AirPods 5 Are Apple’s Most Repairable Earbuds Ever, and That’s Not Saying Much

For ten years, every pair of AirPods has scored a flat zero on iFixit’s repairability scale. The AirPods 5 finally break that streak. But they’re still pretty difficult to repair.

In its latest teardown, iFixit gave Apple’s newest earbuds a 2 out of 10. That sounds bad, and it is. It’s also the highest score AirPods have ever received, which makes the AirPods 5 the most repairable earbuds Apple has ever made. It was a pretty low bar, I know.

Here’s why these are more repairable than previous models. Apple went back to pronged batteries, the same style it used in the AirPods 3 before dropping them for the AirPods 4. These are much easier to replace than the glued-in batteries in other models. Worn-out batteries are one of the most common problems with wireless earbuds, so this is the right place for Apple to start.

Getting inside is still a pain

Don’t grab your toolkit just yet. To open the AirPods 5, you have to clamp the earbud down and evenly heat the top with a heat gun; even a hair dryer can soften the glue holding the casing together. Once you’re in, the battery is held down by more adhesive strips.

There’s another catch. The left and right earbuds use different batteries with reversed polarity, so you can’t swap a battery from one bud into the other.

Then there’s the charging case, which iFixit says is still a disaster. Its battery couldn’t be accessed without destroying the case, and plastic welds sit where screws could have enabled further disassembly. Apple also doesn’t offer replacement parts or repair manuals for the AirPods 5 through its Self Service Repair program.

Still, iFixit believes skilled technicians and experienced DIYers should be able to replace the earbud batteries with a decent success rate. That’s a big shift for a product that has always been treated as disposable.

It also proves that repairable earbuds aren’t a pipe dream. Fairphone’s Fairbuds already offer replaceable batteries in both the buds and the case, so Apple clearly has room to go further.

Let’s be real, a 2 out of 10 isn’t something to celebrate. But it’s a start. If Apple applies the same thinking to the charging case, your next pair of AirPods might actually outlast its battery. And with camera-equipped AirPods reportedly on the way for 2027, I’m hoping this is the direction Apple sticks with.

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