The Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless are eco-conscious earbuds with a repairable design. You can even replace the batteries, which wasn't possible with Fairphone's previous venture into repairable earbuds, the Fairphone True Wireless Stereo Earbuds. Fairphone sells the replacement parts, and if you're comfortable with a Philips head screwdriver and pushing in a couple of connectors, you can even do the work yourself.
The Fairphone team are committed to their project: these buds come with a two-year warranty with an extra year if you register online. But while an eco-conscious design is to be welcomed, how do the buds actually sound? Read on to find out.
Our Verdict
The Fairphone Fairbuds are mediocre for neutral sound. They have a warm sound that fans of genres like soul and R'n'B will appreciate, though a boost in the high-bass and low-mids means they can sound a touch cluttered at times. Still, their mid-range represents instruments accurately and with enough detail. On the other hand, the treble region is both recessed and uneven. Vocals lack presence and detail, while cymbal sounds can be harsh or piercing depending on their pitch. That said, you can tweak their sound to your liking using their companion app's graphic EQ and presets.
- Outstanding frequency response consistency.
- Mediocre Bluetooth connectivity.
The Fairphone Fairbuds are good for commuting and travel. They do a superb job blocking out everything from the sound of plane engines to pedestrian street chatter. They're easy to toss in a pocket or bag, and even if you like to listen loud, you won't disturb anyone around you with your audio. On the other hand, while they have a stable fit, they're only decently comfortable, and it's easy to accidentally input the wrong swipe gesture command when using them in a hurry. Their roughly five-hour battery life also won't be enough to get you through a long flight without recharging.
- Don't leak much audio.
- Superb noise isolation.
- Stable fit.
- Mediocre Bluetooth connectivity.
- Poor continuous battery life.
The Fairphone Fairbuds are very good for sports and fitness. They're comfortable, have a solid build quality, and have good controls. Once you get a good fit, they'll stay on for moderately intense workouts like a park run, and their IP54 certification means you can get them damp and sweaty without worrying about breaking them. Unfortunately, they have a poor battery life of roughly five hours. While that will see you through most workouts without recharging, if you like going on all-day hikes or marathon runs, these aren't the buds for you.
- Don't leak much audio.
- Superb noise isolation.
- Stable fit.
- Mediocre Bluetooth connectivity.
- Poor continuous battery life.
The Fairphone Fairbuds are okay for office use. They don't leak much audio, so you can blast your favorite tunes without disturbing anyone around you. They also do a remarkably good job blocking out the ambient sounds of an office like people chatting or typing, so they'll prove useful when you need to focus on your work. Unfortunately, while they're comfortable enough to wear for a long day at the office, they only last five hours continuously, so you'll need to recharge mid-way through your work. Even though they have multi-device pairing, their Bluetooth connectivity is only passable, and we experienced connection issues when using them with our PC.
- Don't leak much audio.
- Superb noise isolation.
- Mediocre Bluetooth connectivity.
- Poor continuous battery life.
The Fairphone Fairbuds aren't suitable for wireless gaming. You can connect them to your PC or phone via Bluetooth, but their latency is too high to be viable for wireless gaming.
The Fairphone Fairbuds aren't suitable for wired gaming because they can only be used wirelessly.
The Fairphone Fairbuds aren't the best choice for phone calls. We were unable to fully test their microphone using our rig, but we were able to test the mic's ability to separate your voice from background noise, and it fared poorly. That said, the buds do a great job blocking out noise around you, so even if you're in a busy area, you'll be able to hear what is being said to you, though whoever you're talking to will have a harder time understanding you. The buds also have mediocre Bluetooth connectivity, so expect frequent disconnects if you plan to stray more than a meter away from your phone or PC while wearing these.
- Superb noise isolation.
- Mediocre Bluetooth connectivity.
- Bad microphone noise handling.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless come in two color variants: 'Black' and 'White.' We tested the 'Black' variant but expect other variants to perform similarly. This is our model's label.
If you encounter a different variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
In terms of officially repairable earbuds, the Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless stand out among those we've tested. Their real-world noise isolation performs similarly to the superb active noise cancellation (ANC) found on the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 True Wireless. If you're looking for earbuds that perform similarly to the Fairphone in many categories but at a cheaper price point, the Skullcandy Sesh ANC True Wireless are worth considering. Of course, you then lose the repairability. That said, some earbuds are more repairable than others. Websites like iFixit can get you started, but keep in mind that tampering with your headphones may void your warranty.
If you're an eco-conscious consumer who's not set on earbuds, the Fairphone Fairbuds XL Wireless are a good choice. The Fairbuds XL are over-ears but are also built out of easily repairable components and recycled materials. In the world of over-ears, the Dyson OnTrac Wireless also feature a degree of component customizability.
Check out our recommendations for the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the best noise cancelling earbuds, and the best wireless earbuds for Android.
The Fairphone Fairbuds and Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless are both a good choice for users who value repairability. The main difference is that Fairphone officially support customers repairing and replacing parts. By contrast, an informal community of people interested in repairability have deemed the Sony an unusually user-fixable set of buds, but Sony doesn't officially support this. Both pairs are well-matched for most use cases, though the Sony do have a noticeably better microphone. Still, the Fairphone are newer and have a more stable fit, so if you're concerned about your environmental footprint, they're the pair to choose.
The Fairphone Fairbuds and the Fairphone Fairbuds XL are both built out of easily repairable components and recycled materials. Both have great noise isolation. The choice comes down to your use case: the Fairbuds XL are over-ears and can be used wired, while the Fairbuds are small, portable earbuds that will still be comfortable during moderate exercise.
The Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2 are better headphones for most people than the Fairphone Fairbuds. The Jabra have a better mic, a longer battery life, and are more stable. That said, the Fairphone's real-world noise isolation is comparable to that of the Jabra. So, if you're annoyed that consumer companies don't make repairable earbuds but also value superb noise isolation performance, the Fairphone are a good choice. And if they break, most of the Fairphone parts are user-replaceable, including the batteries.
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You can also discover how we produce recommendations like this one so that you can find the best headphones (or earbuds!) for your needs.
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