Apple AirPods Pro 3 don't score too well on repairability

Apple AirPods Pro

Apple’s new AirPods Pro 3 may boast tweaks in performance and design, but when it comes to repairability, nothing has changed. In iFixit’s latest teardown, the earbuds earned a brutal 0 out of 10 repair score—the same fate as every generation before them.

Despite their popularity, AirPods remain some of Apple’s most environmentally troubling products. With batteries sealed away and glued into place, there’s no way to repair or replace them once they degrade. That means, for most users, the entire product ends up as e-waste once the inevitable battery decline sets in.

The teardown revealed that each AirPod houses a 0.221Wh battery cell, while the charging case includes a 1.334Wh battery. Unlike the dual-cell setup in the AirPods Pro 2 case, this single-cell unit partly explains the dip in endurance: total listening time has dropped from 30 hours to 24 hours. Yet even with the larger form factor of the case, Apple hasn’t made it serviceable—removing the battery requires destructive methods.

The zero score is hardly surprising, but it’s disappointing that Apple hasn’t made any progress on one of the most criticised aspects of its earbuds. Competitors experimenting with similar true wireless designs have managed to incorporate replaceable batteries, proving it’s not impossible.

For now, AirPods Pro 3 users will enjoy Apple’s ecosystem perks, but they should also accept the reality: when the battery runs out, so does the product.