Fairphone announced the Fairbuds 2 on October 14, 2026. They are the second generation of its repairable wireless earbuds. In Europe they are on sale now for €119. In the US they cost $119 and go on sale on November 2, according to Gizmodo and other reports.
The big idea has not changed. You can open the earbuds and the case without tools or glue and swap out worn parts, including every battery. What is new is a smaller design with stems, Sony's LDAC codec, Bluetooth 6.0 and a three-year warranty.
Key dates and prices
| Date | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | October 14, 2026 | |
| Europe on sale | October 14, 2026 | €119 |
| UK | On sale (reported) | £99 (reported) |
| US on sale | November 2, 2026 | $119 |
| Original Fairbuds (US today) | On sale now | $99.99 |
A few notes on price:
- The Fairbuds 2 product page on Fairphone's EU store lists €119. A product tile on Fairphone's EU homepage showed €99 when we checked, so there may be a promo running. We could not confirm which is the regular price going forward.
- The UK price is less clear. One report says £99, another quotes a dollar figure. Check Fairphone's UK store before you buy.
- Fairphone's US store did not yet show a Fairbuds 2 price when we checked. The $119 US price comes from launch coverage by Gizmodo and others.
- The original Fairbuds launched in Europe at €149 in 2024. Fairphone's US store now lists them at $99.99.
Fairbuds 2 vs original Fairbuds
| Fairbuds 2 | Fairbuds (1st gen) | |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $119 | $99.99 |
| Design | Stems, 37% smaller buds, 32% smaller case | No stems |
| Drivers | 11mm bio-cellulose | 11mm titanium-coated |
| ANC | Hybrid, up to 45dB (3 mics per bud) | Hybrid |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC, LC3, LDAC | SBC, AAC |
| Bluetooth | 6.0, multipoint (2 active, 6 saved) | Not compared here |
| Battery (buds) | 6 hrs ANC on / 8 hrs ANC off | Not compared here |
| Battery (with case) | Up to 40 hrs (ANC off) | Not compared here |
| Quick charge | 10 min = 2 hrs playback | Not compared here |
| Water/dust | IP54 | Not compared here |
| Weight | 5.8 g per bud, 64 g with case | Not compared here |
| Replaceable parts | 7, incl. all batteries | Batteries, shell, case core |
| Wireless charging | No | Not compared here |
| Warranty | Up to 3 years | Not compared here |
| Colors | Forest Green, Horizon Black | Not compared here |
Fairbuds 2 figures are from Fairphone's product page. Fairphone has not run a side-by-side spec sheet against the first model, so we left out first-gen numbers we could not confirm.
What is new
Smaller, with stems. Gizmodo reports the buds are 37% smaller and the case is 32% smaller than before. The stems carry the touch controls. Each bud weighs 5.8 grams.
LDAC for Android. This is the first Fairphone earbud with Sony's LDAC codec, at up to 990 kbps. Fairphone says the better LDAC performance is for Android only. iPhones do not support LDAC, so iPhone users will connect over AAC.
Better noise cancelling. Fairphone uses hybrid ANC with three mics in each bud and claims up to 45dB of noise reduction. There is also a transparency mode. These are Fairphone's numbers. We have not seen independent tests yet.
Still built to be fixed. There are seven user-replaceable parts. Fairphone sells spares on its EU store. A battery kit is €9.95, a case battery is €12.95, and a new charging case core is €29.95. You can also buy a single replacement earbud if you lose one. The page lists an iFixit 10/10 repair score.
Modern basics. Bluetooth 6.0, Google Fast Pair, USB-C, a 5-band EQ in the Fairbuds app for iOS and Android, and firmware updates through the app.
Where each wins
Fairbuds 2 win on:
- Codec support. LDAC and LC3 on top of SBC and AAC.
- Size. Much smaller buds and case.
- Warranty. Up to three years.
- Repair. Seven parts, no glue, cheap spare batteries.
Original Fairbuds win on:
- Price. $99.99 on Fairphone's US store, about $20 less.
- Availability. You can buy them in the US today.
What neither does well:
- Battery life. Six hours with ANC is average at best for $119. Gizmodo called it a fair trade-off for the repair focus.
- Wireless charging. The Fairbuds 2 case charges over USB-C only.
Which should you buy?
- Buy the Fairbuds 2 if you want earbuds you can keep for years, you hate throwing away buds when the battery dies, and you use an Android phone that supports LDAC.
- Buy the original Fairbuds if you want the repairable idea for less money and you do not care about LDAC or a smaller fit.
- Buy something else if battery life or the strongest ANC matters most. Many mainstream earbuds last longer per charge.
- iPhone users: the Fairbuds 2 still work well, but you will not get LDAC. The main reasons to pick them are repair and warranty.
- Wait if you are in the US and want reviews first. US sales start on November 2, and independent ANC and battery tests should land around then.
Want to see more audio gear side by side? Try our compare tool. If you are shopping for open-style earbuds instead, read our Bose Ultra Open Earbuds 2 vs Sport Open guide.
Other tech news this week
- Xbox announced the Xbox Nano Controller for $49.99 on October 14. See our Xbox Nano vs Xbox Wireless Controller guide.
- Apple announced the HomeView home hub, HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K on October 13. Read our HomeView, HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K guide.
- iPhone Duo US pre-orders open October 16, ahead of an October 23 release, per CNBC. Our iPhone Duo pre-order guide has the details.
Sources
- Fairphone: Fairbuds 2 product page
- Fairphone US store
- Gizmodo: These wireless earbuds don't totally suck for the environment
- BigGo Finance: Fairphone debuts $119 Fairbuds 2 with swappable batteries and LDAC audio
- tbreak: Fairbuds 2 price and release date
- Digital Trends: Fairphone confirms its next-gen repairable earbuds will arrive in October for $119
- CNBC: Tech giants race to get AI gadgets on shelves for holiday rush
Image: Fairbuds 2, via Fairphone.
