AirPods Pro Teardown

Written By: Jeff Suovanen
Published: 31/10/19
  • Comments: 135

AirPods Pro Teardown

Published: 31/10/19

Teardown

Introduction

Apple further expands their collection of professional equipment, this time with a set of AirPods Pro. Apple’s line of wireless buds certainly has a fraught history on the teardown table—will its “pro” iteration be any different? We’re hoping Apple brought that repairability score up a little (it’s never too late to change), but only a teardown will tell.

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    • Along with the "Pro" moniker comes a whole bunch of extra features:

    • Active noise cancellation, Transparency mode

    • Inward-facing microphone for the adaptive equalizer

    • Custom-designed Apple H1 wireless chip with Bluetooth 5

    • IPX4 water resistance

    • For all that, each AirPod Pro weighs fully a third more than the prior version at 0.19 oz (5.4 g).

    • The charging case also got notably chunkier at 1.61 oz (45.6 g).

    • Not that more heft is necessarily a bad thing at all—our latest iPhone teardowns showed some mildly bulked-up devices with huge corresponding increases in battery life.

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    • The AirPods Pro come in another dental-floss-style case, which opens to reveal the two li'l 'Pods peekin' out.

    • Turning that case around, we find an abridged origin story and a pairing button.

    • We've run into trouble before, so we're going to let our X-ray equipped friends at Creative Electron scout out the insides before we dive in.

  3. But wait—since this is a professional device, our friends gave it a professional X-ray treatment. Check out this awesome 360° video!

    • But wait—since this is a professional device, our friends gave it a professional X-ray treatment. Check out this awesome 360° video!

    • Things these AirPods could dress up as for Halloween:

    • Jetpack

    • Astronaut's life support system

    • A teardown engineer's worst nightmare

    The single magnet in the whole hinge system is a real life saver. No more of those metal shavings being attracted to the Airpods case! A welcome improvement and thanks for the X-Rays!

    Medvid Hartoonian -

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    • Time for a showdown! What does the "Pro" bring to the table?

    • Replaceable silicone tips for professional noise isolation and enhanced fit.

    • A professionally-postured short, stout body and similarly small charging case.

    • Added pro-level mesh grilles for pressure equalization.

    • The bottom microphone grille shrinks and angles itself out the edge for professional voice recording and phone calls.

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    • We spot a new case model number—A2190—while the "buds" are marked A2083 and A2084 respectively.

    • There's also the telltale "no garbage" icon, which means either (a) this product is not garbage, or (b) this product is not to be thrown in the garbage.

    • Hint: it's "b"—and probably also "a", but only if the batteries can be replaced in a couple years when they wear out.

    • At the bottom of the barrel we have contact—spring contacts for charging, that is.

    • Will these Pro 'Pods be easier to repair or recycle than their amateur counterparts? Trust us, we're just as excited to find out as you are.

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    • First things first—let's replace the one openly replaceable component! The silicone eartips snap off and back on with a satisfying click.

    • Most silicone tips slide over a groove on the outside of the earbud. Apple's design uses some fancy engineering and (surprise!) isn't compatible with any typical silicone tips.

    • That means you won't be able to use your favorite aftermarket tips with these, but Apple at least made their official replacement tips just $4 for when your tips tear or get lost.

    • As much as we like standardized parts, these fancy tips do provide the benefit of a larger opening for sound than we'd normally see in an earbud.

    • Now that the soft silicone is out of the way, it's time to bring out the big (heat) guns. We don't want to be too presumptuous, but we think we know what we're about to get into...

    • A little pressure from the trusty vise opens up the seal around the head of the AirPod, and our halberd spudger eases the Pod open slightly further.

    • This definitely looked easier in the product video.

    Apple's design uses some fancy engineering and (surprise!) isn't compatible

    I know this is just Apple’s usual “Make-Em-Pay-The-Apple-Tax!” strategy.. But I wonder if it’s also because someone else managed to patent a “groove around a fabricated cylinder, and mating circular boss around another fabricated component” (along with 6 or so professional-looking “engineering” diagrams)? If Apple used (“stole”) the same “idea”, they could be sued by some patent troll. I’m guessing they would loose - isn’t that basically a mortise/tenon joint, which has been around forever? But - given our (US, but probably other systems as well) broken patent system, it would probably constitute a not-insignificant legal cost for Apple.

    jimwitte -

    I was messing around with my AirPods Pro and I took the tip off. The small little black clips that are on the black mesh used to hold the tips got pushed in and I’m not able to reattach the tip. Can you guys try and help?

