Survey shows listeners overwhelmingly want replaceable batteries in headphones

When I wrote about the Sennheiser Momentum 5’s user-replaceable battery last month, I was curious whether this was a feature everyone wanted. So, I ran a poll asking our readers and viewers whether they think all headphones should have replaceable batteries. Between our site and YouTube channel, almost 5,900 of you answered, and the results were pretty unanimous. On the site, 98% said yes and 2% said no. On YouTube, it was a little less disparate at 88% yes to 12% no. Combining both, and you’re still looking at roughly 95% in favor.

It’s not often I see such an overwhelming majority, and I think it’s because people are tired of buying $300-400 wireless headphones that end up as e-waste as soon as the battery can’t hold a charge after a few years.

Apple, Bose, and Sony should take note, since they’re the biggest names still sealing the battery inside their flagship headphones. The old defense was that it’s just what a premium, well-built product requires. That doesn’t hold up anymore. Sennheiser did it with the Momentum 5. Fairphone, Cambridge Audio, SteelSeries, and Noble have all done it too, and as several commenters said, the replaceable battery was the whole reason they bought them.

A handful of commentators drew a hard line between true wireless earbuds and over-ear or on-ear headphones, arguing that the tiny, water-resistant shells earbuds live in make a swappable cell a much harder engineering ask than it is on a full-size pair. While I agree it may be harder, it’s not impossible, and I’m eager to see whether Sennheiser implements it in their anticipated Momentum True Wireless 5 earbuds.

A few others suggested a price cutoff, like requiring it only above $200, or pointed out that batteries aren’t even the most common failure point. Drivers and hinges wear out, too (as Sony fans know all too well), and many want more repairable parts across the board, not just the battery.

Even the skeptics in the comments weren’t defending sealed batteries on principle, and this isn’t happening in a vacuum, either: California, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, and Oregon all have right-to-repair laws on the books now, and the EU will require removable batteries in most consumer electronics starting in 2027. Headphones haven’t been completely dragged into that fight yet, but I wouldn’t bet on that lasting.

Enough companies have shown it can be done that “it’s too hard” doesn’t cut it anymore. The only question left is which brand still thinks you won’t notice.