Fairphone just launched Fairbuds, the most repairable earbuds in the world. You can swap out the batteries without any specialized tools, meaning that Fairbuds could last for several years without intensive, expensive, or research-heavy maintenance.
TheFairbudscome in a fairly large charging case and have a chunky-ish design. They aren’t as sleek as AirPods, but hey, that’s the cost of repairability. To replace the Fairbuds' batteries, simply pull the gasket from the center of the buds, use a screwdriver to unlock the swiveling hinge, and you’re done. The battery’s removed, and the earbuds weren’tmangledin the process.
The charging case’s battery is even easier to replace. All you need is a screwdriver. Remove a screw at the bottom of the charging case—boom, the battery’s right there. Sustainable design is a priority, too. Fairbuds are composed of 70% recycled and fair materials (100% of the tin and rare earth elements are recycled).
The new earbuds also promise IP54 dust and water resistance, though this only applies to the buds themselves, not the charging case. And Fairphone provides a three-year extended warranty for Fairbuds—interesting, as theFairbuds XL(which are over-ear headphones, despite the name) don’t come with such a generous warranty.
Sound-wise, the new Fairbuds use 11mm titanium-coated drivers to achieve a “high-fidelity, high-quality, crystal-clear audio.” Fairphone has also updated its wireless headphones app with new sound profiles and an eight-band adjustable EQ. Of course, the earbuds provide active noise cancelation and supportmultipoint Bluetooth.
I should note that the Fairbuds are €149 (approximately $162 USD). This is a highly-competitive price category. If you’re looking for the best-sounding earbuds in the range of €149, I doubt that Fairbuds are the best option, though they’re obviously the most repairable and sustainable option.
These aren’t the first Fairphone-branded earbuds. Fairphone launched the aptly-namedTrue Wireless Stereo Earbudsback in 2021. But the old earbuds weren’t repairable; they just contained recycled materials. Fairbuds, the new release, is a substantial improvement on both fronts.
You canpurchase the Fairbudstoday at the Fairphone web store. These earbuds are exclusive to Europe but may experience a North American launch at some point, if we’re lucky.
