Fairphone's latest repairable headphones are smaller, lighter and more durable
The repairable and ethical smartphone brand Fairphone has launched its second pair of headphones. The Fairbuds 2 are as repairable as the first generation, but offer improved sound and nearly double the battery life. The Fairbuds 2 are now available in the UK and Europe for £99 / €119, with US availability priced at $119 […]
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The Fairbuds 2 are as repairable as the first pair and are available in the US.
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Fairbuds 2 have some design changes compared to the original pair.
is a news editor with more than a decade of experience in journalism. He previously worked at Android Police and Tech Advisor.
The repairable and ethical phone brand Fairphone released its second pair of headphones. Fairbuds 2 are just as repairable as the first generation, but offer improved sound and nearly double the battery life. The Fairbuds 2 are available now for £99 / €119 in the UK and Europe, followed by a US release for $119 on November 2nd.
Fairbuds 2 have been redesigned from the ground up to a stem design, available in black or green, and the case is 37% smaller than the first generation. Despite this smaller hardware, the Fairphone has almost doubled the Buds' battery life, which now totals 40 hours without active noise cancellation, down from just eight hours on the Buds, down to six with ANC. Charging is done via USB-C and a full charge takes a few hours. Unfortunately, Qi wireless charging isn't supported — though neither is Apple's $129 AirPods 5.
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Never used the original Fairbuds, but the sound should improve here thanks to the new bio-cellulose dynamic drivers, albeit still the same 11mm size, plus refined ANC and new LDAC codec support. Multi-point connection supports two devices simultaneously, and a five-band EQ in the app allows you to fine-tune the sound.
The new charging case is 37% smaller and 32% lighter.
Buds and box are green or black.
That silicone sleeve is removable and that's how you open the headphones for repairs.
I've been using the Fairbuds 2 for a few weeks now, and while I wouldn't say they're the most polished or premium headphones you'll find for $120, I have no real complaints. They look great, the simple touch controls work well, and the sound quality is good, if a little muddy at times, lacking the expansive sound stage of some other buds. ANC has also impressed me, removing most of the background noise I was trying to get rid of.
Of course, the main reason to buy Fairbuds is repairability, which remains relatively unique - although European legal changes are forcing other manufacturers to back off soon. Here, Fairphone has focused on matching what it offered on the first Fairbuds, but it's still impressive: the battery in each earbud can be removed in less than a minute without any tools, while a single T5 screw is all that stands between you and the cell inside the case. Spare parts are sold on the Fairphone website, with a total of seven user-replaceable parts, including the earpiece and sleeve. An IP54 rating ensures some added protection from rain and sweat, although it's not completely waterproof, and a three-year warranty should provide a bit more peace of mind.
You won't need that many screws to fix Fairbuds 2.
There is a T5 Torx on the bottom of the body and no screws on the studs.
It only took a minute or two to remove the buds and case, even without instructions.
Importantly, all three batteries are removable and replaceable.
The flip side of Fairphone's promise is transparency about its manufacturing and materials. The company says 49 percent of the materials in the Fairbuds 2 are "fair and recycled," including recycled plastics and rare earth minerals, and cobalt, gold and silver with fair mineral credits. It also says that the buds themselves are assembled under fair working conditions.
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