iFixit Teardown Gives Fairbuds 2 a 10/10 Repairability Score
The Fairbuds 2 earbuds use no glue for battery access and keep an IP54 rating, according to a new iFixit teardown.
iFixit has published a teardown of the Fairbuds 2 wireless earbuds, awarding them a 10/10 repairability score, according to the repair site.
The earbuds' 3.6 V LIR1054 lithium-ion coin cell can be removed by pulling on the battery door, which leverages the cell out of the enclosure without glue. The Fairbuds 2 remain IP54 rated despite this design.
Getting into the earbud enclosure itself is harder: it requires overcoming plastic clips and a few dabs of glue. The driver section is the only part with significant glue use. The charging case, by contrast, is held together with bolts and is easy to disassemble. iFixit criticized the USB-C port, which is soldered to the PCB.
Inside, the PCB carries the Airoha AB1577S, a Cortex-M4F-based IC that provides Bluetooth Low Energy, touch control and other features. iFixit reassembled the earbud after disassembly and it remained working.
Earlier earbud repairs
As with the first version of the Fairbuds, the 3.6 V lithium-ion coin cell can be extracted simply by pulling on the battery door. In earlier teardowns, iFixit was somewhat pleased with the most recent AirPods generation being slightly more repairable, with non-destructive entry for a battery swap at least somewhat feasible.
Quick answers
What repairability score did the Fairbuds 2 receive from iFixit?
iFixit gave the Fairbuds 2 a 10/10 repairability score.
How is the Fairbuds 2 battery removed?
The 3.6 V LIR1054 lithium-ion coin cell can be removed by pulling on the battery door, which leverages it out of the enclosure, with no glue needed for battery access.
Are the Fairbuds 2 still water resistant?
Yes, the earbuds remain IP54 rated.