Fairphone Fairbuds XL Turns 2023 Headphones Into a 2025 Kit

iFixit scored Fairphone’s Fairbuds XL a perfect 10/10 on its headphone repair card, and Fairphone still sells the 2025 speaker units as a drop-in for the 2023 pair. The new cans launched on December 9, 2025 at €249 in Europe, £219 in the UK, and $229 in the United States.

The refresh kept the same chassis, the same 40 mm size, and the same 26-hour claim with noise cancelling on. What moved was the driver module, the fabrics, the warranty, and a parts desk that treats last year’s headphones as current hardware.

A Chassis Shared Across Two Model Years

Fairphone shipped the first Fairbuds XL on May 11, 2023 as modular over-ears with a replaceable battery, a joystick on the right cup, USB-C, and an IP54 rating. The 2025 pair uses that architecture on purpose. On the product page, Fairphone said existing owners can upgrade the sound of their current Fairbuds XL in minutes by installing the new speaker units, and that other components stay replaceable as usual.

The company also said the next version was designed for reverse compatibility with the previous Fairbuds XL. That is a different bet from a typical audio refresh, which usually orphans last year’s cups. Fairphone kept the 2023 model in the same shop comparison at the same £219 UK price as the new one, and it answered a direct question about whether the refresh made the original irrelevant: not at all, on the contrary.

The United States only got the original pair in November 2025, weeks before the 2025 model. A buyer who waited two years for the first import was then asked to treat a brand-new spare driver as the upgrade path, not a trade-in.

Nine Spare Parts, Two Headband Guides

Fairphone’s European support page, updated on September 23, 2026, lists nine nine interchangeable spare parts on the shop and splits the headband job by year. The 2025 guide covers slide-on covers. The 2023 guide covers fold-open covers. The cups still come apart with simple screws and no glue, which Fairphone says you can do in minutes with a single screwdriver.

THE NINE MODULES FAIRPHONE SELLS

iFixit called out those USB-C crossover connections as the trick that lets the whole headset break into modules. The battery and ear cushions come off without tools. Speaker work needs a PH0 screwdriver. Fairphone warns that the serial number lives inside the original left speaker, that replacement left units do not carry one, and that you should copy the number before you pull the old cup if you still want a warranty claim.

iFixit Gives the Fairbuds XL a Perfect 10

On May 2, 2026, Fairphone posted that the new Fairbuds XL had scored a perfect 10/10, and called them the only headphones in the world to sit that high on the new card. iFixit had just started scoring wireless headphones and said it had evaluated 14 popular models. On May 7, 2026, iFixit said the Fairbuds XL were the first headphones to earn a 10/10 on that scorecard.

The Fairbuds XL just became the first headphones to earn a 10/10 repairability score on our new headphone scorecard. Replaceable battery. Replaceable ear pads. Modular design. Actual repair manuals. This is what headphones look like when they’re built to last instead of built for the landfill.

iFixit, on X

AHAHHA our new Fairbuds XL scored a perfect 10/10! The only headphones in the world to score this high 🎧
These babies join their syblings – the Fairphone (Gen. 6) and the Fairbuds, all gotten 10/10's.
Much appreciated @iFixit https://t.co/FcRW2eXLUg

— Fairphone Newsroom (@Fairphone) May 2, 2026

The live wireless headphone repairability scores page still lists Fairbuds XL (2025) and Fairbuds XL (2023) with the same repair notes: tool-free battery swap, a headband whose cushion, structure, and crossover cable come apart separately, USB-C links between modules, and official parts plus documentation. The one listed knock is that replacing the charge port may compromise water resistance.

Sony’s WH-1000XM6 sits on the same board with a fully modular interior, screws instead of glue on the battery, and no adhesives in the common repair paths. iFixit then added the line that decides the ranking: Sony does not provide repair manuals or spare parts. Apple’s AirPods Max 2, listed as a 2026 model, still gets magnetic cushions and a mesh canopy you pop with a SIM tool, then a buried battery, adhesive, proprietary fasteners, and no parts beyond the pads.

The trophy is real. The gap it measures is not clever internals. It is whether the maker will sell you the piece that failed.

What Can You Upgrade on the Original Pair?

Fairphone’s shop copy for the new pair centers on upgraded 40 mm drivers with stronger magnets and a refined paper-based diaphragm, which it says give richer lows and more accurate mids and highs. The 2023 pair already used 40 mm drivers, 32 ohm impedance, a 20 Hz to 20 kHz range, and 99±2 dB sensitivity at 1 kHz. The 2025 module keeps that form factor so the new speaker seats in the old cup.

Fairphone told buyers switching between versions to purchase left and right speaker units together so the sound matches. The left-speaker shop page, which also says the part is backwards compatible with the original Fairbuds XL, had 58 reviews on it when opened, which is proof people have been buying the cup as a spare rather than as a souvenir.

