New Sennheiser Earbuds Let You Swap the Battery When It Wears Out

Sennheiser has announced new earbuds called the Momentum True Wireless 5, and they do something most wireless earbuds never do: you can replace the battery yourself. Both the earbuds and their charging case have batteries you can swap out using a small screwdriver, instead of having to peel back glued-together parts. The earbuds go on sale September 3rd at $299.95, the same launch price as the previous model from early 2024. The Verge

This matters because the battery is usually what kills a pair of wireless earbuds. Rechargeable batteries slowly lose their ability to hold a charge over time, like a phone that used to last all day but now dies by lunch. When that happens in most earbuds, the battery is sealed inside with glue, so you cannot get to it without breaking the product. The whole earbuds end up as electronic waste. Sennheiser uses screws instead of glue, so you can open them up and put in a fresh battery.

Only one other major pair of wireless earbuds, the Fairphone Fairbuds, currently offers replaceable batteries. The MTW 5 joins it as one of the very few options on the market with this feature.

The timing lines up with new European rules that will require companies to make batteries replaceable in everyday devices, starting in early 2027. Sennheiser is launching well before that deadline rather than waiting to be forced into it. The company also says the new earbuds are more comfortable, stable, and portable than the previous generation.

Battery life gets a big boost. The MTW 5 delivers up to 12 hours of listening per charge, and up to 40 hours total when you count the charging case. The previous model topped out at 7.5 hours per earbud and 30 hours with the case. The new charging case is also slimmer.

Sennheiser redesigned the ear tip, the soft piece that sits in your ear, and updated its noise-canceling system to better block outside sound. The earbuds also support Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, which make sound feel like it is coming from all around you, and they can track your head movements to adjust the audio as you turn. They use Bluetooth 6.0 for a more stable wireless connection and include a "robust mode" to stay connected in places with a lot of wireless interference, like a crowded airport.

The earbuds come in five metallic colors: lavender, copper, denim, graphite, and cream.

The broader context here is that replaceable batteries in premium wireless earbuds have been possible for years but rarely offered. The reason comes down to design choices. Glue and sealed cases make earbuds smaller and better at resisting water. Screws and removable batteries make them last longer but slightly bulkier. Sennheiser's decision to sell a screwdriver-friendly design at a mainstream premium price suggests that tradeoff is starting to shift, and not only because of upcoming regulation. The Fairphone Fairbuds showed the idea at a lower price; the MTW 5 brings it into the same class as Apple's AirPods Pro and Sony's WF-1000XM series, neither of which lets you replace the battery.

Whether enough buyers will care about replaceable batteries to choose the MTW 5 over those competitors is an open question. Most people do not replace earbud batteries. They replace the earbuds entirely when the battery gets too weak. The MTW 5 asks them to think differently about that cycle. The European rules arriving in 2027 will eventually make replaceable batteries standard across the market, but Sennheiser is betting that doing it early is good for its brand.