Removable earbud batteries earn AirPods 5 the first nonzero iFixit repair score

9to5Mac describes every earlier AirPods generation as built with heavily glued-in batteries and soldered connections ^[14]. The housings were nearly impossible to open and reassemble without damage ^[14].

The pronged battery was in the AirPods 3 too, but MacRumors reports there was no easy way into that earbud to reach it ^[13]. The AirPods 5 shell is easier to pry open ^[13]. Once inside, iFixit said, the battery comes out with a "nifty pair of tongs" and is "intuitive to unplug" ^[7].

The headline figure is a record. 9to5Mac notes that 2 out of 10 is "two points more than every previous generation combined" ^[10]. The score reflects one repair, the battery. iFixit said "skilled technicians and even intrepid DIYers" should be able to replace the batteries "with a decent success rate" ^[9]. 9to5Mac wrote that the job is for "a skilled professional or particularly adventurous DIY enthusiast" ^[11]. Neither report puts a number on that success rate or a price on a replacement battery.

An owner with a worn battery in an otherwise healthy pair, and a competent repair shop within reach, gets the most from this. For that shop, or for a team that issues AirPods and pays to replace them, the decision fits a two-by-two. One axis is what failed: an earbud battery, or anything else. The second is who makes the repair: a practised technician, or an owner trying it at home. For a battery failure, iFixit expects technicians to succeed at a decent rate, and extends that to owners only if they are "intrepid" ^[9]. For any other failure, repairability is still zero, as it has been for every AirPods since 2016 ^[2].

A team's own replacement records, sorted by cause, show which kind of failure it sees most. If worn batteries lead that list, the AirPods 5 are worth a repair shop's time. If lost or broken cases lead it, the 2/10 score changes nothing for that team.