Bang & Olufsen announced it back in November, said among other things of their replaceable batteries “for continuity” and alignment with the upcoming EU device repair requirements. But you are one The teardown tells a more complicated story about actually changing the batteries, describing the process of opening the case as “a very heavy and laborious task … even for a trained technician.” And inside, the battery is attached to other components in ways that require heat to remove it, which in itself does not comply with future EU rules. Given all the work involved, the earbuds scored a poor 1/10 on iFixit’s repairability scorecard.

Bang & Olufsen says the design of the earbuds “allows battery replacement through service,” which, as iFixit notes, suggests it’s not intended to be a do-it-yourself repair. house It finally became possible to remove one of the earbuds without damaging any of the electronics inside, but the laborious teardown casts doubt on how feasible — and sustainable — battery replacement would be even if done at a center of B&O service. After opening the case and finding “a plastic weld mark that prevents access to the battery,” iFixit’s Shahram Mokhtari says in video that, “at the very least, any battery replacement service should completely dispose of the plastic housing.”

“I would like to see B&O’s process for changing these batteries,” Mokhtari wrote in the blog post. “I’m willing to bet it’s not cheap or trash-free but I’d like to be proven wrong.” The teardown also revealed that the Beoplay Eleven is a “carbon copy” of the 2022 Beoplay EX on the inside. “Even the peel-away film on the back of each earbud says ‘Beoplay EX’ — not ‘Beoplay Eleven,'” Mokhtari wrote. Yes.