    Ethan Jara -

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    • First thing we spot inside is ... glue. (We're not exactly surprised, but always a smidge disappointed.)

    • Second thing we spot is—wait, what? A button cell battery? Now that's a genuine surprise.

    • Another eyebrow-raiser: the ribbon cable connecting the stem to the in-ear portion has a nice deliberate bit of extra slack, and a tiny detachable ZIF connector.

    • The connector has a light coating of glue, and safely separating the cable is extremely delicate work. Are we up to it? Yes we are.

    • It was at this point during our teardown that this AirPod let out a tiny scream—a little awooo, if you will. We're not saying that these things are haunted, but our video team experienced something similar during their disassembly, and they recorded it, so it's not just our imagination!

    • It's likely that something we're doing during disassembly is momentarily overloading the speaker driver somehow. Rational thoughts aside though, these things are haunted.

    • Now, back to that battery ...

    Release the scream video or it didn’t happen XD

    Dtaivpp -

    It’s in the youtube video, I’ve added a timestamp for easy viewing: https://youtu.be/pHe8ZuOP6Xs?t=86

    Jomel -

    Yes! I wanna see the video!

    Joshua Karns -

    I updated the step with the link to the video teardown! Screaming starts around1:30 ;)

    Sam Goldheart -

    Apple stated that the AirPods Pro contained some sort of pressure device that can control the silicone ear tip, this can adjust the ear tip to fit perfectly into your ear. Possibly, this “awooo“ sound is made by releasing this pressure device? Just asking.

    KillerLab 233 -

    This opening process seems similar to the AirPods 2 teardown. I don’t get how this AirPods Pro is rated IPX4, but the AirPods 2 isn’t. Some sort of gluey magic inside?

    KillerLab 233 -

    My zif connector snapped. Is there a way to replace it?

    PrancingHippo -

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    • Between us and the (heat-sensitive) battery is a moat of white, rubbery, alcohol-resistant adhesive. Left with no other options, we carefully begin manual excavation.

    • Picking around this little bomb is what you call EOP (Explosive Ordnance Paleontology). Well, okay, we might be the only ones who call it that.

    • The battery is tethered by a soldered cable—so even though you can get to it, it's still not easily replaceable at this point.

    • Hey wait, this looks familiar—could this be the same battery that we found in the Galaxy Buds?

    • They're both German-made, lithium-ion button cells running at 3.7 V—but the Galaxy Buds' (slightly larger) battery reads CP1254, while the one in the AirPods Pro is labeled CP1154.

    • Physically, the CP1154 has 14% less volume than the 200 mWh CP1254. With the power of math, we estimate that this battery packs ~168 mWh.

    • Teardown update: after some more hands-on time with this mystery cell, we've peeled up all the goopy stickers and found a tiny Wh rating! We weren't too far off with our guess—the battery is officially rated at 0.16 Wh.

    • This is a huge boost from the 93 mWh cylindrical batteries in the AirPods 2, and is closer to its pro kin, the PowerBeats Pro.

    Immaginate che queste batterie non dureranno a lungo (non come durata di ascolto, ma in senso di mesi/anni) ma più delle AirPods classiche?

    Luigi Verde -

    But the real question is:

    in three years, users will be able to perform this procedure and the batteries will be replaceable?

    hope they are

    dr.con -

    Hallo,

    könnt Ihr bitte die Abmaße dieser Batterie hinzufügen, also Durchmesser und Höhe.

    Vielen Dank.

    sputnik2020 -

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    • With the battery dangling to one side, we keep digging. This clear plastic brace kept the driver in place, until we pulled on it too hard.

    • Next, the star of this 'Pod—the (relatively) large driver, which lifts out to give us a peek at the microphone that listens to the inside of your ear.

    • Apple uses this mic to actively adjust the levels of whatever you're listening to (like in the HomePod), and to determine whether or not your tips are fitting correctly.

    • This driver might be called the driver, but the one actually doing the real driving is the voice coil.

    • In principle, these work like any other speaker. Current creates an electromagnetic field in the coil, which moves the speaker cone to pump those sick beats into your ears. It also creates the "anti-noise" to cancel out any anti-sick ambient noise.

    Which part exactly is the microphone? The square thingy on the mesh mask?

    fireattack -

    Yes. It's a similar part to the ones you find in their Phones, Pads and even in the Watches.

