iFixit teardown gives AirPods 5 a 2/10 repairability score, first above zero

Since Apple launched the original AirPods in 2016, iFixit had consistently given the earbuds a 0 out of 10 for repairability. The firm cited heavily glued-in batteries, soldered connections and housings that are nearly impossible to open and reassemble without damage. With the AirPods 5, iFixit says Apple has taken a tiny step in the right direction, provided the repair is done by a skilled professional or a particularly adventurous DIY enthusiast.

In its new teardown video, iFixit shows that the batteries inside each earbud can be removed and replaced without necessarily destroying the AirPods. That change led iFixit to give AirPods a repairability score above zero for the first time. The AirPods 5 still scored only 2 out of 10, but that is two points more than every previous generation combined, iFixit said.

iFixit notes that the left and right batteries are not interchangeable because they use reversed polarity and slightly different contact placement. Beyond the battery, the teardown found that going further into the earbuds is still impossible without destroying them, and the same is true of the charging case.

iFixit's teardown also includes CT scans that show how densely Apple has packed the batteries, MEMS microphones, H2 chip and other tiny components inside each earbud. The full teardown video and article are available from iFixit.