Most wireless headphones quietly become disposable. Batteries fade, cushions peel, and people replace the whole thing every few years instead of fixing what broke. Fairphone’s first Fairbuds XL were an outlier, modular and self-repairable with screws instead of glue. Gen 2 is the next step, not a clean break but a refinement that tries to make keeping and upgrading a pair of headphones feel as normal as replacing them.
Fairbuds XL Gen 2 are over-ear headphones that keep the same modular skeleton but add new 40-mm dynamic drivers, refined tuning, and updated materials. Fairphone claims 30 hours of listening, active noise cancelling with ambient mode, Bluetooth or USB-C wired listening, and two colorways, Forest Green and Horizon Black, which deepen the original palette into something a bit more mature and less obviously plastic.
Designer: Fairphone
The drivers are the most interesting change. Gen 2 ships with new 40-mm dynamic drivers and updated tuning for a more natural, detailed sound, but those drivers are also sold separately as modules. Owners of the 2023 Fairbuds XL can open their existing headphones with a screwdriver and slot in the new drivers, keeping everything else while upgrading the sound. That turns the Gen 2 launch into both a new product and a parts catalog.
The comfort story centers on materials. The headband now uses a breathable net fabric, and the ear cushions switch to a soft birdseye mesh, which improves comfort during long sessions. The IP54 rating handles dust and splash resistance, and the new material identity balances durability with a sleeker look. The switch from PU leather to mesh is practical for warm environments and long wear, without sacrificing the ability to take everything apart when it wears.
The modular design remains unchanged, with nine replaceable parts, including the battery, cushions, drivers, headband, and covers, all held together with screws and no glue. The battery is easily removable, the three-year warranty extends the standard two years, and the LONGTIME label certifies products designed for longevity and repairability. The goal is to keep components in use instead of sending whole headphones to the landfill when one piece fails.
Advanced noise cancelling with a switchable ambient mode, an upgraded Fairbuds app with new presets and customizable EQ, and Bluetooth with dual-point connectivity let you move between phone and laptop. You can also plug in over USB-C for battery-free listening. Gen 2 adds auto power-off after 30 minutes of inactivity with ANC off, saving battery and extending runtime per charge, which is a small but thoughtful improvement.
Most Gen 2 products pretend Gen 1 never happened. Fairbuds XL Gen 2 ships drivers that fit both, which means the launch doubles as a parts drop for anyone who bought the original two years ago. That feels unusual enough to notice, especially at €249 for a full headset or roughly €100 to just swap the drivers. Whether or not that changes anyone’s mind about buying repairable gear, it at least shows that upgrading can be designed in from the start instead of being treated as impossible or inconvenient.
The post Fairbuds XL Gen 2 Drivers Fit Gen 1 Headphones for a €100 Upgrade first appeared on Yanko Design.