strange name, but sounds nice

If you are asked if you want to review the Fairbuds from Fairphone, you expect a package with earplugs that can, so to speak, fit through the letterbox. However, that does not apply to the Fairbuds XL, because they are not oversized earplugs, they are headphones. How does that sound? Read it in my review.

Fairbuds XL

Fairphone is known for its durable telephones that can be repaired by people at home thanks to their modular design. Fairphone wants us to be able to use tech gadgets for as long as possible and that the health of our planet is taken into account as much as possible during production. A good goal, and it is also a Dutch brand. While I am very pleased with the smartphones, the company is now venturing into audio in the form of headphones. It’s already made earbuds (which you can also buy individually), but now it’s coming with over-ear headphones for the first time.

Specifications

	Fairbuds XL
Driver	40mm
Battery	800mAh
Battery life	30 hours
Active noise cancellation	Yes, including ambient mode
Replaceable parts	battery, speaker-to-speaker cable, earcup covers, headband, earpads, headband case, speakers, headband cover
Bluetooth range	10 meters
Bluetooth capabilities	Bluetooth 5.1, plus AAC, SBC, APTX HD
IP rating	IP54
Weight	330 grams
Smart assistant	Google Assistant, Amazon, Alexa and Siri
Connection	USB-C (charging and wired listening)
Other	Foldable

Fun designs

Fairbuds XL appears in a green and a black color, with the well-known, recycled look that we know from Fairphone, especially in the green version. It is a fairly large and striking headphone, so you have to love it. A Fairphone logo adorns both sides of the fairly large earcups and the leather-brown wires that the headphones use to transmit the audio are striking. They provide a very luxurious look.

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Heavy, but comfortable

The headband and ear cups have fairly thick, comfortable cushions, which means that the headphones are comfortable. It is striking that the speakers themselves protrude somewhat on the inside. Fortunately, you don’t notice that when wearing it, but it is noticeable when you put it down and study it more closely. A fairly important factor in this review is the weight of this device, because it is not a lightweight device at 330 grams. Audience favorite Sony XM5 is no less than 80 grams lighter. That saves a sip on a drink.

On the other hand, that heavier weight gives the headphones a more luxurious look. It didn’t bother me much when wearing it, but I normally wear long hair so I’m used to some weight on my head. However, due to the weight, you notice more that you are wearing headphones. Whether you like it or not, that’s personal.

Handy controls

The controls of these headphones are very handy and strangely enough also a lot of fun. You have a button on the right ear cup with which you can control things such as noise cancellation, more about this later, but there is also a lever on it. At first glance it seems like a somewhat clumsy button, but it has more to offer. You can conveniently browse through your playlist (and therefore skip songs or go back) by moving left or right. If you want things a bit louder and softer, you can move it up or down. It works like a train and especially if you’re on a bike, then it’s a handy button that you found quickly.

noise cancellation

These headphones have several options: all sound, ambient mode and noise cancellation. On the bike it is best to switch between those three, because with ‘all the sound’ you hear so much wind through the caps that it is a bit deafening. It is therefore best to set it before you start your trip in this country, where you always have headwind everywhere. During my review period, the noise canceling button was switched with the noise canceling off button, but it worked. Only you heard the handy narrator in the headphones say: noise canceling off, after which there was wonderful silence. However, this will be remedied with an update by the people at Fairphone.

A solid sound

These headphones provide a truly immersive listening experience. What helps is that they are over-the-ear shells, so you soon have the feeling that you are in a kind of cocoon. It is striking that the sound can be very loud, and for a company that is so sustainable, it is a shame that they do not think about the durability of hearing. The fact that they can be very loud in terms of volume could have been lowered a bit in my opinion: I am already someone who often puts her earplugs on max, but I didn’t have to think about that with the Fairbuds XL.

The Fairsound app

The Fairbuds use Fairphone’s new app, Fairsound. It is a very clear app in which you can indicate which color Fairbuds XL you have and then choose multiple cities that all represent a different palette of sound settings. For example, I like to choose Tokyo, which also happens to be a great city, but also offers sound with a bit more bass. Great for hip-hop and afro music, for example. Unfortunately, you can not set much, so if you want an even louder bass, there is no possibility to raise a slider. You have Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Tokyo and Boston and you have to make do with that.

That may make the app feel a bit more useless than many other audio apps and not having an adjustable equalizer is a downside, but this app has something that no other headphone app has. You can tap on all the separate parts of your headphones. This way you can see what it is, what it is for, but you can also order the part separately in the webshop. Wonderful, because that’s why we love Fairphone: they make their products extremely durable and that’s why you can replace anything and everything if necessary. Incidentally, you don’t have to replace items quickly by, for example, cycling with these earplugs in the rain: they are simply resistant to that and that makes them considerably more interesting than the popular Sony WH-1000XM5, which are not waterproof at all. Clearly a Dutch company, that Fairphone.

Battery life

I’m one of those people who puts her earbuds in her pocket instead of the charging case, so with these headphones I’ve always found myself leaving them on after taking them off. No problem, it turns out, because the battery life of these headphones is quite good. Fairphone promises a battery life of 30 hours and although I didn’t get that in a row, you rarely need to charge these headphones. And if you do have to charge it: if you stay in one place, you can simply continue to listen wired.

Conclusion

Fairphone knows how to exceed my expectations with this eye-catcher. It is a headphone that will last you for years to come and the fact that it can withstand a downpour and you can also replace just about every part makes it a device that you do not necessarily have to handle with velvet gloves and that feels nice. You can throw it in your bicycle basket in no time, you can conveniently fold it for your bag and although it is large, it is not extremely bulky. The sound quality is very good, although the sound could have been a bit lower in terms of maximum volume.

There aren’t really any real alternatives to these headphones. No pair of headphones is as durable as this model: both in terms of materials used and replaceability. At the same time, it is also difficult to find luxury headphones with a good IP rating, which means that Fairphone remains the odd one out when it comes to headphones.

Price and availability

Fairbuds XL is available in the colors green and black and the device costs 249 euros. It is available from today on the Fairphone website and from selected partners.