The new Galaxy Buds+ have been featured in a teardown video by iFixit, giving us a much-needed closer look at what makes these earbuds tick. As if we needed any more reasons to consider the Galaxy Buds+ a successful product, the new model has retained iFixit's title of the most repairable TWS on the market and topped a high score of 7 out of 10; one point higher than last year's model.
The Galaxy Buds+ only have an IPX2 rating, but this brings advantages in terms of repairability as there's no need for Samsung to rely on strong adhesives. Therefore, the Galaxy Buds+ aren't loaded with glue so they are quite easy to disassemble.
The internal structure of the new Buds+ is similar to last year's model, but the 2020 entry does make better use of all of its internal space. This time, the 0.315Wh battery is supplied by EVE instead of Varta, and it, together with the main printed circuit board (PCB), reside in one half of the earbud. The other half of each earbud contains the charging contacts, an interfacing microphone, a proximity sensor, as well as the upgraded drivers which are reportedly more difficult to remove (and haven't been in the video).
The charging case for the Galaxy Buds+ hasn't seen as many changes on the inside as the earbuds themselves. The case looks about the same as last year's model; it has the same battery, and it holds the PCB in place with screws. Similarly, the 1.03Wh battery is located between the PCB and wireless charging coil.
It may not seem like it at first glance, but a repairability score of 7 out of 10 in the TWS space is surprisingly good. To give you a popular point of reference, all of Apple's AirPods, with no exception, have scored a 0 out of 10. In contrast, Samsung's latest earbuds feel like a godsend to any TWS fan who cares about repairability. Check out the Galaxy Buds+ teardown video below for more details.
