Fairphone Fairbuds XL review: Sustainable hardware, second-fee audio

Sustainability has change into a severely drained chorus in the enviornment of huge tech. It is ostensibly the cause why nothing comes bundled with a charger anymore, and why apparently every high-profile machine open tournament now contains a self-congratulatory segment about how some parts in the instrument are made partially from reclaimed ocean plastic or recycled aluminum. That is all properly and proper, but coming from behemoth firms care for Samsung or Apple, it would possibly perchance perchance perchance maybe maybe reach upon as greenwashing lip-service supposed to preempt environmental criticism.

Netherlands-primarily based utterly mostly Fairphone walks the drag a tiny of further convincingly. Fairphone has made a title for itself promoting durable, particular person-serviceable units care for the Fairphone 4 — sustainability is baked into the company’s DNA. The €249 Fairbuds XL carry that ethos to over-ear ANC headphones for the first time: Fairphone sells replacements for an complete slew of the headphones’ parts, and whenever you would possibly perchance perchance maybe work a screwdriver, you would possibly perchance perchance maybe restore them your self from the comfort of dwelling. It is a colossal concept, and I primarily care for lots of issues concerning the Fairbuds XL. I merely desire they sounded higher.

Fairphone Fairbuds XL

With loads of particular person-replaceable parts, a decided dazzling, and solid ANC, the Fairbuds XL are a largely a success first strive at over-ear headphones from Fairphone. Audio quality is no longer primarily all there, though — and that’s the reason a stunning huge flaw in €249 headphones.

Battery Lifestyles

26 hours (ANC on); 30 hours (ANC off)

Bluetooth

5.1

Noise Cancellation

Sure

Microphones

6

Weight

11.6 oz

Colors

Inexperienced, Unlit

Supported codecs

AAC, SBC, aptX, aptX HD

Folding/Storage

Sure

Charging

USB-C

Multipoint

Sure

Retail trace

€249

Pros

• You would possibly perchance perchance maybe restore them at dwelling
• Fresh stumble on with a inserting inexperienced colour possibility
• Thumbstick controls are shapely
• Good ANC

Cons

• Middling sound
• Sustainability aside, dear for the expertise

Label and availability

The Fairphone Fairbuds XL are available in the UK and continental Europe straight from Fairphone’s web page online and native outlets for £219 or €249. The headphones reach in both shaded or a satisfying inexperienced and orange colorway. You would possibly perchance perchance no longer formally salvage the Fairbuds XL in the US; some unlicensed third events sell imports on websites care for Amazon, but I would no longer indicate going that route.

Invent and hardware

Environmental friendliness is Fairphone’s complete deal, and in conserving with that vision, the Fairbuds XL are made to be disassembled and repaired by the actual person. None of their parts are glued collectively, and Fairphone both sells replacement parts and presents video walkthroughs for changing the total a huge different of bits. You would possibly perchance perchance maybe philosophize new padding, audio system, batteries, and extra, and swap them out with no coaching or primarily expert tools required. A correct pair of headphones would possibly perchance perchance maybe feasibly closing your complete life if no longer for parts care for these degrading over time, and I would indulge in to concept diverse manufacturers rob a identical tack, no longer going as that would be.

Despite the total Fairbuds XL’s removable parts, the headphones boast a formidable IP54 rating for mud and water resistance. That is no longer especially general in over-ear headphones at any trace point, and it’s correct to seize that light rain is no longer going to compromise the Fairbuds XL’s lengthy-haul sustainability.

For a pair of headphones in a scheme to be disassembled and reassembled by well-liked other folks, the Fairbuds XL stumble on and feel remarkably nice. The headband and earcups are plush and glad, and I don’t salvage the identical extra or less fatigue I in general expertise from hours of sporting over-ear headphones (Sony’s otherwise-very perfect WH-1000XM5 are a huge perpetrator there for me). I primarily care for the stumble on, too — especially on this inexperienced colorway I have been utilizing.

Portion and parcel with the Fairbuds XL’s sustainable reparability, there have to no longer any capacitive contact controls on the headphones. As a substitute, there is a transient thumbstick on the support of the wonderful ear cup for controlling playback and vitality, plus one button pulling duty for pairing and ANC abet watch over. The thumbstick took a tiny of getting used to, but it’s a shapely, tactile plan to interact with a pair of headphones, and I extra or less miss it when I’m sporting a decided pair. It additionally presents a nice pop of colour, being orange on the inexperienced model and a extra refined darkish inexperienced on the shaded pair.

There’s USB-C for both charging and wired audio input, but there is sadly no 3.5mm headphone jack, which appears care for an unheard of omission.

Audio and ANC

As noteworthy as I cherish both the concept that and the dazzling of the these headphones, I don’t mediate audio quality quite lives up to their €249 mark. The Fairbuds XL sound decidedly k. There are a handful of EQ presets to resolve from, and on the bassy Tokyo environment, the sound signature is how I care for it: warmth, but maintaining rather engaging highs.

However there is a unusual salvage of muffled quality to the sound in lots of tracks, especially in the midrange. Maybe it’s a compression mutter, but vocals and percussion in explicit can reach upon care for I’m listening to them thru some extra or less thin barrier, care for I unintentionally left some packing enviornment matter inner the earcups (I did no longer, I checked). The headphones enhance AAC, SBC, and aptX HD, but I’ve had the identical expertise throughout diverse units utilizing diverse codecs.

At their easiest, the headphones sound stunning correct: the thick bass and distorted robotic vocals in Daft Punk’s All around the World, for instance, reach upon colossal. However diverse tracks primarily endure. Is This It by The Strokes, already a rather low-constancy recording, sounds downright inferior with the Fairbuds XL’s quirks. Particulars can salvage a tiny of muddy in busier arrangements, too.

