Fairphone’s ‘fully repairable’ earbuds also pack replaceable batteries

Fairphone is launching a new pair of earbuds, called Fairbuds, that puts repairability at the forefront. 

The Dutch tech company, which specializes in eco-conscious and ethical tech products, announced on Tuesday the launch of the Fairbuds. The earbuds, which Fairphone calls “the world’s most repairable premium earbuds” come in two colors — black and white — with replaceable batteries inside both the Fairbuds and the charging case, plus a three-year warranty.

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The Fairbuds are a step up from Fairphone’s discontinued True Wireless Stereo earbuds, with updates to active noise cancellation (the latter only had hybrid noise cancellation), dual connectivity, in-ear detection, and driver size. The True Wireless Stereo earbuds boasted 10mm dynamic drivers, while the Fairbuds offer 11mm titanium drivers for rich and balanced sound.

The earbuds offer six hours of listening time and an additional 20 hours of charging in the case, which is in line with other earbuds’ charging times, like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra.

The earbud market is expected to expand to $213 billion by 2032, according to Global Market Insights, thanks to increased consumer demand for portable and convenient audio products. In 2022, for example, 553 million headphones were shipped worldwide, according to data from Statista. 

A pair of earbuds can last a person, depending on frequency and intensity of use, one to three years. Many earbuds, like Apple’s AirPods, Bose’s QuietComfort earbuds, and more, are difficult to repair after the battery dies, producing e-waste once the battery goes kaput. The launch of these hyper-repairable earbuds could inspire other large tech brands to create their own repairable earbuds. 

 Fairbuds are available only in Europe so far, with a price tag of €150, but the earbuds could make their way to the US soon.