The New Sennheiser Earbuds Bring A Much Needed Change To Battery Life

Modular phones make repairs easier by offering a removable battery that you can swap out when the reliability has dipped. This is something we're starting to see more frequently with sustainable phones and tablets, but it's still a rarity with other consumer electronics. However, Sennheiser has released some new earbuds, the Momentum True Wireless 5, which do actually have replaceable batteries. All you need is a screwdriver and you can swap them out, for both the earbuds and the charging case, rather than tossing the whole set or buying a new pair.

The user-replaceable batteries are something new to see from such a well-known brand like Sennheiser, which is family-owned and based in Germany. Fairphone's Fairbuds also offer user-replaceable batteries, but most other true wireless earbuds — even those with high repairability scores like Samsung's Galaxy Buds Live or Sony's XM3 models — require specialized tools and extra care to replace the batteries.

Battery life on the Momentum 5 earbuds is said to be about 12 hours, and when you factor in the charging case, you should be able to get a total of 40 hours. But battery life isn't the headline here — longevity is. The average earbud batteries start to noticeably degrade at around 300 cycles, which typically happens in less than two years. Since earbud batteries are smaller, they run through those cycles much faster than the batteries in a phone. Replacing earbuds every two years because of unreliable batteries seems a tad unreasonable, does it not? With Sennheiser's Momentum True Wireless 5, you can simply replace the batteries when it's time. The earbuds will be available in five colors starting in early September 2026 for around $300 USD.

These are premium earbuds we're talking about — that's why a ton of gamers swear by Sennheiser headphones — so, while the user-replaceable batteries are a huge highlight, the next important question is, do they sound good? With any pair of earbuds or headphones, that's determined by the hardware and technology tucked inside. Sennheiser describes it all starting with 7 mm high-fidelity TrueResponse transducers, bass-tuned silicone ear tips, and a host of additional features to elevate your listening.

Those extras include 3D immersive sound, automatic wind-noise suppression, adaptive noise cancellation, and smart controls with app based configurations. Along with Bluetooth 6.0 connectivity, they also include aptX Adaptive support for high-resolution audio at up to 24 bits and 96 KHz, plus aptX Lossless for pristine playback. If you're one to take phone calls with your earbuds in, they even have AI-powered voice isolation support to make everything clear and audible.

Without putting them on, there's no way to know for sure just how good all of this sounds. But Sennheiser claims the Momentum True Wireless 5 earbuds provide some of the most natural sounding tones it has achieved yet, and when you factor in the Dolby Atmos and head tracking for spatial audio, it's not difficult to imagine an incredibly immersive experience on some level. As icing on the cake, most owners say Sennheiser headphones last quite a while, because they're so well engineered. Sennheiser also makes a variety of other products besides headphones, like soundbars, microphones, and hearing aids — all quality-made, and all seem to hold up well.