Inside Sony's quiet PS5 Slim refresh: swappable battery and new cooling
The newest PlayStation 5 Slim hides a practical upgrade inside the box.
Sony has reportedly rearranged key components, including a small battery that is now simple to remove and replace. The changes came to light after console technician Modyfikator89 opened up a Limited Edition Wolverine PS5 Slim for inspection. His findings were reported by Video Games Chronicle on 2 October 2026.
At the centre of the refresh is a new EDM-051 motherboard, the main circuit board that ties together the processor, memory and storage. It uses a different layout from earlier Slim units. The rest of the interior has been redesigned and simplified as well, with components shifted to fit together more neatly. Think of it as a new street plan for power and data.
The most useful change for owners is the CR2032 CMOS battery. This coin-sized cell keeps the system clock and basic settings alive when the plug is out. It can now be lifted out and swapped with ease. The same easy-swap design is already used in the PlayStation 5 Pro, and the revised Slim is identified as the September 2026 model, according to Yahoo Tech.
Video output gets its own quiet tweak. The new unit uses a revised HDMI retimer, the small chip that steadies the picture signal on its way to the television. The part is described as lower-cost and more optimised than the version it replaces. It does not change what you see. It helps the signal arrive intact.
Cooling has been fully reworked. The system uses a new arrangement with liquid-metal containment closer to the approach in the PS5 Pro. Liquid metal, in this context, is a heat-transfer compound that pulls warmth off the main chip. The heatsink, the metal block that spreads and sheds that heat, also uses noticeably different construction and materials compared with earlier Slim revisions.
What makes this stand out is how ordinary it sounds. No new ports. No new shape. For players, this means a tired coin battery or a dusty cooler should be simpler to deal with. That is welcome for anyone who plans to keep a console for years.