    Dominic Bieri -

    that square glue to the metal mesh, is a voice mic or a cancellation mic ? thanks

    hrn1203 -

    Did you measure the size of the driver or voice coil? Is it 11mm?

    leaf428 -

    Turns out that inward facing mic is to counter body noise - see apple’s website where they say “An inward-facing microphone listens inside your ear for unwanted internal sounds, which your AirPods Pro also counter with anti-noise.”

    I was having an issue where I could hear loud thumping with every step as I walked, as many people have described on forums like macrumors. When I saw that apple article, and then the placement of the inward facing mic on iFixIt, I realized that a small amount of ear wax had made it on to the grill in front of the mic. Wiping it off with a damp cloth made the thumping go away completely.

    What that means is that apple never fixed the issue of thumping/etc caused by the AirPods making a vacuum in your ear with vents. Instead they accepted that it was inevitable, and countered the thumping with anti-sound. Which means that an AirPod with a dead battery would thump when you walk.

    Nick La Riviere -

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    • Back at the tail end of the AirPod, we disconnect a cute little coax connector and untangle Apple's custom SiP, where the H1 and other chips live.

    • This tiny board is even smaller than what we found last time, and probably afforded Apple a lot of extra space in the AirPods Pro compared to the standard AirPods.

    • Try as we might, we aren't able to pry apart this package—we'll have to take Apple at their word that it's just silicon in there, and not some form of magic.

    • Update—thanks to the awesome community, we now have some pretty good guesses as to what these chips are:

    • Most likely a Bosch IMU (Inertial Measuring Unit), which helps with Apple's Spatial Audio feature

    • Most likely an STMicroelectronics accelerometer, which helps with speech detection and noise cancellation

    Package on the left with the package marking that starts “YY” is a 6-axis IMU from Bosch. Package on the right with the “T” marking is a 3-axis accelerometer from STMicro. According to the tech specs the earbuds have “motion-detecting accelerometer” and “speech-detecting accelerometer.” The 6-axis chip would be used for motion so the 3-axis chip must be for speech detection.

    Trevor Yancey -

    If I understand, this means no compass?

    Gavan Wilhite -

    Most likely no compass. An accelerometer suits their needs better for what would it help the Pods to know they face true north? Would be interesting to know whether they relied on ARM architecture (SW based) or whether what we're seeing here is a truly unique/customized low power chip (HW based). Especially in terms of adding and maintaining functionality.

    Dominic Bieri -

    Thanks Trevor.

    But why have they decided to adopt a 6x IMU instead of a “simple” low power accelerometer? And they have removed the tap/double tap function too… Or the gyro is there for some future firmware upgrade? ;)

    manuel.tagliavini -

    We now know 6 axis IMU is for the “spatial audio” which allows for “dynamic head tracking”, where the audio won’t move with your head! It’s a pity that you can only apply the firmware update with an Apple Device. If you don’t, you’ll need to go to an Apple Store to apply it

    Jomel -

    did you just know that off the top of your head? that's super impressive

    Suchir Kavi -

    No, it’s part of my job to understand what these packages are. I did some quick research.

    Trevor Yancey -

    thanks Trevor, very usefull

    Omegauno1 -

    Now I’m pretty sure the shiny apple logo “part” there is really just a shield. Below you should find more components. Looking at the filtered X-Rays (and overlapping them) I would expect to find more&larger caps, a 12-pin, and a 25-pin package at least.

    See the processed images.

    Dominic Bieri -

    Dominic, you’re right! It’s a shield of some kind. We spent a lot of time trying to get it off with our hot-air rework station, but were ultimately unsuccessful. It’s constructed more like the lid of a package than a normal shield that we usually find on a circuit board. We’re going to keep trying though—we’ll update the teardown if we’re ever successful!

    Taylor Dixon -

    G-sensor is at least being used for in-ear detection. The bud turns on noise cancellation if both IR proximity sensors are triggered, and the stem is facing roughly downward. Once it’s turned on, the g-sensor is not being used for the purpose, so as to not make the buds turn off when you’re hanging upside down.

    Victor Titov -

    Does the sound of the airpods pro headset have a glitch due to STMicroelectronics?

    Chủ Tịch -

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    • We make one last friendly attempt to get inside the stem through the cap at the bottom.

    • Prying at the seam removes the cap relatively easily, but there's no way all that's left can exit through here.

    • After too much meticulous disassembly, we're done being nice—and reach for the ultrasonic cutter.

