Apple makes the AirPods 5 slightly less hostile to repair

Apple's latest AirPods 5 have taken a slight step forward in terms of repairability, scoring just two out of ten, a marked improvement from zero, according to iFixit's testing. The previous generations of AirPods have always received a repairability score of zero. The team, who have experienced "bled for AirPods" prior to this, noted that previous models resisted every attempt at repair without destructive surgery.

The AirPods 5, however, made a small concession, allowing a skilled technician or determined DIYer to replace the batteries without breaking the earbuds. This improvement is due to the batteries having removable prongs instead of soldered leads, and the buds being openable with commonly available tools. The process involves heating and careful prying. The earbuds are also dust and water resistant (IP57 rating).

However, there are limitations. Replacement batteries aren't yet available, and the left and right earbuds use slightly different batteries that cannot be interchanged. Inside, iFixit found a capacitive touch layer and an H2 system-in-package, responsible for features like active noise cancellation. The charging case, unfortunately, remains unrepairable, and the team had to destroy it during the process, making reassembly impossible.

While the AirPods 5 are not as disappointing as they could have been, with a score of two out of ten, they still fall short of being genuinely repairable. The team pointed out that it shouldn't be this hard to access a battery, and noted that Fairphone's Fairbuds show that battery replacement can be a priority in both the earbuds and their case.