WHAT THE 2025 DROP ACTUALLY CHANGES

• The speakers: New 40 mm dynamic modules with stronger magnets and a paper-based diaphragm, sold as left and right spares.
• The fabrics: Net fabric on the headband and bird’s-eye mesh on the ear cushions, with PU leather still in the mix, in Forest Green and Horizon Black.
• The idle timer: Auto power-off after 30 minutes, which Fairphone’s launch notes tied to inactivity with noise cancelling off.
• The warranty: Three years on the 2025 pair, written as a 2-year standard term plus a free 1-year extension, against two years on the 2023 pair.
• The materials mix: More than 50% fair and recycled materials by total weight, including 100% recycled rare earth elements in the magnets, 92% recycled aluminium, more than 80% recycled plastics, and 100% recycled tin in the solder paste.

Assembly uses 100% renewable energy, and Fairphone still calls the product 100% e-waste neutral, matching each pair sold with an equal weight of collected waste. The shop also says the Fairbuds XL are the world’s only consumer audio product LONGTIME certified for repairability and durability.

Bluetooth 5.1 and the Same 30-Hour Claim

The radio did not move. Fairphone still lists Bluetooth 5.1 with dual multipoint, a 10-meter wireless range, and SBC, AAC, and aptX HD. Wired listening is still USB-C, with no 3.5 mm jack on the cups. Six microphones remain in the same split, two on the left and four on the right. Weight is still 330 g. Unfolded size is still 190 mm by 180 mm by 70 mm. The cups still rotate 90 degrees and the band still folds.

Battery life is still up to 26 hours with noise cancelling on and 30 hours with it off. A 15-minute charge is rated to 50%, and Fairphone rates the cell for 500+ cycles while holding 80% capacity. Those are 2023 numbers wearing a 2025 skin. The company added app EQ presets for the new drivers, and it left the joystick and the ANC button where they were.

If you wanted a codec jump, stronger cancelling, or a bigger cell, the 2025 pair does not sell that. It sells a speaker you can buy without throwing away the headband you already paid for.

A €101.90 Driver Kit for the Pair You Already Own

At launch Fairphone listed the left speaker at €61.95 and the right at €39.95, which is €101.90 for the pair, against €249 for a new headset. The left cup costs more because that is the module that carries the original serial number. A replacement battery at €19.95 and cushions at €14.95 are the wear items most owners will actually need first.

NEW PAIR VERSUS THE SPARE BIN

The shop’s own review blob on the complete headphones sat at 4.4 from 531 reviews, with 345 of those (65%) marked five-star. That pile is still a full-headset business. The 58 reviews on the left speaker are the smaller, stranger market Fairphone bothered to build: people who already own the band and want the new motor.

A sealed left cup dying on a cheaper set is exactly the failure this catalog is for. Once a driver is glued in, the whole headset is scrap. On Fairbuds XL the failed side is a line item.

US Shop Pages Still Flag Pads as Coming Soon

Fairphone said the 2025 pair would go on sale from December 9, 2025 on its site in Europe and later that December on Amazon in the United States. Spare drivers for American owners of the original were held for later in 2026, because that first US shipment was only a month old at launch.

WHAT WE KNOW

• Europe shop price: The complete 2025 Fairbuds XL is listed at €249, with Forest Green and Horizon Black as the two finishes.
• US complete pair: Fairphone’s launch price for the United States was $229, with Amazon named as the late-December 2025 channel.
• Support still split by year: The September 23, 2026 repair hub still publishes separate 2023 and 2025 headband, cover, and cable guides.

WHAT IS UNCONFIRMED

• US driver stock: Fairphone’s US-facing storefront showed the headphones, the replaceable battery, and the PU leather cushions on notify-me / out-of-stock pages, with no clear in-stock US driver SKU in the listings checked.
• How many owners bought the kit: Review counts show the spare left speaker has buyers, not how many 2023 headsets were converted.

The score travelled farther than the stock. People who want the 10/10 pair still have to find a shop that has the cans, then a parts bin that has the cup. Fairphone already did the hard mechanical work in 2023. The 2025 job was to keep selling the piece that sits inside it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do You Need Tools to Replace a Fairbuds XL Battery?

No. Fairphone and iFixit both describe the battery swap as tool-free once the left speaker cover is off, and the ear cushions use a twist-and-click ring you turn by hand. Speaker modules are the step that wants a PH0 screwdriver. Fairphone will also book a support repair if you do not want to open the cups yourself.

Where Is the Serial Number on Fairbuds XL Headphones?

Fairphone says the serial number sits inside the original left speaker. You reach it by taking off the left plastic speaker cover and lifting the battery. Replacement left speakers do not have a serial number, so the company tells you to write the original down before you swap that cup if you still need it for a warranty claim.

How Fast Do Fairbuds XL Headphones Charge?

Fairphone rates a 15-minute plug-in at 50% charge and says that burst is good for 15 hours of playback. A full charge is listed around the older three-hour mark on the 2023 spec sheet, and the cell is specified to hold 80% capacity after 500+ cycles on both generations.

Did the Original Fairbuds XL Win a Design Award?

Yes. Fairphone said the 2023 Fairbuds XL won an iF Design Award in 2024 for the way the repairable build was styled. The 2025 pair keeps that silhouette and changes the mesh, the driver recipe, and the warranty length rather than the overall shape.

The 2023 band was already the product. The 2025 speakers are the SKU that proves it, and the 10/10 is what you get when a parts list outlives a model year.