    • Luckily the 'Pod's anti-noise defenses don't stymie our sonic action.

    • Is all this carnage really necessary, when we have such beautiful X-rays? Yes. Yes it is.

    What is that bottom peace called I lost one

    Axel -

    You said “sonic” and all I can hear is Jodie Whittaker’s Yorkshire accent for the whole teardown. Excellent.

    bruce -

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    • Our forced entry pays off! With the plastic cleared away, everything inside the stem comes out in a long wiry noodle. Inside, we find:

    • A couple golden microphones

    • Some gilded antenna hardware

    • Still hanging on at the top, that fancy chip package where the H1 sleeps

    • A mysterious black rectangle flanked by metal brackets—could this be the new force sensor? If so, it's likely either a capacitive sensor registering finger taps, or a tiny strain gauge sensor sensing squeezes.

    Did ya’ll ever figure out if it was a strain gauge or capacitative sensor?

    Nick Sweeting -

    So there are a total of 4 microphones in the AirPods pro ? 2 for noise cancelling and 2 golden mic for voice call ??

    Ray Yip -

    “Still hanging on at the top, that fancy chip package where the H1 sleeps” - The System in Package (SiP) also includes the amplifier.

    Sconnie Fella -

    Definitely a strain gauge: it is just as squeezable with gloves, tweezers, and possibly anything else.

    Victor Titov -

    Hey guts my airpods PRO trim Around charging port have losened and can I fix it

    Kuken kuksson -

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    • With our 'Pod in pieces, we whip out the vise again to crack open the holster.

    • We have to deform the case pretty heavily to get our foot spudger in the door, but it appears no permanent damage is done.

    • With the right leverage, and proper application of strength, the hidden glue gives way and the innards transform into outtards.

    • ...including the battery, which proved more of a pain to remove last time.

    • It's all a bit tethered together, but so far this part isn't so bad—as long as you know the secret technique.

    Vielen Dank für euer tear down. Konnte meine Airpods Pro gen 1 reparieren. Die Verbindung zwischen Lightning Buchse und Platine hatte sich nach einem Sturz des Cases von der Platine gelöst. Altes milchiges Plastik mit Heat Gun etwas erwärmt und dann von Stecker abgezupt. Stecker angebracht und mit einem Tropfen Heißkleber gesichert.

    HAL LO -

  14. 51ZpQOKRPfCnH1Pe
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    • Finally, some chips we can sink our teeth into:

    • STMicroelectronics STM32L476MG 32-Bit ARM Microcontroller

    • Broadcom BCM59356 wireless charging module

    • (Both of the above are also found in the second-gen AirPods case)

    • Texas Instruments BQ25116A Battery Charger

    • NXP 610A3B KN3308, possibly a charging IC

    L476MGY6 A5 == STM32L476MGY6 from STMicroelectronics

    ksmm -

    65 i/o’s, 32bit timers? ridiculous huge considering its only (?) charging and those thick film chip resistors at the lowest 01005 sizes (up to date) where base size tolerances are +/-0.02m, crazy.

    marko -

    Ok, a closer look reveals the another possibly seventeen smaller bare die flip-chip packages, four connectors and already the above-mentioned mems structure so it appears that not so useless pinout.

    marko -

    610a3b = cbtl1610a3

    compos mentis -

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    • This little silver guy lives near the top, right between the charging pockets for the 'Pods. What's it for? It looks a bit like a microphone.

    • Did we say "battery" before? Make that batteries—two of them! Or two cells at any rate.

    • At 1.98 Wh, the Pro battery flexes solidly on the amateur AirPod 2's single-cell 1.52 Wh case battery, as well as the 1.03 Wh Galaxy Bud case.

    • PSBTW, the Lightning port is indeed still modular—theoretically replaceable if it breaks, if you can scrounge up a replacement.

    The “silver guy” might be a Hall effect sensor or reed switch to detect when the case lid is closed.

    Jon Evans -

    Agree with Jon.

    Also, the x ray showed something in the top lid. Any ideas?

    Ty Booyzen -

    This could be the accelerometer that detects when you double tap the case while wireless charging. If you double tap while charging it will show battery status, even without the pods in.

    Zain Ahmed -

    I’m guessing the “silver guy”is a cage shield covering some devices. Pull it off and see what’s underneath.

    Trevor Yancey -

    Might be a barometer or humidity sensor, for who knows why reason.

