I bought the original fairbuds at launch. I’m not gonna pretend they are good sound quality for music - bass especially is terrible - but they are fine for podcasts and the like.
I’ve had to have one bud - right iirc - replaced under warranty, no hassle beyond the obvious annoyance of it breaking.
When they break again, I’ll likely replace them with whatever version of fairbuds exist then. Ultimately I care more about how fairphone source their materials, the reparebility, and setting a precident, than if a pair of buds I use for maybe 3 hours a week are a bit crap.
Not a glowing review, but yknow.
The new Fairbuds sounds like (pun intended) it’s going to have a better audio quality.
This was released on Tuesday and I ordered already.
I daily the OG fairbuds, and while I love the repairability, I can honestly say they’re some of the worst earbuds I’ve ever used.
They have connection problems
they fail to charge when placed in the case half the time
The. touch controls are finicky and often miss taps, but somehow they can be activated by a single strand of hair landing on the case.
The app just doesn’t work, I have never been able to get it to connect to the earbuds.
I’ve reported all of these issues to Fairphone, and I’ve recieved little in the way of helpful responses. Hopefully they have managed to make their second gen product more usable, because I do genuinely think a repairable earbuds is a phenomenal idea. And yeah, despite all the issues I still use them everyday.
Don’t forget that the Bluetooth is outdated to the point that it doesn’t sync with video properly so can only really be used for listening to music. Insane. Source(also a daily driver)
I haven’t had that issue fortunately, I use mine to watch video all the time and have had no synchronization issues. Maybe later batches updated the BT modem?
That’s really disappointing to hear (pun not intended). I’ve been looking for a pair of these earphones that are actually worth the money, because I got sick of paying for airpods only for them to fail within 2 years like clockwork.
Just throwing these things away is horrendous and I was hoping that fairbuds would be good.
As its a first gen product from a pretty green hardware company, it wasn’t super surprising to me they had serious issues. The real test will be to see if the second generation fixes those issues without adding a bunch more.
I got the Earfun Air Pro 4 about a year or so ago on sale (I think about 45 dollars) and have never looked back. The app works without having to create an account or sign in, they sound great (for sub-100 dollars earbuds, but I’ve never paid more than that so have nothing to compare to), the noise cancelling is brilliant too.
The only issue I’m having over the last couple of months is that the battery on the earphones (but not on the case) seem to be draining a bit faster now. I’m guessing that’s to be expected, as I use them all the time, but thought it was worth mentioning.
Thanks, I’ll have a look at them!
Uff
Woh ! 1700 partners trackers to accept before viewing this page ? Seriously ?
Here is the official press release.
It didn’t take that long to find, I wish people would link primary sources more often.
Here you go my brother in tech: https://archive.ph/G8uCm
domain blocked in my country because of csam material 😭
I know, it’s just not enough! They are really tightening their belts to give you that content. /s
They don’t support aptX LL, so they are useless for video. The high latency will cause the audio to be very noticeably out of sync with the video.
aptX LL sounds like some made up gobbledygook. Or like sudo aptx -ll bluez-utils
Why is your video not syncing itself with your bluetooth?
I use headphones and a bluetooth transmitter that support aptX LL. The latency is less than 40 milliseconds, which is barely noticeable. With other codecs, the latency is hundreds of milliseconds, so you have to mess with sync settings in the video player.
I tried with my TV and at max latency adjustment it’s still desynced in Bluetooth. Also other sources of video like from games are not synced, especially like video call delays
Check mate to all the major players.
if only they there was a wire between them where you could put usable buttons and extra battery
Has anyone used these or the previous model who can comment on their lifespan? Since there isn’t a typical operating system to become unmaintained I’d hope they could last many times longer than a smartphone.
Is like to note that while the battery is replaceable and looks like a common battery, it’s actually priority. So if they stop making the battery, it’s over. I haven’t needed it yet but it irks me.
I have the old model that I bought because I am quite happy with my Fairphone 5 and also because I am a proud beta soyboy.
And oh boy, are they shit. I’m on the third pair, after returning 2 shortly after I got them because the right earbud stopped working in 2 slightly different ways.
My current pair recently started making a faint clicking noise in… You guessed it: The right earbud. After less than a year of light use. And people complain of poor sound quality when I use the mic on calls.
It’s great that you can replace the batteries and all and I have no issues recommending Fairphone, but I can’t recommend their earbuds.
I will likely look to Samsung when I grow tired of the clicking noises.
The new Sennheiser Momentums claim to have user-replaceable batteries fwiw.
I appreciate the reality check.
I’d say check on the new model once it drops and see if reviews are better after a year or so.
Fair
Also sound quality and fit, that’s what I’m curious about
Sound quality is mediocre, fit is good. The Bluetooth connection is rather short range. I got them with my Fairphone so I am OK with them but I also hope they are doing better with the new generation.
Can anyone tell you if it fits your ears?
Finally a step in the right direction.
How do they sound? You can get a really good pair of wired IEMs for the asking price.
I went over to IEMs a month ago. Bought a solid Bluetooth 5.4 neckband for them, and now I have like 5 pairs of IEMs. BT neckband I can pop open and replace it’s battery as well (soldering required but non destructive). They sound a million times better than any of my TWS earbuds or neckbands and they are cheaper. To top it all off, because it’s 3 different parts, if something breaks I can replace just it and not have to deal with tossing the whole thing. I wish I had known about them years ago.
sounds cool, which brands? i have never heard about standalone bluetooth neckbands before
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256812758772320.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa
5181pro, that uses the qcc5181 BT chip. Then I have mmcx to .78 2pin ear loops (you can find them for like $5). This allows me to swap out to other pin outs as well if I ever get IEMs with different pinouts than the most common (.78). The battery lasts me two days of 8-10 hour listening and they’re decently well built. Way way stronger than the single cord ones you can get for cheaper. There is a 8 core braided one that nutty on YT suggestes to get but he suggested it back when it was $80 now it’s $130ish and that was just way to much for my taste.
I’m hoping for an audible mic, but would still buy anyways because its Fairphone.
Too bad they look ugly with the step
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Earbuds are generic bluetooth devices. Why is fairfphone getting into this market? Is it because people are stupid and think their earbuds have to match their phone?
Because they support right to repair and have replaceable batteries
Oh, that is a good reason! I thought for sure I was going to lose mine, but what happens is that they stop working, repeatedly, and even replacing something simple like a case is about half the price of a new set…
So I’ve downgraded to the cheapest set I can tolerate and my “repair” will be buying the same model (if it’s available) and replacing the part I need.
It’s not a great system.
Most earbuds are not repairable, and they don’t have replaceable batteries. Eventually the battery capacity drops to the point where you need to charge them too often. These use replaceable and generic batteries from what I heard, and they’re fairly repairable.
- this fits within their niche of ethical electronics supply chains and manufacturing
I’m considering a pair of these for when my current earbuds die, depending on the fit and quality.
I’ve been through three sets of ear buds, and they’ve all failed before the battery did… but if they’re offering replacement parts closer to cost, then it would be an improvement. I got an expensive pair of Sony Earbuds and they were absolutely fantastic, but I did warranty replacements on them twice and the last one had a case that started to melt from overheating… to replace the case was about half the price of a new set.
