Upgrade Your Old Fairphone Headphones with the New Model’s Best Feature
▼ Summary
– Fairphone has released an upgraded version of its modular, repairable wireless headphones called the Fairbuds XL, featuring a more comfortable design and improved sound.
– Key improvements include new breathable fabrics for comfort, updated drivers for better audio, and deepened color options for a premium look, while retaining features like ANC and water resistance.
– The modular design allows owners of the first-generation model to upgrade specific components, like the new drivers, to improve sound without buying entirely new headphones.
– The headphones maintain a replaceable battery and other swappable parts to extend their lifespan, though battery life remains at up to 30 hours and is reduced with ANC use.
– The new Fairbuds XL are available globally now and will launch in the US this month, while upgrade parts for older models will not be available in the US until later in 2026.
For those invested in sustainable technology, the arrival of the new Fairbuds XL presents a compelling opportunity. Fairphone has just unveiled an upgraded version of its modular, repairable wireless headphones, and the best part is that a key improvement is backward-compatible with the original model. This means early adopters can enhance their existing headphones’ audio performance without needing to purchase an entirely new pair, a rare and valuable feature in the consumer electronics space.
Visually, the new Fairbuds XL retain a familiar silhouette but receive subtle refinements. The company has swapped out the materials on the headband and ear cushions for a more breathable mesh fabric, designed to improve comfort during extended use. The color palette has also been deepened, with the two options now named horizon black and forest green, lending the headphones a more premium aesthetic. Core features like IP54 dust and water resistance, USB-C charging, a dedicated ANC button, and a control joystick remain unchanged from the first generation.
The most significant upgrade lies in the acoustics. Fairphone credits “new 40 millimeter dynamic drivers” and “refined audio tuning” for delivering better sound quality. It’s important to note that the Bluetooth codec support stays the same, limited to AAC, SBC, and aptX HD. The modular, repairable design philosophy remains central, with the battery and eight other components still user-replaceable to extend the product’s lifespan. Battery life is unchanged, offering up to 30 hours of playback, a figure that decreases when active noise cancellation is engaged.
In a welcome change from the previous lengthy rollout, the new Fairbuds XL are launching globally much faster. They are available starting today through Fairphone’s online store at the original price point. US customers can expect to find them on Amazon later this month for $229, a much shorter wait compared to the two years it took for the first-generation model to reach the American market.
For owners of the original Fairbuds XL, the backward compatibility is a major draw. Fairphone is selling the new driver units separately, allowing for a direct upgrade. The left and right driver modules are priced at €61.95 and €39.95, respectively, and are also available as part of a discounted bundle that includes new ear cushions and speaker covers. However, there is a catch for recent US buyers: since the first-generation headphones only just launched there last month, Fairphone will not be selling these new upgrade components in the United States until sometime in 2026.
(Source: The Verge)