    Hi-Hi Bla-Bla -

    Looks like one to me. I’ve been playing around with enough IoT development kits recently to recognize a little metal box with a hole in the lid as some kind of environmental sensor. Why it would be needed in a glorified battery charger is a more interesting question.

    shamino -

    Maybe it stops charging if humidity is detected, similar to the “moisture in charging port” warning that can appear on the phones.

    Dillan -

    It could be a pressure sensor: if the housing is properly sealed (and it looks like that), it could detect any abnormal battery leakage resulting in a change of pressure.

    manuel.tagliavini -

    Does it has same coil(for wireless charging) as airpods 2?

    Cho -

    Apple supposedly said that the AirPods Pro features a function which allows the user to tap the case to light the indicator to see the battery level (either fully charged or charging) (this function is only active when the case is charging wirelessly), this may be the module which enables that function. Probably some sort of pressure sensor to sense the tap

    The link which reveals this function: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207012

    KillerLab 233 -

  16. dnF1BDawUGufVJW2

    • In a surprisingly candid statement, Apple apparently confirmed that these Pro 'Pods are not repairable, only replaceable, and are no better in this regard than the earlier versions.

    • We can't believe we're saying this, but we're inclined to disagree about the second part—these could potentially be a tiny bit more repairable.

    • If not for Apple's statement, we might have guessed they planned to repair these by replacing the in-ear portion of the 'Pods (battery + driver + crusty old earwax) and reusing the original stems—including the SiP, antennas, microphones, and squeezy sensor. It's not much, but it's something!

    • That said, there's still no good way to perfectly reassemble a dismantled 'Pod, unless you happen to work in the AirPod assembly line at the factory.

    • With all that in mind, we have a repairability score that won't surprise you.

    U guys r fn awesome

    bookbundler -

  17. yIHFqYuGjDdV5dlW

    • AirPods Pro earn a 0 out of 10 on our repairability scale (10 is the easiest to repair):

    • While theoretically semi-serviceable, the non-modular, glued-together design and lack of replacement parts makes repair both impractical and uneconomical.

Author

Jeff Suovanen

Member since: 06/08/13

406808 Reputation

82 comments

Nice teardown!

Is there any way to know the wattage of the airpod pro batteries? It looks bigger than the one on the original airpods, but curiously, they’re rated for the same runtime (5 hours with noise cancellation off).

The driver is bigger, but the sillicone tip would provide a tighter seal so you wouldn’t need to pump up the volume that much. I was hoping for the battery life without noise cancelling to be better than 5 hours.

daniel.rey.lopez -

We estimate it to have ~168 mWh. This is much more than the original AirPods (92 mWh), but closer in line with the other wireless earbuds—The PowerBeats Pro, Galaxy Buds, and Sony WF-1000XM3 all use 200 mWh CP1254 batteries.

Arthur Shi -

Thanks for the reply Arthur! That’s a big battery. I’ll wait for real-life battery tests, Apple may be under-reporting the expected battery life. I’m personally undecided about getting these or the Powerbeats Pro… I wish I didn’t have to compromise either in battery life or in noise cancellation :)

daniel.rey.lopez -

We found the marked rating! The battery is rated at 160 mWh. So, we were slightly off :)

Arthur Shi -

Can we get the size of the drivers please?

Bob -

The drivers measure approximately 11 mm in diameter.

Arthur Shi -

Roughly 11mm, which puts it in line with the Galaxy Buds Pro and other in-ear TWS 'buds.

Kaleb White -

Anything in there making the AirPods Pro locatable using the iPhone 11’s U1 ultra wide band chip?

seidtgeist -

Great question!

Chris -

That’s what I was hoping would be announced, but they haven’t officially announced an improved Find My capability for the new iPhones we know have the U1. I think the chip is supposedly cheap enough to include, but whether it fits in such a small package I don’t know. It’s hard to see from the iPhone 11 breakdown how big the U1 chip is, and whether that could fit into the AirPods, or the Watch for that matter.

Sconnie Fella -

I think an ultra wide band chip would need too much energy and would be too expensive.

A more reasonable choice in my mind would be to use the BLE 5.1 angle of arrival feature to find the direction of the head phones, as a ble module is already on board.

But therefore an antenna array would be necessary in the phone which I don’t think is the case, and I am not sure if manufacturers will do in the future.

strat -

Think you guys may have missed something. Check your x-ray video - is there not something with a sideways “H” shape built into the lid? You didn’t look because there’s no wiring to it - so completely passive?

