The numbers are in! Given the same amount of time in use, with data spanning more than a decade, Intel Macs come in for service at twice the rate that Apple Silicon Macs have.

When it comes to device longevity, Apple’s products tend to last quite a long time, if cared for properly. While this has been a consistent feature of Apple’s hardware, it seems that the chip being used plays a factor.

According to a June report from UK Apple refurbisher Hoxton Macs, it has found that Intel Macs it has sold is returned for a hardware fault at twice the rate of Apple Silicon models.

In its figures, it says that there was a 0.9% hardware fault rate for Apple Silicon Macs sold across 2025. This refers to the share repaired or replaced under warranty in the first year after sales.

However, an Intel Mac sold under the same circumstances doubles this rate. Crucially, this covers Intel Macs that are of the same age as the equivalent Apple Silicon model. For example, the data counts failures from a 2016 MacBook Pro through 2018, the same as it counts a M1 MacBook Air from 2020’s failures through 2022.

In the last three years, the company’s blended warranty-return rate for all Mac models it sells has more than halved. In 2023, there was a 2.9% return rate for faults, but by 2025, it was 1.1%

“Matched for age, an Intel Mac comes back for a hardware fault about twice as often as an Apple silicon one,” the company says. “The faults that matter most — logic-board and battery failures — run at roughly double the rate on Intel.”

This overall failure rate from Intel machines is consistent with what our own data from a few Apple Stores across the East Coast showed through the 2010-2020 period. The industry as a whole is skewing towards more failures, not less, like Apple’s trending.

Fewer long-term problems

When it comes to why there are fewer Apple Silicon-related fault issues, the retailer insists it’s because the chip switch changed what could go wrong.

During the Intel era, it is reported that batteries wore out faster due to the requirements of the chip. Batteries were replaced more frequently because they were more easily drained.

By contrast, the batteries in an Apple Silicon MacBooks use less power, reducing the cycle count and minimizing the need for replacement.

Battery cycle counts based on used Mac intake, based on device age. Image credit: Hoxton Macs

At all Mac ages, the Apple Silicon versions have less battery wear compared to their similar-aged Intel counterparts. A three-to-four-year-old Apple Silicon MacBook has about half the cycles of the Intel equivalent when it reaches the company’s restoration team.

There were also more reported issues with the USB Type-C ports on Intel Mac units, which also failed at a higher rate than on Apple Silicon machines.

The lack of a fan on the Apple Silicon MacBook Air is also helpful, unlike the fan-equipped Intel versions.

A fan moves air to cool the Mac’s components, providing a way for dust to be pulled inside. That dust then builds up and eventually clogs the airflow, preventing the thermal management system from working.

Since the Apple Silicon MacBook Air doesn’t use a fan for cooling at all, there are no blockage problems.

One theory is that the Apple Silicon design used fewer heat-generative components and has a cooler-running chip. Intel Mac faults clustered around the areas with high heat generation, including the separate graphics chip in some models.

Built a better MacBook reputation

The refurbishment repair report continues a trend for Apple, in being a very reliable manufacturer of computer hardware. It’s a reputation that it had for a long time, but it has seemingly improved further with the Apple Silicon era.

This is especially evident in annual surveys from the ACSI into customer satisfaction. In the September 2025 edition, Apple dropped from a score of 85 to 82, putting it narrowly in second place, behind HP.

With Intel hardware support finally dropped in macOS 27 Golden Gate, there’s now more of a reason for people still using Intel Macs to upgrade to Apple Silicon.

If they switch, it’ll be for a more hardy notebook than they’ve been using before.