Ethical and repairable phone brand Fairphone has launched its second pair of headphones. The Fairbuds 2 are just as serviceable as the first generation, but offer improved audio and almost double the battery life. The Fairbuds 2 are available now in the UK and Europe from £99/€119, and will launch in the US on November 2 for $119.
The Fairbuds 2 have been redesigned from the ground up, moving to a stemmed design, available in black or green, and a case that is 37 percent smaller than the first generation. Despite the hardware reduction, Fairphone has almost doubled the headphones’ battery life, which now totals 40 hours without active noise cancellation, with eight hours with the headphones alone, dropping to six with ANC activated. Charging is done via USB-C and takes a couple of hours to fully recharge. Unfortunately, Qi wireless charging is not supported, although it is not supported on Apple’s AirPods 5, which cost $129.
I never used the original Fairbuds, but the sound should be improved here thanks to the new biocellulose dynamic drivers, although still the same 11mm size, plus refined ANC and new LDAC codec support. Multipoint connectivity supports two devices at once, and an in-app five-band equalizer lets you adjust the audio.
I’ve been using the Fairbuds 2 for a couple of weeks now, and while I wouldn’t say they’re the most polished or premium earbuds you’ll find for $120, I have no real complaints either. They look great, the simple touch controls work well and the audio quality is good, if a little confusing at times, and lacks the expansive soundstage of other headphones. The ANC has also impressed me, canceling out most of the background noise I wanted to get rid of.
Of course, the main reason to buy Fairbuds is the repairability, which remains relatively unique, although European legal changes will force other manufacturers to catch up soon. Here, Fairphone has focused on matching what it offered in the first Fairbuds, but that’s still impressive: the battery in each earbud can be removed in under a minute without tools, while a single T5 screw is all that’s between you and the cell in the case. Replacement parts will be sold on Fairphone’s site, with a total of seven user-replaceable parts, including ear pads and covers. An IP54 rating ensures some additional measure of protection against rain and sweat, although not complete waterproofing, and a three-year warranty should provide a little more peace of mind.
The other side of Fairphone’s promise is transparency about its production and materials. The company says 49 percent of Fairbuds 2’s materials are “fair and recycled,” including recycled plastics and rare earth minerals, and cobalt, gold and silver sourced with fair mining credits. He also says that the buds themselves are assembled under fair working conditions.
Photography by Dominic Preston / The Verge
