Summary
- Fairphone’s new Fairbuds offer replaceable batteries, 6 mics, ANC, dual-device pairing, and a 3-year warranty for durable and personalizable use.
- With 11mm titanium dynamic drivers, Bluetooth v5.3, and USB-C charging, Fairbuds nail the basics and stand out in the saturated earbud market.
- Despite the €149 price tag, Fairbuds offer peace of mind and repairability, making them a worthwhile investment for environmentally-conscious consumers.
In a race to outperform rivals every year, it sure seems like care for the environment and user-repairability have taken a back seat in some of our favorite Android phones. Sure, brands provide a regular supply of tall claims boasting of increased recycled material usage, but removable batteries and wired earbuds, which seemed to last forever, are a thing of the past. Fairphone hasn’t given up on that dream yet, and its latest wireless earbuds, the Fairbuds, could give us the best of both worlds.
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You might remember Fairphone for its smartphones, which are undoubtedly more repairable right at home, with easy access to critical replacement parts like the battery and camera modules. The company just launched the Fairbuds — its entry into the true-wireless earbuds market, but with repairability comparable to the Fairphone.
Although a sizable spare parts market revolves around flagship earbuds like the Sony WF-1000XM4s, the Fairphone offers official replacements for the earbud batteries as well as the bigger battery in the charging case. The former lasts six hours on a full charge, while the latter adds another 20 hours to the advertised playback time.
Technically sound and built to last
Just because the Fairbuds have replaceable batteries doesn’t mean the brand skimped on other features — you get six mics for environmental noise cancelation during calls, ANC for listening sessions, dual-device pairing, and IP54 sweat and dust resistance, all backed by a three-year warranty (two years standard plus one year optional extra) in a market where one-year warranties are the norm. The companion app for Android and iOS allows customizing the sound signature and installing firmware updates on your earbuds.
Fairbuds deliver sound through 11mm titanium dynamic drivers while a USB-C connector handles charging, and you get Bluetooth v5.3 for connectivity. So, it is evident Fairphone nails the basics, and throws in sufficient user-centric additions to help it stand out in the supersaturated wireless earbud market.
Retail availability for the Fairbuds starts today on Fairphone’s website and with partner retailers in Europe, with a €149 sticker price ($162). It might seem like a steep price for earbuds which look like the Pixel Buds, but it is also a small price to pay for the three years of mental peace and repairability that’s designed into the Fairbuds. If you’re looking for over-ear cans, Fairbuds also makes the Fairbuds XL, but we weren’t quite impressed, and we hope it turns things around in the audio quality department with the in-ear buds.
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