Not only is it useful to loosen up the speaker next to the SATA connector I found it helpful to use a pen to mark the exact location of the edges of the SATA connector on top of the new drive, so I could guide the connector in place. It also helps to put the bumpers in after you get this SATA connector in place.

Carefully heed this advice as it may lead to breaking this cable - which will require replacing the entire back housing

And DON’T do what I did, which is to remove the left speaker - which can easily lead to breaking the cable between the power on button and the power supply. The cable is routed through a hidden slot at the very bottom of the left speaker