Overview

• The teardown identifies glued batteries in both buds and case, with opening attempts requiring heat and prying that typically cause damage and make resealing unviable.
• Each earbud contains a 0.221 Wh cell and the case uses a single 1.334 Wh battery, a shift tied to advertised case life dropping from 30 hours to 24 hours.
• Battery access is marginally improved, with iFixit calling this the easiest AirPods battery removal yet, though practical repair remains infeasible.
• Apple added heart‑rate sensing, an upgraded IP57 water‑resistance rating, and foam‑infused ear tips, while continuing to rely on the H2 chip for audio and ANC.
• iFixit notes fewer, repositioned magnets in the case to preserve MagSafe and Qi2 compatibility, but the internal layout still routes fragile flex cables through glued channels.