more and more business laptops are following the ultra-thin trend and soldering everything. So you can’t assume.

Bottom line: If you want to upgrade RAM later, buy a laptop with removable RAM now. If you buy a MacBook Air, buy the RAM you need upfront, because you’re stuck with it.