Frank O -

I take that back. Seems to be a spring loaded mechanism for opening the lid. But that then begs the question - Why doesn’t the “aluminum” hinge itself show in the x-ray?

Frank O -

Where’s the new custom high dynamic range amplifier

marty -

Why does’t the “Pro” AirPods case have a matching stainless steel hinge versus the decidedly less pro aluminum?

Chris -

The ghost sound was likely the gasket that helps equalize pressure, methinks? Reviews said you can hear them blocking your hearing like normal IEMs for a second, and then they “release”, and then you feel unblocked.

tipoo -

We are pretty certain that the driver produced the shrieking sound—the sound was not the result of a mechanical phenomenon. If I were to guess, it might be from feedback by the noise cancellation mics in close proximity to the driver, especially as we were taking the casing apart.

Arthur Shi -

I think they are made to be easier to recycle, but not repair.

David K. -

On Apple’s webpage where the inter mic is explained, it appears that the speaker grills are detachable (and thus washable separately). Can you please confirm?

Jeffrey -

Unfortunately, none of the speaker grilles are detachable/removable. They are glued from within the case.

Arthur Shi -

Can you share any details on the battery? Assuming it is Varta… but what capacity do you find the 1154 to coming in at?

Brian Spatocco -

There are no markings that could allude to what the capacity is, other than a data matrix that’s really hard to read.

I measured the batteries, and compared to the Galaxy Buds’ CP1254 batteries, these CP1154s are 1 mm smaller in diameter (12 mm vs. 11 mm). They have the same thickness—5.4 mm.

If you calculate the volume, the CP1154 has 16% less volume than the CP1254. Considering that these are the same battery chemistries and forms, I’m estimating that they have similar energy densities, and thus would scale with volume.

From those measurements, I would estimate that the CP1154 would have ~168mWh (compared to the Galaxy Buds’ CP1254 having 200mWh).

This is much bigger than the AirPods 2, which has 93mWh.

Arthur Shi -

Thanks Arthur! That number makes a lot of sense to me, too.

It’s curious that they didn’t include any capacity/energy markings on the device considering the fact that other Varta SKUs do tend to have this. For example, CP1254 Varta cell in the WF-1000XM3 (https://hifigo.com/blogs/tws/deep-dive-t...) provides the nominal at .2 Wh (as you noted).

Makes me wonder if this was a unique production run just for Apple.

Brian Spatocco -

Did you find an IMU in the earbuds?

Gavan Wilhite -

A comment in Step 10 seems to point them as Bosch and STMicro IMUs.

Arthur Shi -

Can’t help you on the chips, but the microphones are from Goertek, as they have the “GW” marking.

See page 6 of this confidential datasheet for another mic in the same range. If you can get a high enough picture of the datamatrix code on the microphone, it should contain the part number, but the photos are too low resolution for me to read it myself.

chris -

Thanks for the tip!

Arthur Shi -

Found out that this tool does it with the available resolution:

https://demo.dynamsoft.com/dbr/barcodere...

DATAMATRIX DTV93715PEKL8141N+DC

Unfortunately it doesn’t align with any of their known part numbers.

chris -

For what it’s worth, the battery probably adheres to the following logic in it’s nomenclature:

xxyy, where xx is the diameter in mm, and yy is the height in 1/10th mm (which ist why the 1154 is slightly smaller than the 1254).

Michael -

You are correct! The 1154 has an 11 mm diamter, while the 1254 has a 12mm. They both have 5.4mm thickness, as you predicted.

Arthur Shi -

I am just gonna add this comment real quick cause I got redirected her from a local newspaper. Repairing the air pods, regardless of model, will be far more affordable and practical depending on where you live. In Norway for instance, we have a legally required “warranty” which lasts for five years. The batteries are covered for two years. That means that if the pods fail at any point during those five years, and Apple cannot prove the user is to blame for the fault, they have to either repair it, refund the purchase, or provide a new pair, free of charge. The battery is covered for two years, beyond which point Apple must provide repairs for an affordable price.

In case anyone is wondering, this issue has repeatedly gone through the Norwegian court systems. Apple has lost every single time.

mattias1996 -

Why would Apple use a cell battery here?

nickkiran -

Perhaps they went with a larger battery so they can limit it to 70-80 percent charging cycles in order to increase lifespan before it croaks, say discharge to 10 or 20 percent, charge to 90 percent so it doesn’t kill the battery as quickly? You’d have to tear one apart at full charge and at empty to measure the voltage to get an idea but its a thought. Since the battery is almost double the capacity, sacrificing 20-30% of that capacity for increased cycles still gives you a larger battery capacity than before. I’d think it would be foolish not to do this, but who knows if they thought that.

