If you haven’t heard about it yet, we launched an updated edition of our award-winning Fairbuds XL in December 2025. With new dynamic drivers in the speakers, listeners can now enjoy a more natural, better balanced sound profile that can be customized further with the Fairbuds app. The new edition also sports an updated design that’s more in line with our refreshed brand aesthetic, with plush, breathable fabric in the ear cushions and headband for comfortable all-day wearing. 

The new Fairbuds XL improves on the original in all the right ways, while still retaining what made them such an appealing choice in the first place. We’re talking about their excellent battery life (that now has an auto power off feature for better power management) as well as their ‘zero glue, only screws’ modular design that offer IP54-rated protection against dust and moisture.

But the key USP that stood out for reviewers and the Fairphone community alike?

Spare parts for the new Fairbuds XL are backwards-compatible.

For people who own the original edition of the Fairbuds XL, there is no need to shell out the full price of the new edition. Instead, if they want to experience the difference in sound, all they have to do is pick up the left and right speaker units for the new Fairbuds XL, and swap it out on their old Fairbuds XL. If it’s the comfort factor they are after, they can also replace the OG artificial leather ear cushions with the new fabric ones. 

Here’s how you upgrade the Fairbuds XL

Upgrading your old device is possible only because of the way we design things at Fairphone.

Modular, easy to assemble and disassemble, zero glue to muck through. It’s the way all tech should be designed, allowing you to hold on to what you have, while replacing only what needs replacing. This goes a long way in maximising lifespans of devices, and reducing e-waste. And from what we can see, that’s a problem that’s not going away anytime soon.

Here are some of the other reviews of the new Fairbuds XL

“The fact that there are no longer any repairable headphones is also due to the EU’s lack of regulations dictating how manufacturers should build their devices or whether they are required to sell spare parts. The consequence: even with premium headphones costing €500, usually only the ear pads can be replaced when they wear out. With the Fairbuds XL, Fairphone demonstrates that there is technically nothing preventing a repairable design.” – Heise

“The Fairbuds XL 2 demonstrates astonishing precision. Instrument separation is crisp and clean, a world away from what the first generation offered. On complex tracks blending synth pads and percussion, every element finds its place. The soundstage also widens, offering a more immersive listening experience.” – 01Net

“Where the previous model sometimes wavered between energy and control, this one adopts a more refined approach. The bass is tight, full, but never muddy, present enough to add warmth without masking the rest of the spectrum. It’s a balance the original never quite achieved, sometimes oscillating between restraint and overpowering depending on the preset.” – Clubic

“While the modularity remains similar, the design has evolved slightly while staying true to the aesthetics of the previous model. The weight remains at 330g, but the headband and earcups now feature a breathable mesh fabric instead of faux leather, intended to offer greater comfort and reduce heat retention.” – Les Numeriques

“If you want eco-friendly headphones, then the (new) Fairbuds XL are already winners, with a green resume that’ll keep your carbon footprint small. Plus the sound is fun, they have a comfy fit and the joystick is a music-control gamechanger.” – TechRadar

“The Fairbuds XL offer very robust active noise canceling. While I work from home, there is a lot of noise in the neighborhood, and I prefer to wear noise-cancellation earbuds or headphones. You won’t get AirPods’ level of noise cancellation with these devices, but the experience was still good.” – TechCrunch

“They’re a handsome pair of cans, for one. I like the fetching green or black color ways, and the patterned headband draws the eye. The control joystick is intuitive and useful, and feels great under the finger. They’re light and comfortable, and the material on the earcups and the headband is soft. The ANC works well, although it isn’t quite as impressive as that which you’ll find in the more expensive options from Sony and Bose. But those don’t have replaceable batteries — and cost $200 more.” – Tom’s Guide

Check out more coverage here

Phone Repair Guru | AllRound PC | NotebookCheck | t3n | TechAlter | Dr. Windows | Xataka | Presse Citron | Android World | Dutch Cowboys | Android World | Coole Suggesties | Engadget | Parker Burton 

The new Fairbuds XL and spare parts are now available for sale in our webshop.