iFixit Shares AirPods 4 and USB-C AirPods Max Teardown Video

Well-known electronics repair website iFixit today shared an AirPods 4 teardown video that offers a look inside Apple's latest wireless earbuds. Specifically, these are the entry-level AirPods 4 without active noise cancellation (ANC).


Unsurprisingly, iFixit said AirPods remain a "nightmare to take apart," with the earbuds earning a lowest-possible 0/10 score on iFixit's reparability scale.

The teardown does not reveal any major internal differences between the AirPods 3 and AirPods 4.

The charging case for the AirPods 4 without ANC is equipped with a 345 mAh battery. This is the same size battery as in the AirPods 3 charging case.

iFixit also opened up the revised AirPods Max, which launched alongside the AirPods 4 last month. Aside from a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, the headphones have no major internal differences compared to the original AirPods Max.

Related Roundups: AirPods 4, AirPods Max
Related Forum: AirPods

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Will Bring Biggest Design Overhaul Since iOS 7

Monday March 10, 2025 12:17 pm PDT by
Apple is planning for a major design overhaul of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac interfaces with the introduction of iOS 19, iPadOS 19, and macOS 16 later this year, reports Bloomberg. The update will "fundamentally change" the look of Apple's operating system, introducing a more consistent cross-platform experience. Apple plans to update the style of icons, menus, apps, windows, and system...
Apple One Apps Feature 2

Apple One's Best Plan Now Includes Two More Perks For Free

Monday March 10, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Apple One allows you to subscribe to up to six Apple services for one discounted monthly price. There are three Apple One tiers: Individual, Family, and Premier. Over the last month, the highest-end ‌Apple One‌ Premier plan has gained two additional perks. Here is what Apple One Premier already included, for $37.95 per month:Apple Music Apple TV+ Apple Arcade Apple News+ Apple Fitness+...
ios 18 4 carplay

Apple Upgrades CarPlay in Two Ways

Wednesday March 12, 2025 6:05 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone includes a smaller but meaningful improvement for Apple's in-car iPhone mirroring system CarPlay. Specifically, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra with a...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 11, 2025 3:26 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iOS 18

12 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.4

Monday March 10, 2025 9:28 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.4 in early April, bringing further refinements to Apple Intelligence features, a neat new capability to iPhone 15 Pro devices, new emoji, and more. While not quite as packed with new features as Apple's preceding iOS 18 point releases, iOS 18.4 still introduces enhancements that aim to make your iPhone smarter and more intuitive. Below, we've listed 12 new...
iphone 17 mockups idevicehelp

Video Shows iPhone 17 Mockups Based on 'Internal Documents'

Monday March 10, 2025 4:41 am PDT by
YouTuber iDeviceHelp on Friday posted a video that shows off mockups of Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 models that are purportedly based on "internal documents." We're sharing the video here since it was made in collaboration with leaker Majin Bu, who last month published similar iPhone 17 renders that were widely corroborated by separate leakers with links to Apple's Chinese supply chain....
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.2 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Monday March 10, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple employees are internally testing iOS 18.3.2 for iPhones, according to our website's visitor logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released in the next week or two. iOS 18.3.2 will be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Don't expect any new features. iOS 18.3.2 will be an interim...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.3.2 With Bug Fixes

Tuesday March 11, 2025 10:33 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.3.2 and iPadOS 18.3.2, minor updates for the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.3.2 and iOS 18.3.2 come a month after Apple released iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

iPhone 17 Air Reportedly 9.5mm Thick At Camera Bump End

Wednesday March 12, 2025 4:20 am PDT by
Apple is expected to replace the iPhone "Plus" model in its upcoming iPhone 17 lineup with an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air, and so a lot of the rumors about the device have naturally concerned its thickness. Today, we may have learned one more detail in that regard. The Information has said the iPhone 17 Air will be around 6mm thick, while Jeff Pu thinks it will be 6mm thick. Apple...

Top Rated Comments

Jhonjhon236 Avatar
23 weeks ago

Why bother tearing the max down when they already did one for the original and they are basically the exact same product!!
Because we didn’t know if Apple may have changed anything more internally.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ignatius345 Avatar
23 weeks ago
I don't get all the hate for iFixit. To be sure, there's some self-interest in their advocating for repairability -- but they're doing the advocacy nonetheless. They're also offering some really useful guidance along with these teardowns. I managed to open up my old 2014 iMac, replace its HDD with an SSD, and glue the whole thing right back up using their instructions and their tool/parts kit. I got several more useful years out of that thing. Could I have done that by sourcing instructions and parts elsewhere? Maybe. But the fact that it was a one-stop shop took a lot of legwork out of the process. And they have a solid and growing library of documentation for other gear as well.

If you'll notice, Apple has made some progress in making parts, documentation and tools available in the past few years, and even changed some designs to make things like iPhone batteries easier for end-users to replace. I don't think they're doing that out of the goodness of their hearts, they're doing it because of growing pressure to do so, and trying to head off Right To Repair legislation at the pass.

When devices get more repairable, they get longer useful lives in the secondary market in places like the US, and in emerging economies where "unofficial" aftermarket repairs keep devices working. I think it's a right worth advocating for, and if iFixit makes a few bucks selling repair kits I sure don't have a problem with it.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thadoggfather Avatar
23 weeks ago
I still dont get why we had to get rid of leather cases but disposable consumable electronics that mostly will end up in a landfill after a few years is OK.

Even as someone who isn't on their high horse about sustainability blah blah, it bothers me about AirPods to a degree.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
foobarbaz Avatar
23 weeks ago

Why bother tearing the max down when they already did one for the original and they are basically the exact same product!!
In order to know that it's basically the exact same product rather than just assuming it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SFjohn Avatar
23 weeks ago

Cynically, I think a lot of this is about perception. There are certainly environmental costs associated with tanning leather (even if the animals themselves are already being used for food), and there are environmental costs obviously associated with production of plastic. It certainly sounds good to say you're phasing out leather, though! Would be very interested to see a real world breakdown of those impacts....
Well when it comes to breakdowns, plastic break down to micro plastics, and it’s in everything… our food, our bloodstreams and organs even our brains. And Apple is making more? I’ll take Leather any day, and the leather Apple used was not made with toxic chemicals. PETA is pleased, but honestly we’re all worse off. And don’t give me vegan leather, that’s just another name for plastic. ?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZornGottes Avatar
23 weeks ago
my Airpods Max died after only 2,5 years of (admittedly lots of) use.
This update is one of the most underwhelming Apple's ever done, quite disappointed
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)