Andy Peeler -

The video of X-ray is soooo cool

it helps a lot in understanding the 3D structure

that feels amazing! it really give a sense of “so it’s constructed in this way…”

please do it with iPhones and other stuff next time!!

Japan Three -

By the way, if that’s a pressure sensor not a real physical button that mean Apple has created a virtual feeling of clicking of the button :0 I thought it was a button, the click feeling of the antenna feels so real..

Japan Three -

Could…we give future devices like this negative repairability scores? Because trying to repair things like this will take away your time AND break the device.

Ethan Zuo -

Great teardown! Do you have the batteries weight by any chance?

Luis Vollbracht -

Hey Luis, thank you! The battery weighs 1.2 grams.

Taylor Dixon -

Is it still Knowles making the microphones? And there are 3 each?

tng74 -

Nice teardown!

Is it in anyway possible to change the shape of the indent in the case holder to fit a right airpod in the left hole? I ask because I am deaf on one ear and will team up with a friend who is deaf on the left, swap one airpod to get a set of two (right/left - you get the idea). But will it be impossible, possible with, say a bit of drilling/scraping/… or easy to fit two right airpods in one case?

Hans Jensen -

Why don’t your teardown other earbuds ? I guess you just wanna some easy pesos with Apple bashing . Like you guys often seems to do…

will -

We did link to our Galaxy Buds teardown, twice!

Sam Goldheart -

I’ve never heard of anyone having a pair of ear buds repaired.

Being cordless, and because Apple will sell each of the 3 replaceable components separately, repair couldn’t be easier.

I think you guys have completely lost the plot.

Alex Bowden -

A single Pod will cost about 90 USD to replace with Apple. So yes, repair couldn't be easier if you just go and buy a new Pod at the Genius Bar. But it's going to be pricy.

Dominic Bieri -

To be honest the case deserve a score more than 0. The case along should get a score like 4.

The two pods, well … those get scores of 0.

Xavier Jiang -

This battery is a German-made VARTA Valta CP1254 high capacity A3 60mah3.7v lithium battery

Deng lei -

They are probably made by VARTA as you guessed. However, they are CP1154, rated for 160 mWh, so ~43 mAh @3.7v.

Arthur Shi -

As per your experience, can we disassemble them safely and fix it into another body (planning to make a Gold Airpod Pro). I can make the Gold body and close it also. But, should be able to dissemble it safely and put things back. You think its possible ?

Yusuf Motiwala -

Does anyone know what sort of flash memory is being used in the Airpods Pro? I know the AirPods 2 had the following memory chip serial number in it 25SL 128A 1820.

Does anyone know the maker or serial number for the flash memory being used in the Airpods Pro?

ApplePro -

https://www.adestotech.com/wp-content/up...

perhaps?

William Kalmer -

Do the AirPods Pro or the case itself house liquid contact indicators?

Edward Anguiano -

What MEMS motion sensor is in there?

andrew mcneil -

I have been thinking about switching to Android for a while. Get a half decent phone from OnePlus for half the price. I ended up getting the iPhone X 2 years ago because I had the Airpods for 6 months by then and absolutely loved them. With my batteries so crappy on the Airpods, I don’t think I will get a new set, specially considering their latest creation is no better for fixability. I just retired and can’t afford the extra premium for Apple products anymore. Apple is really losing its shine.

Réal Fortin -

'“This little silver guy lives near the top, right between the charging pockets for the 'Pods. What's it for? It looks a bit like a microphone. “

…so what is it?

Si Brindley -

This might have been asked, is there a water Water damage sensor?!?

Shashank -

Do they come with a wireless charging case?

Trevor -

Yes, the case supports both wired and wireless charging.

TonyLxc -

Hello I am trying to figure out where the Bluetooth signal is coming from, is it from the antenna string or the actual chip or from both

Ben salem -

Is there any information on the sensor that detects that the user has placed the AirPod in their ear? Is that the silver thing on the left side of the picture for Step 9?

I’ve seen comments that it is an IR-type proximity sensor. Is that true and is there any part number or vendor information on it?

Eric Abbott -

In most of the teardowns I have seen, an estimated cost of components is presented. I may have missed it but I don’t see that here. Anybody seen cost estimate for this product that will provide a glimpse into Apple’s mark up?

