Most earbuds die when their batteries do. The cells are glued in, the case is sealed, and a pair that sounded fine two years ago ends up in a drawer. Fairphone’s Fairbuds 2 take the opposite approach: seven parts you can replace yourself, including the battery in each bud and the one in the case, for $119.99 in the US.
Price: $119.99
Where to Buy: Check availability at Fairphone
Seven Parts You Can Replace Yourself
Fairphone sells seven spare parts for the Fairbuds 2, and the batteries in both buds and the case are among them. Nothing is glued shut, so a battery swap takes your fingers and a few minutes instead of a heat gun. A buds battery kit costs $9.99, a case battery is $16.99, and a replacement case core is $29.99. You can also buy a single earbud if you lose one, instead of a whole new pair.
That’s the real pitch. When the battery in a sealed pair fades, the fix is a new pair. Here the fix is a $10 part. iFixit gives the Fairbuds 2 a 10 out of 10 repairability score, and they’re the first earbuds to earn LONGTIME certification, a European label for durability and repairability. Fairphone backs them with a three-year warranty.
The buds are rated IP54 for dust and splash resistance. That covers sweat and rain, not a dunk in the sink.
Sound and Noise Canceling
Each bud uses an 11mm bio-cellulose dynamic driver tuned by Form Follows Frequency, with a 20Hz to 20kHz response. Hybrid active noise canceling runs off a three-mic array per side, and Fairphone rates it at up to 45dB of reduction. There’s an ambient mode for hearing traffic or announcements without pulling a bud out.
Codec support covers SBC, AAC, LC3, and LDAC. LDAC streams at up to 990 kbps on Android phones that support it; iPhones will use AAC. The Fairbuds app on iOS and Android adds a five-band EQ with four presets and handles firmware updates.
Battery Life and Connectivity
Fairphone rates the buds at up to 8 hours with ANC off and 6 hours with ANC on, and up to 40 hours total with the case. Ten minutes of charging gets you about 1.5 hours of playback. The buds hold 45mAh cells and the case holds 500mAh. The case charges over USB-C.
Bluetooth 6.0 handles the connection, with dual multipoint so the buds can stay paired to a phone and a laptop at the same time, and the buds remember up to six devices. Each bud weighs 5.8g, and the full set with the case comes to 64g.
Fairbuds 2 Specs
- Price: $119.99
- Colors: Forest Green, Horizon Black
- Drivers: 11mm bio-cellulose dynamic, 20Hz to 20kHz, 32 ohms
- Noise canceling: hybrid ANC, up to 45dB, plus ambient mode
- Microphones: 6 total, three per earbud
- Codecs: SBC, AAC, LC3, LDAC
- Battery life: up to 8 hours (ANC off), 6 hours (ANC on), 40 hours with case
- Fast charge: 10 minutes for 1.5 hours
- Battery capacity: 45mAh per earbud, 500mAh case
- Charging: USB-C
- Bluetooth: 6.0, dual multipoint, up to six saved devices
- Water resistance: IP54
- Weight: 5.8g per earbud, 64g with case
- Earbud size: 30.2 x 22.6 x 24.38mm
- Case size: 56.5 x 45.2 x 27.7mm
- Replaceable parts: 7, including all three batteries
- Warranty: 3 years
Price and Colors
The Fairbuds 2 cost $119.99 from Fairphone’s US store in Forest Green or Horizon Black. Amazon doesn’t carry the Fairbuds 2 yet. The original Fairbuds are there for $99 if you want the same repairable approach for less, though they use an older driver and a shorter-rated battery.
Price: $99
Where to Buy: Amazon
AirPods 5 Are the Sealed Alternative
Apple’s AirPods 5 cost $129 and get up to 4 hours per charge with ANC on, or 6 hours with it off, with about 20 hours total from the case. They’re rated IP57, a step up from the Fairbuds’ IP54, and they tie into iPhone features the Fairbuds can’t match. The batteries aren’t user-replaceable, so when they fade, Apple’s battery service or a new pair is the fix.
Price: $129
Where to Buy: Amazon
| Fairphone Fairbuds 2 | Apple AirPods 5 | |
| Price | $119.99 | $129 |
| Noise canceling | Hybrid ANC | ANC |
| Battery per charge (ANC on) | 6 hours | 4 hours |
| Total with case | 40 hours | 20 hours |
| Water resistance | IP54 | IP57 |
| User-replaceable battery | Yes | No |
Who Should Buy the Fairbuds 2
Buy the Fairbuds 2 if you want earbuds you can keep for years, especially on Android, where LDAC gets you the best sound they can deliver. The longer ANC battery life and the $10 battery swap make them a better long-term deal than most sealed earbuds at this price.
Skip them if you’re deep in Apple’s ecosystem and want automatic switching between devices, or if you need more water resistance than IP54. AirPods 5 are the better fit there.
Price: $119.99
Where to Buy: Check availability at Fairphone
