Fairphone, the makers of the ultra-repairable Fairphone 5, have launched a new pair of easy-to-repair wireless earbuds. Instead of tossing away your earbuds when the batteries eventually die, Fairphone’s new Fairbuds let you replace the batteries inside the buds themselves and their charging case.
In addition to replacing the batteries, you can repair or exchange the left or right earbud, the silicone ring, earbud tips, the charging case outer shell, and the charging case core. The new buds also come with a standard two-year warranty, but you can add one extra year if you register them online.
Image: Fairphone
Just like your typical wireless earbuds, the Fairbuds feature volume and playback touch controls, along with up to six hours of battery life without the case (or 20 hours with it). They also come with 11mm titanium coated drivers, active noise cancellation, IP54 sweat and water resistance, dual-point connectivity, and environmental noise cancellation that should make for clearer phone calls. There’s a dedicated Fairbuds app as well that you can use to adjust your sound settings.
Even though the batteries inside wireless earbuds may last just a few years, they’re notoriously difficult to repair and replace. This means the millions of earbuds from Apple, Samsung, JBL, and other companies will eventually wind up in a landfill as people opt to replace them rather than go through an arduous DIY repair process.
The new Fairbuds aren’t the first time Fairphone has dabbled in earbuds — but they’re far more repairable than its previous iteration. In 2021, Fairphone launched the Fairbuds True Wireless Stereo Earbuds, which were made with recycled plastic. However, you could only replace certain components of the Fairbuds TWS buds, not including the battery. Fairphone has since released the Fairbuds XL — a pair of modular over-ear headphones that let you easily replace its components.
The Fairbuds are only available in Europe for now for €149 (about $162) and come in white and black. They will hopefully come to the US soon and maybe even help prove to big tech that wireless earbuds can be repairable, too.