RIchard Thwaites -

Guys you missed the lid :). Since I wanted my pods to fit in with earhooks I now gutted the lid too https://twitter.com/koosolek/status/1278...

mihkel -

Does it have a water indicator

Aarav Badani -

The little speaker grille underneath the silicon tip has come loose on my left pod. It seems like the glue that kept it on is not strong enough. Any thoughts on what type of glue to use to get it to stay? Right now the silicon tip and grille stay in my ear when I remove the pod :(

Raffi Vega -

I accidently tore apart my airpod while trying to take off the tip. It now resembles the airpod shown at step 7. Do you have any tips on how to put it back together? When I try to ‘click’ it back in place it won’t align, one or the other side is staying a bit opened. Help!

Lente96 -

Apple announced a service program indicating that AirPods Pro manufactured before October 2020 might suffer from ANC issues. People that went through the replacement program say that the mesh on them are now a little more recessed but the ANC is also less efficient. It would be interesting to see a side-by-side comparison between AirPods Pro manufactured prior to October 2020 and a pair manufactured after Nov 2020 to see if there are indeed hardware changes?

Jeroen -

What is the little black liner on the inside ( front facing ) part of the case ? …. my dog chewed up the case and it does not charge anymore . i took the case apart but everything looks like it’s still intact with the exception of my dogs tooth piercing the front face of the case and slightly tearing that liner . Can can one give me any suggestions ?

john h -

Just to add, in step 10, the chip on the right with a data matrix on it is a speech recognition sensor from STMicroelectronics that works with the microphones for noise-reduction during calling, while the chip on the left marked MHEK NYH7 is an accelerometer from Bosch that works with the IR sensors for wear detection and also probably used in spatial audio function.

Meng Ziyue -

Thanks for chipping in! I’ve updated the ID step to include your contribution.

Arthur Shi -

Let’s say, theoretically, that my AirPods Pro case’s battery died. Let’s also theorize that an official Apple repair lab examined the case, and returned it with this exact reasoning, mentioning that it cannot be repaired and a new case can be bought (as it is a 15 months old case, it is no longer under the warranty).

How would one get a new pair of battery cells to replace them? Would love to have this as a personal project.

Red Neuron -

The black strip on the side of the airpods mine fell out I’m not sure what it’s called can anyone help?

Ana Reyes TV -

you didn’t opened the upper lid, there’s three magnets and a spring that detects when the lid is open or closed

Erick Servin -

Très bon article merci

Aurélien Bentaalla -

I’m looking for some replacement ribbon cables. Are there any available? And if so where can I begin searching?

1 star yelp review -

Are the drivers bigger/better than AirPods (non pro)?

Ronit Bhattacharjee -

Buenas,

El botón trasero de mi case ya no funciona, me podrían ayudar a poder repararlo?

Saludos

Nicolás Concha -

so, the two sets of black grills are air vents? They get super gross - is there any good way to clean them?

John Sanchez -

Is it possible to replace all the glue and reassemble them?

I am allergic to acrylates and can not use my AirPods Pro.

Unfortunately this is a known issue, but my pair is out of warranty.

Best regards

S. K. -

How does the case determine that it is open (thereby enabling bluetooth connectivity)? Is it in the rear hinge? Or is there perhaps a magnet in the front that detects when the lid is closed?

Russ McBride -

Hey,

ich habe eine Frage und finde dazu nichts.

Das AirPodCase merkt ja wenn es offen ist, wie funktioniert das?

Ich hab meine zerlegt weil sich der Ladebuchsenstecker gelöst hat und jetzt habe ich das Problem dass mein Akku schneller leer wird…

Ich vermute das kommt daher, dass die AirPods denken sie wären offen, allerdings bin ich mir da nicht sicher.

Ich hätte auf Luchtsensoren in den Pods getippt, aber so richtig auf einen grünen Zweig bin ich nich nicht gekommen…

Vielen Dank

Fabian G -

In Schritt 15 des Teardowns taucht dieses kleine silberne Ding auf. Das könnte ein Hall Sensor sein und den Winkel des Deckels bestimmen. Oder es reagiert auf einen Magneten im Deckel.

Fabian Neidhardt -

Can you provide samsung galaxy buds pro charging box motherboard diagram

MakkiMadni frniture -

How can repair samsung galaxy buds pro charging box motherboard

MakkiMadni frniture -