Apple’s AirPods 5 have received a 2/10 repairability score from iFixit—the highest the company’s wireless earbuds have achieved so far, but still a poor result by repair-friendly product standards. The improvement comes from a revised battery connection system that uses metal prong contacts, making battery replacement more feasible than in earlier AirPods designs.
The teardown nevertheless shows that reaching the battery remains difficult. Each earbud must be secured in a special holder, while the upper housing needs to be heated evenly to soften the adhesive holding the assembly together. The battery itself is also retained with adhesive strips after the casing has been opened.
iFixit also found that the left and right AirPods 5 use batteries with opposite polarity. That means a battery from one earbud cannot simply be moved to the other, adding another limitation to parts reuse and independent repair.
Previous AirPods generations have typically received 0/10 repairability ratings, so the new score marks a limited but tangible design shift. AirPods 5 still trail repair-focused alternatives such as Fairphone’s Fairbuds, but the move to accessible battery contacts addresses one of the most common failure points in true wireless earbuds: battery degradation.
