With the 2nd generation AirPods now on sale, the iFixit team has promptly gone ahead and torn down the new Bluetooth earbuds from Apple. The teardown reveals that the AirPods 2 have the same internal layout as the original AirPods, with Apple just using newer internal components.

Most importantly though, the 2nd generation AirPods retain the same repairability score of the original AirPods: “disappointingly disposable.”

The design of the AirPods 2 ensures that carrying out any kind of repair on the Bluetooth buds is almost impossible. If you do end up tearing open your AirPods, there’s no way you would be able to put it back in the place in its original state.

Apple claims the AirPods 2 offers 50 percent longer battery life than the original AirPods. What’s interesting is that Apple has achieved the longer battery life on the 2nd gen AirPods despite shipping it with the same battery capacity (93mW) as the original AirPods. This means that the massive battery life improvement on the new AirPods can be attributed to Apple’s H1 chip.

Apple has also made the new wireless charging case on the 2nd gen AirPods more durable. It now comes with a beefier hinge and water-repellent coating to ensure it is able to withstand day-to-day abuse better. iFixit says the new case has been designed for “increased durability, but not repairability.” The wireless charging case comes with the same battery capacity (398mAh) as the original charging case.

Ultimately, iFixit notes that AirPods are not designed to be serviced and they are a consumable/disposable item which means if your AirPods end up developing any issues once their warranty is over, you better dispose of them safely.

We Want to Hear From You

What do you think about the poor design of the AirPods from a repairability standpoint? Do you think its a bummer? While Apple will replace your AirPods for any kind of hardware issue if they are in warranty, you are essentially on your own once their standard warranty expires.

[Via iFixit]

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