iFixit has torn down the AirPods 5 and gave them a repairability score of 2 out of 10. That is the highest score any AirPods have received. Every AirPods model before it, across ten years, earned a 0 out of 10.
The iFixit teardown found that the earbud batteries can be reached and removed with tools most people already own. The charging case is a different story and is still close to impossible to open without wrecking it.
Apple sells the AirPods 5 in two versions, with and without wireless charging in the case. Both get the active noise cancellation upgrade and an IP57 dust and water resistance rating.
The Earbud Batteries Can Finally Be Removed With a Hair Dryer and a Clamp
Inside each AirPods 5 earbud, iFixit found a battery with a pair of metal prongs instead of tiny soldered leads. Apple used the same design in the AirPods 3. The prongs unplug like a lamp from a wall outlet and can be reused, but nobody outside a specialist repair shop could get to them in the AirPods 3.
Those shops needed a rework station, solvents, and a jig to hold the earbud in place. A regular person repairing a pair at the kitchen table had essentially no chance of getting inside without cutting into the plastic.
The AirPods 5 opened cleanly around the driver on both earbuds. Once iFixit peeled away the glue strips on either side of the battery, it popped out. A hair dryer on its low heat setting and a clamp were enough to get the shell open, and iFixit got it open a second time with the same method.
It is still not an easy home repair. IFixit’s first attempt, going in through the stem, melted the plastic. The method that worked needed careful heating, distance from the heat source, and patient prying.
There is one catch for anyone hoping to buy replacement batteries later. The left and right batteries are slightly different. IFixit swapped the left battery into the right earbud and got no charge, then found the polarity was reversed and the prongs were welded a little off-center. No replacement batteries are on sale yet, and buyers will need to match the battery to the side.
Further into the stem sit a capacitive touch layer and the H2 chip, which handles noise cancellation using three MEMS microphones. The touch controls are only in the wireless charging version. IFixit puts AirPods sales at about 80 million a year, so earbuds that can outlast their batteries have a real effect on e-waste.
The Charging Case Is Still Destroyed Before Anyone Reaches the Battery
The case brought iFixit back to familiar ground. The seams are tight, and even with a rework station the team struggled to lift the inner layer without damaging the plastic. By the time they reached the case battery, the case was ruined.
Plastic welds sit where screws could have made the job simpler. Fairphone’s Fairbuds already show that an earbud and its case can both be designed around battery replacement. The AirPods Pro 3 teardown ended in the same place a year ago, with glued parts and a sealed case.
Apple also gives repair shops and owners very little to work with. IFixit lists what is still missing.
- No replacement parts for the AirPods 5 earbuds or case
- No repair manuals from Apple
- No repair path for the buds in Apple’s Self Service Repair program
Those gaps, plus a case battery that cannot be reached intact, are why the AirPods 5 stop at 2 out of 10. The removable earbud batteries are what lifted the score above zero.
Our Take
I think the hair dryer result is the most useful part of this teardown. It means a repair that was closed off to everyone except specialists is now within reach of a careful person with basic tools. The case is still a dead end, though, and without parts or manuals from Apple the repair only works if a third-party battery shows up. If you are still deciding whether to buy, our AirPods 5 review roundup covers how critics rated them.
