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Removable earbud batteries earn AirPods 5 the first nonzero iFixit repair score
iFixit gave AirPods 5 a 2/10 repairability score, the first above zero for any AirPods, because the earbud batteries can be swapped without destroying the buds. For an owner with a fading pair, a battery swap by a skilled repairer is now a practical fix.
The Product Desk · Product desk
What happened
- The AirPods 5 bring back a pronged battery design that Apple used in the AirPods 3 and left out of the AirPods 4, MacRumors reports.
- iFixit opened each earbud by softening the adhesive with a hair dryer while a clamp held the bud in place.
- Left and right batteries are not interchangeable, because they use reversed polarity and slightly different contact placement.
- iFixit called the charging case "still a disaster," saying it is difficult to get into without destroying it.
Compiled by The Product DeskSomething wrong?How this is made
Why it matters
- cost A shop that offers the repair has to carry a left battery and a right battery as separate parts, so one service means two inventory lines to buy and track.
- exposure Shops that invest in stock and practice for this repair depend on Apple keeping the pronged battery in future AirPods models.
- constraint Any repair plan built on the 2/10 score covers the battery alone, because a fault deeper in the earbud still cannot be reached without destroying it.
9to5Mac describes every earlier AirPods generation as built with heavily glued-in batteries and soldered connections [14]. The housings were nearly impossible to open and reassemble without damage [14].
The pronged battery was in the AirPods 3 too, but MacRumors reports there was no easy way into that earbud to reach it [9]. The AirPods 5 shell is easier to pry open [9]. Once inside, iFixit said, the battery comes out with a "nifty pair of tongs" and is "intuitive to unplug" [8].
The headline figure is a record. 9to5Mac notes that 2 out of 10 is "two points more than every previous generation combined" [12]. The score reflects one repair, the battery. iFixit said "skilled technicians and even intrepid DIYers" should be able to replace the batteries "with a decent success rate" [11]. 9to5Mac wrote that the job is for "a skilled professional or particularly adventurous DIY enthusiast" [13]. Neither report puts a number on that success rate or a price on a replacement battery.
An owner with a worn battery in an otherwise healthy pair, and a competent repair shop within reach, gets the most from this. For that shop, or for a team that issues AirPods and pays to replace them, the decision fits a two-by-two. One axis is what failed: an earbud battery, or anything else. The second is who makes the repair: a practised technician, or an owner trying it at home. For a battery failure, iFixit expects technicians to succeed at a decent rate, and extends that to owners only if they are "intrepid" [11]. For any other failure, repairability is still zero, as it has been for every AirPods since 2016 [2].
A team's own replacement records, sorted by cause, show which kind of failure it sees most. If worn batteries lead that list, the AirPods 5 are worth a repair shop's time. If lost or broken cases lead it, the 2/10 score changes nothing for that team.
What to watch
- Whether left- and right-specific AirPods 5 batteries go on sale to repair shops, and at what price.
- Whether the next AirPods generation keeps both the pronged battery and the easier-to-open shell.
- Success rates reported by independent shops using the hair dryer and clamp method.