Apple's AirPods 5 have achieved a repairability score of two out of ten from iFixit, marking the first time the company's earbuds have scored above zero. This modest improvement reflects Apple's incorporation of removable batteries with pronged connections rather than soldered leads, which can be extracted without destroying the earbuds using commonly available tools such as a heat gun and clamp. Whilst this represents a significant departure from every previous generation of AirPods, iFixit emphasised that the repair process remains challenging and is not suited to casual home repair attempts.

The improvement carries substantial caveats that limit its practical benefit. Replacement batteries are not yet available from Apple, and the left and right earbuds use subtly different batteries—with reversed polarity and slightly offset prongs—meaning they cannot be interchanged. The charging case remains fundamentally unrepairable; iFixit's attempts to open it intact proved unsuccessful, ultimately requiring destruction of the case to access its battery. iFixit noted that the score of two out of ten, whilst the highest any AirPods have achieved, remains "poor by any ordinary standard," and stressed that genuine repairability would require Apple to provide spare parts and repair documentation.