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Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025): Two-minute review
Two and a half years after eco-friendly tech champions Fairphone released its first pair of headphones, the company is back to release… the same pair but better. Sort-of. The new Fairbuds XL 2025 aren’t a 2.0 model of the original cans, but an updated model with a few nice changes, and a maintained feature that the best headphones should’ve copied years ago.
Fairphone is primarily a smartphone maker, with the Fairphone 6 from mid-2025 being its latest release, and its green credentials come in two forms. Firstly, its gadgets are generally made from recycled or ethically-sourced materials, and secondly they’re designed to last so you won’t be throwing them away and contributing to e-waste.
The original Fairbuds already ticked those boxes pretty well, but the XL 2025 add in more recycled elements and a longer warranty. It’s a nice bonus on cans you already feel good wearing. They also build on one of the big perks of the originals in that they’re modular, so if one part breaks you can easily replace it yourself.
As is always the case with Fairphone tech, though, you come for the environmentally-friendly promise and stay for one or two surprising extra ways the product elevates itself from the competition. Case in point with the Fairbuds XL 2025: they maintain the 2023 version’s joystick, which is a control system so easy and responsive to use that I’m surprised the big dogs aren’t copying it.
Instead of having myriad touch-capacitive buttons, dials, sliders and levers like most headphones I test, they delegate controlling your sound to a small joystick (well, and a separate ANC button that you rarely need to touch). By pressing or nudging this you can control basically everything you need to for your music, quickly and easily. I love using it and already know I’ll miss it when I move onto my next headphone review.
Beyond that, these are decent-sounding headphones which have energetic and bassy sound, but miss out on the extra ounce of detail or super-expansive soundscapes that many rivals offer. They’re comfortable to wear and look much more distinctive (and fun) than your generic dime-a-dozen headphones.
If there’s something that’ll put off prospective buyers, it’s the price – a common consideration with eco-friendly tech. These cans cost more than I would’ve guessed if I didn’t know, and while their long-lasting guarantee justifies that price well, it’s still a fair amount to pay upfront for headphones which don’t exactly rival the Sony WH-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra.
Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Price and release date
- Released on December 9, 2025
- Costs £219 (roughly $300, AU$460)
- US release possible; AU unlikely
The Fairphone Fairbuds XL 2025 were announced on December 9, 2025, roughly two and a half years after the original model. According to the company, the newer model are more of an improved version of the older one, not a brand-new device.
The headphones will set you back £219 (roughly $300, AU$460). Fairphone is generally a European brand but its recent move into America means we could see these launch in the US, and we’ll add in a dollar price once we learn of one. Don’t expect to see these release in Australia though – Fairphone follows geographical (not Eurovision) rules on continents.
That price is, importantly, exactly the same cost that the original cans cost when they came out – but where some manufacturers are actually lowering prices in response to increasingly tough competition in a crazy-crowded market, Fairphone hasn’t.
Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Specs
|
Drivers |
40mm |
|
Active noise cancellation |
Yes |
|
Battery life (ANC off) |
30 hours |
|
Weight |
330g |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.1 |
|
Frequency response |
Not listed |
|
Waterproofing |
IP54 |
Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Features
- 30-hour battery life
- ANC is decent when combined with PNC
- App has equalizer… and not much else
If there’s an issue with the Fairbuds (aside from the fact that they’re absolutely, positively not buds and let’s be clear on that), it’s that they’re a little scant on features. There’s no find-my functionality, no listening test or spatial audio, and the Fairbuds app doesn’t offer much.
The key reason to download it is its equalizer, offering presets as well as a custom mode so you can tweak it via a five-band deck – this is called ‘Studio’ mode, so I missed it when I first tested the buds. I found that the only preset worth listening to is the default one, called Amsterdam, as it was louder a clearer than the others.
Beyond that the app lets you install firmware updates, learn the basics of headphones (not particularly important to anyone who’s used headphones before) and order replacement parts for the XL if you damage any. I can see this last service being useful – though hopefully not too often!
You can toggle ANC, but only with the button on the buds, and not via the app. There are three modes: on, off and ambient. Combined with the passive noise cancellation of the fabric cups, the ANC does a good job at blocking out most sounds around you. It’s not the best noise cancellation I’ve ever heard in headphones, but they won’t leave you wanting more.
The battery life clocks in at 30 hours, which is decent enough for headphones though nothing stellar – some models now offer 80 hours. Fairphone says the battery will last for at least 500 charges before needing to be replaced (that’s 15,000 hours, if you empty the juice tank fully each time) – and given that Fairphone is basically the only company to release a stat like this, it’s hard to say whether that’s standard or not. Still, it’s good to know, and there’s no way you’ll reach that amount of listening in the three years the warranty now covers, anyway.
Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Design
- Sustainable build
- Comfortable to wear
- Incredibly handy joystick controls
The Fairbuds XL aren’t your bog-standard over-ear headphones, and that’s not just a comment on their sustainability. They have a distinctive look and hue, with a fabric band covering and cups, protruding plastic loops connecting the cans and the band, and a two-tier look for the phones. I tested the attractive green model, but there’s also a black one.
