Fairbuds 2 Brings Repairable Design, LDAC Audio, and a Lower Price
Fairphone has shared early details of the Fairbuds 2 with The Verge, describing seven fully replaceable parts, support for Sony's LDAC Bluetooth codec for higher-resolution, adaptive audio, and pricing at €119 in Europe followed by $119 in the US, ahead of a full reveal on October 14. The Verge
The details followed short teasers posted September 28 on the company's official X and Facebook accounts with the line "Your sound. Made better. Fairbuds 2. Coming soon." The earbuds are planned for Q4 2026, in line with an earlier fourth-quarter window.
The first Fairbuds arrived in 2024 at €149 and supported only SBC and AAC, the two standard Bluetooth audio formats built into most phones. LDAC, developed by Sony, can carry more audio data per second and can step that rate up or down to suit signal conditions. The new model adds that option at a lower price. Europe will get it first.
Fairphone's current pages describe the existing Fairbuds with titanium-coated 11mm drivers, the small speaker units inside each bud, plus Active Noise Cancellation with wind reduction and a modular design with replaceable buds and batteries. Fairphone The US listing gives wireless range as up to 10 meters with a clear line of sight, and the European store lists the current model at €99. Fairphone US
The current Fairbuds earned a 10/10 repairability score for wireless earbuds from iFixit. iFixit The company's earlier True Wireless Earbuds scored 1/10, with batteries and a charging port soldered in place.
The broader context here is why most small earbuds end up as throwaway products. Tiny sound chambers, glued seals that keep out water and dust, and welded-in batteries keep size small and assembly simple. A design with seven parts meant to be opened and swapped needs connectors that survive repeated use, cases that open without cracking or losing their seal, and sound tuning that stays steady after a part is exchanged.
Looking at what this means in everyday use, better sound and easy repair pull in opposite directions. Higher-data modes like LDAC need a stronger radio link and ask more from processing and battery power. Replaceable batteries and buds address the most common failure point, since rechargeable cells wear out with age. The practical test will be connection stability, battery life with LDAC turned on, and how well noise cancellation holds up when owners can open the buds themselves.
In my view, the price is worth attention. I watched my own children treat early wireless pairs as semi-disposable, replacing a set when one side faded instead of repairing it. A drop from €149 to €119 while adding LDAC and keeping a modular build points to confidence that keeping earbuds longer can become normal. If spare parts stay in stock and the October 14 reveal confirms simple self-service, owners gain an option this category rarely offers.
