Fairphone's repairable Fairbuds 2 go on sale in the US on Nov. 2 at $119

A pair of earbuds that no longer holds a charge is a small, familiar failure. Gizmodo says batteries are often the first thing to go in wireless earbuds, and that the vast majority of pairs have them glued in place ^[15].

Fairphone says the Fairbuds 2 use no glue and are the only pair in the industry that lets an owner replace the battery in both the buds and the case ^[16]. The Verge's account is more specific. Each earbud battery comes out in under a minute with no tools, and the case cell sits behind a single T5 screw ^[5]. A team can test that on one pair before ordering more.

The count of seven user-replaceable parts needs a careful reading. The Verge's seven include eartips and sleeves ^[6]. Gizmodo's list leads with the individual earbuds and all of the batteries ^[7]. In our view the batteries are the entries that change what an owner can do.

The 40-hour battery figure is mostly case. Taking The Verge's total as including the buds' own eight hours, the case holds 32 hours, enough for four refills without noise cancelling ^[18]. Gizmodo called the battery life "an average battery life at best" ^[4]. Neither outlet reports the first generation's battery life, so The Verge's "almost twice" claim cannot be checked here.

At $119 the Fairbuds 2 sit $10 below Apple's $129 AirPods 5 ^[12]. Neither supports Qi wireless charging ^[11]. The rating is IP54, which The Verge says protects against rain and sweat but is not complete waterproofing, and the warranty runs three years ^[9].

The evidence covers a launch and a couple of weeks of reviewer use ^[10]. It does not say how many owners ever replace a battery.

We'd buy the Fairbuds 2 for a team only where a named person will own the repair, because repairability is the feature both outlets single out ^[17][16]. The tradeoff is audio that The Verge's reviewer calls good but a little muddy at times ^[10], and a battery Gizmodo rates as average ^[4]. Two questions sort the decision: will anyone replace a battery, and will the pair stay in service past its three-year warranty ^[9]?

- Someone will repair and the pair outlasts the warranty: buy it for the parts. - Someone will repair but the pair is retired at three years: the repairability goes unused, so judge it on audio. - Nobody will repair and the pair outlasts the warranty: the warranty is the benefit, and the parts are a cost you carry. - Nobody will repair and the pair is retired early: it is a $119 pair with average battery life ^[1], and rivals at that price are a fair comparison.