Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless vs Fairphone Fairbuds

Which Headphones Are Better?

Products

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless
Fairphone Fairbuds

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Mar 05, 2026 05:04 PM

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Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Oct 23, 2024 01:40 PM

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Our Verdict

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless

Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless

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. 

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Variants

  • WF-1000XM3 (Black)
  • WF-1000XM3 (Silver)
  • Fairbuds (Black)
  • Fairbuds (White)

Check Price

Black
WF-1000XM3
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Black
Fairbuds
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Silver
WF-1000XM3
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White
Fairbuds
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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

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Neutral Sound 
 

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Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Design Picture 2 Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Design Picture 2 Sample

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Type  

Locked
Locked

Enclosure  

Locked
Locked

Wireless  

Locked
Locked

Transducer  

Locked
Locked
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Comfort 
 

N/A
N/A

Comfort Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Comfort Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Comfort Picture Sample

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Weight  

Lock lbs
Lock lbs

Clamping Force 
 

Lock lbs
Lock lbs
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Controls 
 

N/A
N/A

Controls Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Controls Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Controls Picture Sample

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OS Compatibility 
 

Locked
Locked

Ease Of Use  

Locked
Locked

Feedback  

Locked
Locked

Call/Music Control  

Locked
Locked

Volume Control  

Locked
Locked

Microphone Control  

Locked
Locked

Channel Mixing 
 

Locked
Locked

Noise Cancelling Control  

Locked
Locked

Talk-Through 
 

Locked
Locked

Additional Controls  

Locked
Locked
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Breathability 
 

N/A
N/A

Breathability After Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Breathability After Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Breathability After Picture Sample

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Avg.Temp.Difference  

Lock °C
Show Text 

Portability 
 

N/A
N/A

Portability Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Portability Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Portability Picture Sample

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Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

 

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

 

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

Volume  

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
Lock in³ (Lock cm³)

Transmitter Required  

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

Case 
 

N/A
N/A

Case Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Case Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Case Picture Sample

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Type  

Locked
Locked

 

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

 

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

 

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

Volume  

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
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Build Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Build Quality Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Build Quality Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Build Quality Picture Sample

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Stability 
 

N/A
N/A

Stability Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Stability Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Stability Picture Sample

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Show Text 

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Angled Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Angled Picture Sample

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Side Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Side Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Side Picture Sample

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Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Front Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Front Picture Sample

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Rear Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Rear Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Rear Picture Sample

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Top  

Top Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Top Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Top Picture Sample

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In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  In The Box Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless In The Box Picture Sample

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Show Text 
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Sound Profile Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Sound Profile Sample

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Normalization Frequency 
 

Lock Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Treble Amount 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
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Frequency Response Consistency 
 

N/A
N/A

Consistency L  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Consistency L Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Consistency L Sample

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Consistency R  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Consistency R Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Consistency R Sample

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Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Raw FR L Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Raw FR L Sample

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Raw FR R  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Raw FR R Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Raw FR R Sample

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Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Bass Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Bass Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Low Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid-Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Treble Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Treble Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Peaks/Dips 
 

N/A
N/A

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

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Peaks 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Dips 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Imaging 
 

N/A
N/A

Group Delay  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Group Delay Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Group Delay Sample

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Phase Response Mismatch  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Phase Response Mismatch Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Phase Response Mismatch Sample

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Weighted Group Delay 
 

Lock
Lock

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

Lock
Lock

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

Lock
Lock

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

Lock
Lock
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Passive Soundstage 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  PRTF Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless PRTF Sample

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PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

0.0
0.0

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

0.0
0.0
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Virtual Soundstage 
 

N/A
N/A

Virtual Soundstage  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Virtual Soundstage Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Virtual Soundstage Sample

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Head Modeling 
 

Locked
Locked

Speaker Modeling 
 

Locked
Locked

Room Ambience 
 

Locked
Locked

Head Tracking 
 

Locked
Locked

Virtual Surround 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

N/A
N/A

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Weighted Harmonic Distortion Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Weighted Harmonic Distortion Sample

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WHD @ 90 
 

Lock
Lock

WHD @ 100 
 

Lock
Lock
Show Text 

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Locked
Locked

Power 
 

Locked
Locked

Connection 
 

Locked
Locked

Codec 
 

Locked
Locked

Test Instrument  

Locked

EQ 
 

Locked
Locked

ANC 
 

Locked
Locked

Tip/Pad 
 

Locked
Locked

Microphone 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph Sample

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Noise Cancelling  

Locked
Locked

Overall Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph Sample

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Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show Text 

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  ANC Wind Handling Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless ANC Wind Handling Graph Sample

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ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show Text 

Leakage 
 

N/A
N/A

Leakage  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Leakage Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Leakage Sample

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Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Show Text 
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Locked
Locked

In-Line 
 

Locked
Locked

Boom 
 

Locked
Locked

Detachable Boom 
 

Locked
Locked

Mic  

Locked
Locked

Recording Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Microphone Frequency Response  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Microphone Frequency Response Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Microphone Frequency Response Sample

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Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

Lock Hz
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

Lock dB
N/A

HFE 
 

Lock Hz
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

Lock
N/A

Gain 
 

Lock dB
N/A
Show Text 

Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

SpNR  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  SpNR Sample

SAMPLE

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless SpNR Sample

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SpNR 
 

Lock dB
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

Locked
N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show Text 
Active Features

Battery 
 

N/A
N/A

Battery Type 
 

Locked
Locked

Continuous Battery Life 
 

Lock hrs
Lock hrs

Additional Charges 
 

Lock
Lock

Total Battery Life 
 

Lock hrs
Lock hrs

Charge Time 
 

Lock hrs
Lock hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Locked
Locked

Audio While Charging 
 

Locked
Locked

Passive Playback 
 

Locked
Locked

Charging Port  

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

App Support 
 

N/A
N/A

App Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  App Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless App Picture Sample

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App Name  

Locked
Locked

iOS  

Locked
Locked

Android  

Locked
Locked

macOS  

Locked
Locked

Windows  

Locked
Locked

Equalizer 
 

Locked
Locked

ANC Control 
 

Locked
Locked

Mic Control  

Locked
Locked

Room Effects 
 

Locked
Locked

Playback Control 
 

Locked
Locked

Button Mapping  

Locked
Locked

Surround Support 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

N/A
N/A

Cable Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Cable Picture Sample

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Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Cable Picture Sample

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Analog Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

USB Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

Detachable 
 

Locked
Locked

Length 
 

N/A
N/A

Connector 
 

Locked
Locked

Latency - Analog 
 

N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Connection  

Locked
Show Text 

Bluetooth Connection 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth Version 
 

Locked
Locked

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

Locked
Locked

NFC Pairing 
 

Locked

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Locked

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

Locked

Line Of Sight Range 
 

Lock ft (Lock m)
Lock ft (Lock m)

Latency - SBC 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

Locked

AAC Support 
 

Locked

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

Lock ms

Android Latency 
 

Lock ms
Show Text 

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

N/A
N/A

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

PS4 Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

Base/Dock 
 

N/A
N/A

Type 
 

Locked
Locked

USB Input 
 

Locked
Locked

Line In 
 

Locked
Locked

Line Out 
 

Locked
Locked

Optical Input 
 

Locked
Locked

RCA Input 
 

Locked
Locked

Dock Charging 
 

Locked
Locked

Power Supply 
 

Locked
Locked
Show Text 

Check Price

Black
WF-1000XM3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Black
Fairbuds
Amazon.com
Silver
WF-1000XM3
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
White
Fairbuds
Amazon.com

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless

Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless vs Fairphone Fairbuds: Main Discussion

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