Apple makes the AirPods 5 slightly less hostile to repair

Replaceable earbud batteries lift iFixit score from zero to a dizzying two out of ten

Apple's latest AirPods make a small concession to repairability. And by "small," we mean they scored two out of ten rather than zero.

Every previous generation of AirPods tested by iFixit has received a repairability score of zero out of ten. "We've bled for AirPods. We've sliced them, melted them, cursed at them," the team stated.

Apple's earbuds resisted every attempt to repair them without destructive surgery. The AirPods 5 have finally broken that streak – barely.

REG AD

The AirPods 5 arrived alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Duo. Apple's latest entry-level earbuds resemble the previous generation, with short plastic stems, no silicone tips, and a USB-C charging case. Buyers pay extra for a case with wireless charging. The earbuds also gain IP57 dust and water resistance, but iFixit was more interested in what had changed inside.

REG AD

According to iFixit, a skilled technician – or sufficiently determined DIYer – could replace the batteries without destroying the earbuds. That is possible because the batteries use removable prongs rather than soldered leads, and the buds can be opened with commonly available tools.

A clamp, a hair dryer on its lowest setting, careful heating, and some patient prying were enough to open the buds cleanly. Once the adhesive strips were removed, the pronged batteries popped out. That is a substantial improvement, although iFixit stressed that it still isn't an easy home repair.

There are some provisos. First, replacement batteries are not yet available. Second, the left and right earbuds use subtly different batteries and cannot exchange them. The team reported: "Looking closely, we could see the polarity on the batteries was reversed. The prongs were welded slightly off-center too. These batteries are physically ever so slightly different from left to right."

Deeper inside, iFixit found the capacitive touch layer fitted to the version sold with the wireless charging case, followed by the H2 system-in-package that handles features including active noise cancellation.

It isn't an easy battery replacement, but for the first time it appears to be possible without destroying the earbuds.

The charging case remains effectively unrepairable and resisted every attempt to open it intact. "There was prying, cursing, cutting, more cursing, and an accidental stab wound. We've bled for AirPods. Again."

The team eventually extracted the battery and other hardware, but destroyed the case in the process, making reassembly impossible. "It simply shouldn't be this hard to get to a battery," the team noted. "Fairphone's Fairbuds show that battery replacement can be a priority in both the earbuds and their case."

With no replacement parts yet or repair manuals from Apple, and a charging case that cannot be opened intact, the result remains a long way from genuinely repairable. Even so, iFixit called the AirPods 5 "not as disappointing as they could have been."

REG AD

The final score was two out of ten – poor by any ordinary standard, but still "the highest score we've given AirPods." ®