Launched last November, the Beoplay Eleven are wireless headphones that are trying to stand out from the crowd with two selling points. First, they are signed B&O, a brand known for the quality of its products… and their high prices! They are indeed sold for €499. Second, their battery is replaceable, which is not common for wireless headphones. Changing the battery of an AirPod means completely destroying it before accessing the component.
Hard-to-access batteries
But unlike Fairphone's Fairbuds, the user cannot replace the battery of the Beoplay Eleven by themselves, the operation must be carried out by B&O. Still, for eco-conscious consumers, the ability to replace just the batteries rather than the entire earbuds is an attractive prospect, even if it’s not possible to do it at home.
iFixit wanted to test the reality of B&O’s promise: if B&O’s authorized repairers can open up the Beoplay Eleven to replace the batteries, then the site’s DIYers should be able to do the job too. Unfortunately, the process for removing the component is “very similar” to that of AirPods, iFixit laments. The earbuds had to be heated and pryed open.
The battery is accessible once the case is open, but it’s impossible to remove easily: a solder point holds it securely to the bottom of the chassis on one side, while on the other the battery is soldered to a circuit board. “Suffice to say that even the most courageous DIYer would hesitate to attempt a repair here,” the site adds.
Replacing the battery in a Beoplay Eleven earbud can’t be very cheap, iFixit speculates, and the repair must also produce a fair bit of waste. Stung, B&O told to TechRadar that "the process (…) put in place ensures that the life of the earphones can be extended and offers our customers an alternative to replacing the product when the battery performance is no longer sufficient due to the limitations of the battery technology". Without however providing further technical explanations.
iFixit notes for its part the disappearance (temporary?) of the "Battery Replacement" tab on the Beoplay Eleven support page. The site also had fun comparing the insides of the new headphones with those of the Beoplay EX, launched three years ago. Surprise: apart from software improvements and more powerful microphones, "everything else inside these headphones is an exact copy. Even the film to be removed from the back of each earphone says "Beoplay EX" and not "Beoplay Eleven"."
The "do it yourself" repair specialist even questions the "premium" aspect of the Beoplay Eleven. At €199, the AirPods 4 with ANC are designed with more care and technical skill, for example in the placement of the microphones. All this earns the headphones a repairability score of 1 out of 10, which is very bad for a product whose battery is supposed to be easily replaceable.
Updated 01/24 — Bang & Olufsen provided us with a more detailed statement regarding the Beoplay Eleven headphones and the difficulty of replacing the battery, despite the manufacturer’s promises. “We want to lead the movement towards a circular future by creating products designed for maintenance, repair and multiple life cycles. For wireless headphones, we focus on battery replacement through our certified B&O service center, which supports our ambition to offer sustainable products,” the company says in its preamble.
“With the launch of Beoplay Eleven, we are promising ‘battery replacement through service’ to extend product life and encourage circular choices over disposable alternatives,” she adds. “Our highly trained B&O service team is offering to repair Beoplay Eleven and service other Bang & Olufsen products, continuing our commitment to making maintenance easier for our consumers, aligning with our goal of making circular and repairable technology accessible to all, for a better future.”
Source: iFixit
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