{"id":223388,"date":"2025-12-09T09:02:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T09:02:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/223388\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T09:02:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T09:02:15","slug":"fairphone-updates-its-over-ear-headphones-with-better-sound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/223388\/","title":{"rendered":"Fairphone updates its over ear headphones with better sound"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two years ago, Fairphone<\/a> launched a pair of modular, fully-repairable headphones called the Fairbuds XL<\/a>. Now, the Dutch social enterprise is releasing an updated version where the focus isn\u2019t just on the quality of its hardware, but on the merits of its raw materials.<\/p>\n

The 2025 Fairbuds XL ship with new \u201cpremium\u201d 40mm dynamic drivers and stronger N52 rated magnets for \u201cmore power and enhanced bass response.\u201d Listeners should expect to hear \u201cimproved accuracy in mid and high frequencies\u201d thanks to improved audio tuning. And there\u2019s a new paper-based speaker membrane that\u2019s more refined than what went before.<\/p>\n

Sound-quality is certainly improved over the predecessor, with cleaner bass and sharper mid and high tones. You can really hear how clean the sound is, especially when you\u2019re listening to something lush and orchestral. Going by my memory from two years ago, the ANC seems to be unchanged, able to deal with unwanted sounds like the tapping of my own keyboard with ease.<\/p>\n

Obviously, you shouldn\u2019t go in expecting the same sort of brilliant sound you\u2019d get from top tier manufacturers. Although I think Fairphone has likely closed the gap so while you\u2019re still a generation or two behind the bleeding edge, it\u2019s not by a shameful degree. And, if we\u2019re honest, if you\u2019re looking for a pair of cans that\u2019ll last you years and years, you\u2019re likely able to forgive the absence of the shiniest bells and whistles.<\/p>\n

\"Closeup<\/p>\n

Closeup image of the Fairbuds XL (2025) (Daniel Cooper for Engadget)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to notice the design changes, too, with the more austere Fairphone logo and the use of solid plastic in place of the original speckled pattern. Sadly, that extends to the little pop of copper found on the four way joystick, which is now a different shade of the same colorway. I get it: A lot of people want their consumer electronics to blend in, but the loss of whimsy pains me a little.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s some fairly minor but welcome quality of life improvements, including adding automatic power off after 30 minutes. Plus, buyers get the benefit of a three year warranty, and can rest assured the XL are Longtime certified. Longtime is a new European labeling standard for gear built to be long-lived, repairable and supported by a robust repair infrastructure. And, if you already own a pair of XLs, you can buy the new drivers and slot them into your existing cans.<\/p>\n

\"Side<\/p>\n

Side showing logo. (Daniel Cooper for Engadget)<\/p>\n

But, in line with Fairphone\u2019s founding principles, the update is equally focused on the raw materials that have gone into making the 2025 XLs. The PU \u201cleather\u201d found in the ear cushions \u2014 hardly a climate friendly material \u2014 has been ditched in favor of Bird\u2019s Eye Fabric. That\u2019s a cotton fabric produced with a series of air holes for breathability more commonly found in athleisure products. Similarly the PU found in the headband gets replaced with fabric that reminds me of plenty of other high end sport headphones.<\/p>\n

Beneath the surface, the new model contains 100 percent fair mined cobalt, copper and silver \u2014 via mining credits, at least. The rare earth metals used in the speaker magnets are now 100 percent recycled, and they were assembled in a facility using 100 percent renewable energy. You\u2019ll also find more than 90 percent recycled aluminum, and 80 percent recycled plastics, with the company pledging to recycle an equal amount of e-waste to every pair sold. Plus, as usual, Fairphone will pay the people who assemble the hardware a living wage bonus to ensure \u201cworkers can cover their family\u2019s needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fairbuds XL are available to order today in Europe both from the Fairphone website and select third party retailers. If you\u2019re in the US, you\u2019ll need to wait until \u201clater\u201d this month, but you\u2019ll be able to pick them up via Amazon for $229.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two years ago, Fairphone launched a pair of modular, fully-repairable headphones called the Fairbuds XL. Now, the Dutch…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":223389,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[120247,18,77661,10984,19,17,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-223388","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-daniel-cooper","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-fairphone","11":"tag-headphones","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-technology"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115688803766770804","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=223388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/223388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/223389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=223388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=223388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=223388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}