Call quality is equally uninspiring. Recordings I took on the Fairbuds XL philosophize they comprise got a tougher time with background noise than many diverse headphones and earbuds close, with my insist coming thru unusually aloof in noisy environments when put next with diverse headsets I comprise on hand.

ANC efficiency is healthier than I expected it to be, though, efficiently drowning out the noise of a TV in the next room or the clatter of my (non-mechanical) keyboard with media taking half in at low volumes. It is no longer up there with the most tasty from heavyweights care for Sony or Bose, but it feels extra thorough than what you’ll salvage from, reveal, the highest fee Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wi-fi.

Tool and aspects

The Fairbuds XL are managed thru the Fairbuds app. With it, you would possibly perchance perchance maybe resolve from a handful of EQ presets, all named after most significant cities. As mentioned, I care for the bassy Tokyo preset merely unbiased, but whenever you would possibly perchance perchance maybe’t obtain one which suits your style, there is a customizable five-band EQ, confusingly listed along with the presets as “Studio.”

The app is additionally supposed to permit you to philosophize replacement parts by tapping the part you wish swap out on a 3D model of the headphones, but as of writing, these all end result in 404 errors on Fairphone’s web page online (you would possibly perchance perchance maybe rob parts straight from Fairphone’s spare parts retailer, whenever you desire them).

The headphones themselves are a tiny of light on extra developed aspects. There’ll not be any longer any on-ear detection right here; the Fairbuds XL will abet taking half in whenever you rob them off unless you manually close your media. Rapidly Pair is no longer primarily supported, both, so getting scheme up on your cell phone takes a tiny of further menu-digging than it does for lots of diverse headphones and earbuds. However there is multipoint connectivity enhance, so you would possibly perchance perchance maybe join two units at present — merely total the pairing direction of on both, then pick out the Fairbuds XL from every’s Bluetooth menu.

Battery life and charging

Fairphone quotes the Fairbuds XL’s battery life at a truly perfect 26 hours between costs with ANC enabled, and that’s the reason confirmed to be correct in my time with the headphones. That shakes out to charging twice per week with what I would take into memoir heavy spend. There are ANC headphones that’ll stumble on you thru 40 or 50 hours or noteworthy extra on one trace, but these distinctive alternate solutions are priced accordingly.

Charging over USB-C is rapidly adequate, with a fat trace taking under three hours. Fairphone says the Fairbuds XL’s battery would possibly perchance perchance maybe even be depleted and recharged 500 times while conserving shut to its well-liked skill — at two costs per week, that is a priceless lifespan of something care for four and a half of years. You would possibly perchance perchance maybe philosophize replacement batteries from Fairphone, and placing in a brand new battery is exceedingly easy: merely pop the panel off the left earcup, pull the used battery out, slot in the new one, and snap the panel reduction on. The easy scheme would no longer require any tools and took me likely 10 seconds to total.

Competition

Fairphone stunning noteworthy has the market cornered on particular person-repairable ANC headphones. If that is what you are after — and likewise you needn’t compromise on the sustainability facet — your resolution wants to be stunning straightforward.

However there are hundreds of correct headphones that trace the identical €249, and even less. As of writing, Sony’s WH-1000XM4 are available for €250 on the dot from Amazon Germany, and identical costs in diverse European markets. Those headphones provide higher sound, higher ANC, and higher battery life than the Fairbuds XL close, though Sony’s headphones are nowhere shut to as easy to service because the Fairbuds. I don’t mediate they stumble on as nice, both.

Whereas you don’t care about noise-canceling, you would possibly perchance perchance maybe are attempting something care for the Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT2. Those headphones is no longer going to work as properly for you whenever you customarily hear in noisy environments, but they give colossal, neutral sound and out of the ordinary battery life of 50 hours or longer on a trace, plus Rapidly Pair enhance, inquisitive about under €200. However all over again, whenever you desire something you would possibly perchance perchance maybe with out complications restore on your comprise, Fairphone has Audio-Technica beat.

Would possibly perchance maybe well tranquil you aquire them?

I care for lots of issues concerning the Fairbuds XL. They’re glad, they stumble on colossal, and their ANC is terribly succesful. Fairphone’s commitment to sustainability, trite as that concept has change into in the tech world, is additionally admirable. If your Bose QuietComfort 45 ruin or their battery stops maintaining a trace, you’ll likely comprise to ship them off for costly repairs, or worse, toss them in e-raze recycling and aquire a brand new pair. These solutions are dear, both environmentally and financially. In inequity, you would possibly perchance perchance maybe repair most issues which can maybe maybe journey inferior with the Fairbuds XL at dwelling in barely a few minutes, utilizing cheap, first-celebration replacement parts. I needn’t understate how very perfect that is.

However these headphones merely don’t sound correct adequate to compete straight with equally priced alternate solutions from extra established brands in the audio space. At easiest, they sound stunning correct — and at an asking trace of €249, that is no longer going to be correct adequate for many other folks. It is fabulous that you would possibly perchance perchance maybe theoretically abet these headphones for decades (assuming Fairphone continues to present replacement parts), but sounding care for they close, you probably would no longer have to.

If your quantity-one priority is sustainability and likewise you are versatile on audio quality, extra vitality to you — the Fairbuds XL wants to be correct up your alley. However whenever you are merely attempting to acquire all-spherical colossal headphones and being inexperienced is extra of a perk than a stressful requirement, you must always have to stumble on in diverse areas.

Fairphone Fairbuds XL

With loads of particular person-replaceable parts, a decided dazzling, and solid ANC, the Fairbuds XL are a largely a success first strive at over-ear headphones from Fairphone. Audio quality is no longer primarily all there, though — and that’s the reason a stunning huge flaw in €249 headphones.