AirPods, Beats Fit Pro battery swaps nearly impossible, iFixit teardown finds

The repair experts at iFixit completed a teardown of both the third-generation AirPods and the Beats Fit Pro in a new comparison clip, finding that the internals are difficult to repair.

In the six-minute YouTube video, iFixit tears down both Apple audio accessories and gives viewers a look at their internals. Given their small size, both devices feature a "sandwich" of components that includes delicate cables, chips, and the battery for each earbud.

Suffice to say, tearing down either isn't an easy process. iFixit needed to use a vice to apply enough pressure to break the adhesive seal and wedge a pick into the two plastic halves.

While the repair company was able to actually get to the battery in both cases, they caused what appears to be irreparable damage to the earbuds. Neither the AirPods nor the Beats Fit Pro are designed to be put back together once opened.

The iFixit clip also offers some additional details about both wireless earbuds, including Apple's proprietary H1 chip and the mechanisms that power the company's Spatial Audio feature.

Unsurprisingly, iFixit gave both third-generation AirPods and Beats Fit Pro a zero out of 10 on its repairability scale.

Apple has been criticized in the past for the apparent disposable nature of its AirPods devices. In its defense, Apple said it works closely with recyclers to ensure that the devices are properly recycled.

10 Comments

thinkman100000000 87 comments · 3 Years

About 2 years ago

AirPods are likely more powerful than the original iPod with components that fit in a case about the size of a cashew. It's surprising these are repairable at all given the complexity of these microcomputers. iFixit is not happy unless everything simply velcros out - they are from a bygone era and about as relevant and dependable as consumer reports.

applguy 235 comments · 13 Years

So just like every rechargeable Lithium Ion hearing aid on the market today. Does anyone expect rechargeable earpieces to have a user replaceable battery?

AppleUfmyI 60 comments · 7 Years

I have a pair of Sure EC2 wired headphones that I spent a whopping $200 on 20 years ago and they still work great! But my 5 year old AitPods are e-waste. I am sure AirPods can be designed with battery packs that can be popped off an replaced. I hate throwing perfect good AND EXPENSIVE equipment away. Apple, you can do better especially since you are always claiming an amazing environmental record.

etiquette 8 comments · 3 Years

applguy said:

So just like every rechargeable Lithium Ion hearing aid on the market today. Does anyone expect rechargeable earpieces to have a user replaceable battery?

Exactly.

But it seems that nobody cares about the other brands. Only Apple makes the headlines.

It’s the same with the new Self Service Repair program.

Every single company is like Apple used to be: basically nobody except FairPhone sells parts to consumers or unauthorised repair shops.

Apple is the first to announce anything like this. Yet most of the news were written in a very negative tone - without a single mention about the rest of the industry.

It’s astonishing.

AppleUfmyI said:

I am sure AirPods can be designed with battery packs that can be popped off an replaced.

No.

It’s impossible if you want the same
battery life, same size and same weight because the replacement mechanism and battery shelling would consume precious space inside the device.

Have a look at those tear downs. These things are absolutely packed inside.

Just make sure you recycle them appropriately and it’s all fine.

You should also realise that one single EV car battery is equivalent to tens of thousands of AirPods with cases.

It’s always healthy to understand the proportions of the issues we are talking about.