AirPods Pro 3 repair score hits zero, confirming Apple’s sealed design approach

Anyone hoping for an easy fix to their new AirPods Pro 3 is in for a reality check. The latest teardown has confirmed what many suspected — Apple’s newest earbuds are essentially disposable when things go wrong. Instead of repairability, the design language prioritises integration and compactness, leaving no room for practical servicing once the product ages.

Inside the buds sits a 0.221 Wh battery, while the charging case carries a single 1.334 Wh cell. Unlike the Pro 2, which split its case power across two batteries, this newer setup has resulted in a slight cutback on total runtime — 24 hours compared with the earlier 30. Efficiency is not the problem here, but the engineering choices clearly trade flexibility for form.

A subtle tweak to the ear tips also arrived with this generation. At first glance, the tips look familiar, but a foam layer is now embedded just beneath the surface, adding extra comfort. It is a clever refinement, though the improvement is overshadowed by the harsher truth that any attempt to dismantle the earbuds risks destroying them.

The magnets inside the case have also been reduced, with fewer rare-earth components installed compared to the second generation. Their placement, however, was carefully adjusted to maintain proper MagSafe and Qi2 wireless charging alignment, ensuring compatibility even as the physical design shifted.

Teardown specialists discovered that accessing the interior comes at a steep cost: cracking, tearing, or outright ruining the unit. Apple’s construction glues the battery tightly in place, meaning prying tools and heat are the only methods to force entry. Even then, the delicate flex cable inside each earbud makes disassembly a gamble few repair shops are willing to take.

Predictably, the result was a repairability score of 0 out of 10. This isn’t a one-off issue with the Pro 3; it has been a theme since the very first AirPods, whose glued batteries set the tone for the product line. A decade later, little has shifted in Apple’s approach, showing how committed the company is to its sealed philosophy.

Replacing a dead battery becomes nearly impossible without permanent damage. Small scratches, melted adhesive residue, or snapped internal parts are almost guaranteed, and that explains why many service centres refuse such jobs outright. The earbuds and case alike are bound together so tightly that opening them is destructive by default.

For those who never encounter a failing battery, this design choice may never be a personal issue. But for anyone facing power decline, the practical outcome is not a repair but a forced upgrade. This cycle contributes to mounting electronic waste, a problem that is only growing louder in the conversation about sustainability.

Some progress has been made in Apple’s larger devices, with the iPhone gradually moving towards easier servicing, yet smaller accessories still lag far behind. With so much hardware already turning into waste each year, there is an expectation from some users that Apple should begin applying its repair-friendly measures to its entire product family, earbuds included.