I found the headphones comfy to wear, though some people might find them a little heavy. They can be folded, as well as extended quite a bit if you’ve got a larger head, and the fact that the wider tier of the cans wiggles a little bit means they can adapt to different head shapes. However, you can’t rotate the cups to lie flat, like you can on certain other headphones.
On the right cup, there’s an ANC button which you can use to switch ANC modes and also enable Bluetooth, and just beyond that is one of my favorite features of the cans. It’s a little joystick which you can use to turn on the buds (press and hold), play or pause (single press), change the volume (nudge it up or down) and go forward or back a track (nudge it left or right).
It’s really simple and easy to use, and is probably the best implementation of touch controls that I’ve ever used on a pair of headphones.
Let’s also talk about sustainability. The 2023 models used 100% recycled plastics and aluminum, and the 2025 versions one-up that: 100% of the cobalt, copper and silver is fair-mined, 100% of the rare-earth materials are recycled and the cans were assembled with 100% renewable energy.
Now, I’m no eco-genius, but that all sounds good to me – especially the part about rare earth materials given how they cost the Earth. The buds are also modular, so if a part breaks you can replace it without needing a whole new pair of cans, and Fairphone offers a three-year warranty on the Fairbuds (one year longer than on the last model).
Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Sound quality
- 40mm driver
- Punchy, warm sound
- Restrictive sound stage
While the 2025 model of Fairbuds XL have the same 40mm driver, one of their big updates is still in the sonic department. Apparently the new cans have been re-tuned for more balanced audio – that doesn’t quite track with my own experiences with them, but I’m not really complaining.
In our reporting on the original cans we noticed that the sound of the Fairbuds was “energetic and forthright, rather than refined an analytical”, and that’s exactly how the new model sound to me.
In sounds like O.A.R’s Lay Down, or Michael Franti’s Once A Day, you can hear the punch of brass lines and hearty bass, giving an infectious energy to songs. But songs which have complex instrumentation can sometimes feel like their losing some of their edge – Somewhere in Between by Morningsiders feels a little more monophonic than it needs.
Generally, it’s the warmer sounds that benefit from whatever touch Fairphone has added, with (reasonably) well-defined bass and mids that keep their head above the water more often than not. But there’s not quite the expansiveness through the soundstage as you might want and crave, which stops instruments from standing apart, keeping back certain songs from reaching their true sonic breadth and impact.
Some technical specs here: the Fairbuds connect with Bluetooth 5.1. They miss most codecs but do support aptX HD for higher-resolution 24-bit wireless streaming, if you’re source material and device is up to it.
Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Value
- Pricier than the features would suggest
- Longevity balances value out
If you compare the Fairbuds XL 2025 to same-price contemporaries, it’s easy to make the case that they’re not great value for money. They lack features and the same level of audio refinement that you’d get in rivals.
While that’s true, it’s also missing a key point – these headphones are designed for longevity. Where you might need to buy a new pair of Sonys or Bose in a year or two when they inevitably break or the battery renders them unusable, the Fairbuds XL will almost certainly last you a lot longer.
So these are better value than they may first appear – but you need to be playing the long game to appreciate it.
Should I buy the Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025)?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
The ANC and battery life are average, and there are few other features. |
3.5/5 |
|
Design |
Between the eco-friendly build, the comfortable fit and the handy joystick, I have no notes. |
5/5 |
|
Sound quality |
It’s a flawed but fun sound, far from perfect but still enjoyable to listen to. |
3.5/5 |
|
Value |
Sure, the price is high, but they’ll last longer than alternatives. |
4/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) review: Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) |
House of Marley Positive Vibration Rebel |
Sony WH-1000XM5 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Drivers |
40mm |
40mm |
30mm |
|
Active noise cancellation |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Battery life (ANC on) |
30 hours |
75 hours |
30 hours |
|
Weight |
330g |
517g |
250g |
|
Connectivity |
Bluetooth 5.1 |
Bluetooth 5.4 |
Bluetooth 5.2 |
|
Waterproofing |
IP54 |
IPX5 |
Not specified |
How I tested the Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025)
- Tested for 3 weeks
- Tested at home, on walks, on public transport and the gym
My testing period for the Fairphone Fairbuds XL (2025) lasted for roughly 3 weeks, not including the additional time it took to write this review (or run them in).
I generally used the headphones for streaming music from Spotify and Tidal using my Android phone, but also tested on Netflix, Prime Video and various games. I listened at home, on walks around my local area, at the gym, and on public transport (trains and buses) during several long journeys.
In the past I’ve reviewed multiple smartphones from Fairphone, and other gadgets with an emphasis on eco-friendly tech. I’ve also tested plenty of headphones over the 7 years I’ve been writing for TechRadar.
- First reviewed in December 2025
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tom.bedford@hotmail.co.uk (Tom Bedford)
