Fairphone’s user-repairable headphones will offer spare parts through its app
Today, Fairphone, a company known for making smartphones that are meant to last, revealed its take on a user repair-friendly set of wireless over-the-ear headphones. Like its smartphones, Fairphone's Fairbuds XL have a modular design with Fairphone promising easy spare parts access. However, Fairphone is currently unsure how long it will have parts for the cans in stock. And Fairphone is pulling back from the five-year warranty it typically offers for phones, opting for two years, due to uncertainty around real-world longevity.
Modular parts for the Fairbuds XL, which in true Fairphone fashion won't be sold in the US, include a headband cover that pops off to reveal the actual band, a cable connecting the speakers, and left and right speaker modules that allow users to replace a failed driver or wonky buttons.
The headphones come in green (pictured) or black and use recycled plastic and aluminum and fake leather. (credit: Fairphone)
As of this writing, the 11 modular parts aren't listed for sale, but The Verge reported a replacement battery will cost 19.95 euro, while ear cushions will cost 14.95 euro, and the three headband parts will be 19.95 euro for each. Most of the headset's electronics components, like the Bluetooth 5.1 module, reside in the left and right speaker parts, but Fairphone may start selling spare printed circuit boards, buttons, and microphones if demand warrants, The Verge said.