IFixit Teardown Finds Apple’s AirPods 5 Are Slightly More Repairable, Earning First-Ever Non-Zero Score Despite ‘Disaster’ Charging Case

Despite the welcome advancements made to the earbud enclosures, the teardown revealed that the accompanying wireless charging case has not shared in these repairability upgrades. iFixit characterized the construction of the charging case as "still a disaster," reporting that accessing the internal circuitry and battery of the case remains virtually impossible without physically destroying the plastic outer housing. Because the case remains aggressively glued and sealed shut, any attempt to service its internal hardware will result in severe structural damage, keeping the overall repair score of the product package low.

Ultimately, iFixit’s final verdict highlights both the progress and remaining limitations of Apple’s earbud design. By elevating the repairability score from a 0/10 to a 2/10, iFixit noted that skilled repair technicians and even intrepid DIY enthusiasts should now be able to execute battery replacements on the AirPods 5 earbuds with a decent success rate, provided they possess the patience, heat sources, clamping equipment, and precision tools required for the task. However, the score underscores that the product remains difficult to service compared to traditional consumer electronics and still presents substantial hurdles for non-professionals.

The teardown findings come on the heels of Apple’s official announcement of the AirPods 5, which took center stage alongside several major hardware reveals during the company’s "Surprise and Shine" special event on Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Positioning the fifth-generation model as a substantial upgrade to its entry-level personal audio category, Apple launched the new earbuds at a starting price of $129. Key highlights of the new model include the addition of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), a feature historically reserved for higher-tier audio products in Apple’s lineup. Apple claims that the Active Noise Cancellation system in the AirPods 5 is capable of silencing up to 50% more external background noise than the AirPods 4 model equipped with Active Noise Cancellation.

Alongside the enhanced noise suppression capabilities, Apple redesigned the internal acoustic architecture of the AirPods 5 to deliver richer and more detailed audio playback across various frequencies. The earbuds also feature an updated implementation of Adaptive EQ alongside an improved Transparency mode, designed to allow ambient environmental sounds to pass through more naturally when users need to remain aware of their surroundings.