AirPods Pro 3 Get a Zero on Repairability in iFixit Teardown
iFixit / YouTube
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As they typically do when new Apple products are released, the folks at iFixit have conducted a teardown of the new AirPods Pro 3. While they’ve found a few interesting tidbits, there’s one that really shouldn’t come as a surprise: the AirPods Pro 3 are no more repairable than any of their predecessors.
In 2019, we shared how iFixit had called the second-generation AirPods “disappointingly disposable,” and those early standard models were downright spacious compared to what Apple is packing into its latest AirPods Pro.
This means it would be a miracle if the new AirPods were more repairable than the ones that came out six years ago. Apple may like to pretend it’s in the business of working miracles — and the iPhone Air certainly supports that theory — but it also can’t change the laws of physics. Smaller earbuds, combined with more technology, mean less room for all the little touches that make them accessible enough to easily repair.
iFIxit doesn’t mince words here. It opens its teardown video with the statement that “AirPods are some of the most unrepairable and wasteful products you could possibly buy.”
While that might not seem like a big deal on the surface, the host continues by explaining that the batteries in AirPods are no different than any other portable electronics: they’ll wear out after 2–3 years of normal use, and there’s absolutely no way to swap them out as they’re still glued in, or as iFixit puts it, “sealed shut with glue.”
Every AirPods teardown comes down to one question: can you replace the battery this time?
The short answer is no. The long answer is also no, just with more frustration. Opening up a bud requires heating it to just the right temperature and carefully prying it apart with sharp tools, often leaving permanent scars on the housing. Inside, the coin-cell battery is glued down so firmly that only heat, tweezers, and a lot of luck will free it.Elizabeth Chamberlain, iFixit
While it’s theoretically possible to replace the battery, based on the idea that nothing should be completely impossible when it comes to electronics repairs, the process is so delicate, and the AirPods Pro 3 are so fragile, that it takes only the tiniest mistake to effectively destroy your $250 earbuds.
This means that when your AirPods no longer hold enough battery charge, they’re essentially disposable. Even Apple won’t try to change the batteries; it offers “battery service” for $49 (per AirPod), but all they actually do is swap it out for a new earbud, and presumably send your old one back for recycling. AppleCare+ reduces this fee to zero, provided Apple confirms the battery has less than 80 percent of its original capacity.
The result is that the AirPods Pro 3 still score an absolutely zero on iFixit’s repairability scale, just the same as every model that Apple has released since 2016, except for the AirPods Max, which are obviously much more accessible for repairs, and surprisingly score a reasonable 6 out of 10.
iFixit asserts this isn’t just a matter of physics, pointing to the Fairbuds as an example of compact true wireless earbuds that are fully repairable, receiving a perfect 10 on the company’s repairability scale. These earbuds demonstrate that it’s possible to design earbuds with swappable batteries and modular parts, but it’s an imperfect comparison. Multiple reviews suggest that Fairbuds don’t measure up to the AirPods Pro in other areas, such as audio quality, polish, and water resistance. In fact, they lack any published IP rating, while the AirPods Pro 3 boast IP57 certification, making them among the most durable wireless earbuds on the market.
Thankfully, it wasn’t all doom and gloom. iFixit took a closer look at another physical change to this year’s AirPods Pro 3: Apple’s move from pure silicone eartips to a new foam-infused version. Reactions are mixed on the fit and comfort of these new tips, but they do provide greater passive noise isolation, contributing to improved ANC on the AirPods Pro 3, which is now twice as effective as the AirPods Pro 2.
iFixit sliced open these new tips and put them under their Evident DSX2000 microscope to take a closer look, showing a “feast for the eyes” of a bubbly foam wrapped up underneath the silicon layer.
A CT scan of the case revealed that Apple has replaced the twin batteries in prior models with a single 1.334 Wh cell. This may be what allowed Apple to shave about six grams off the weight of the case, but it’s also reduced the overall battery life to 24 hours, compared to 30 hours on the AirPods Pro 2. It has also reduced the number of rare-earth magnets in the case by modifying the layout for improved alignment with MagSafe and Qi2 chargers.
Still, the AirPods Pro 3 case is inexplicably just as unrepairable as the earbuds. None of the layout changes have improved things, and the glued-in internals had the folks at iFixit giving up before they could get anywhere near the battery.
