Chosen Solution
My MacBook Pro 16” (CTO) that I bought in early December started clicking randomly in the left side of the display hinge when closing the lid and 100% silent on the right side. To make it clear i’ll make a description of the issue: Click sounds exactly like a metallic spring under tension, only clicks once and sometimes twice.Occurs around 30 / 50 degrees angle, always around those two angles.Only occurs when CLOSING the lid and when doing it “gently”.Sometimes the lid is completely silent when closing and sometimes it clicks every time.The clicking has in the last 2 days disappeared on the left side and now only occurs on the right side.Display hinge feels 100% smooth and is not loose, feels similar to my 2015 15” in terms of how firm the hinge is.The display lid aligns perfectly with the rest of the laptop, does not move or shift when clicking so I could physically feel the click.Seems to occur more frequent when the laptop is in colder room temperatures or have been closed during the night. My guess is that that the spring for the display hinge gets stuck or something around 30*/50* angle which results in a click when it moves, can it be due to insufficient lubrication of the hinge? Is this a common issue with the 16” since I tested it on two display models in a store and they both made a similar noise. Is there anyway of fixing it myself? I got AppleCare so if its annoying enough ill bring it in.
To soon to say if this is a common issue with the new 16” models. But what I can tell you its not a big issue with the 15” models. And the design is just a scaled up 15” display. I had one system which was dropped which had a problem similar to yours. I would strongly recommend you buy the AppleCare+ contract if you haven’t already. I would make the effort to visit the Apple Store after you’ve bought the AppleCare+ contract so you at least register the issue. The newer butterfly keyboard systems and your 16" system have a sensitive area where a bang can cause damage along the black clutch cover between the fragile ribbon cables and the T-CON board.
Looking at the hinges we can see how it works
The pin might have broken free from within the lid casting so it’s not fully secured so as you tilt the lid the pin rotates when it shouldn’t. This would require a new display assembly.
Hi, I’ve stumbled on reports of this problem here and there, and having personally experienced it and fixed it, I can confidently tell you it’s not normal, and it’s not the hinge, it’s the antenna bracket. Test first by removing the antenna and listen for the sound. You can somewhat compensate by placing the open MacBook keyboard down on a table and the display hanging off the front (the apple logo will be facing you), loosening the display hinge screws just a little and moving the lid about a millimeter away from the antenna bracket, then tightening the screws again. If this fixes the problem and you can live with the 1mm ridge you just created at the front edge of the MacBook, then you’re in luck. If that doesn’t resolve it or you want an invisible fix, and you’re not concerned about warranty, then you need to remove the antenna and shave off again about a millimeter from a ridge that sometimes will interfere with the base of the lid’s normal motion (see pic). You might be able to pinpoint the location of the clicks so the shaved areas are minimal. It’s invisible unless you shine a light down the small opening between the bottom plate and base of the lid, and even then it’s not obvious (that pic is through a magnifying glass). You’ll want to click/zoom in on the pictures
