Fairbuds 2 Earn iFixit Perfect Score With Batteries That Swap in Under a Minute

Most earbuds end up in a drawer once their batteries start fading after a year or two of daily use, forcing owners to buy a whole new pair. Fairphone designed the Fairbuds 2 so that worn batteries never have to end the product’s life. iFixit’s teardown video confirms the approach works exactly as claimed: the process for pulling the battery from one earbud begins at the 27-second mark and finishes before a full minute has passed. That demonstration, combined with accessible spare parts and clear design choices, earned the Fairbuds 2 a perfect 10/10 repairability score.

Opening an earbud is incredibly simple, requiring no tools at all. A silicone sleeve entirely covers the earbud body while concealing the access point. Simply pull the sleeve off using your fingertips, locate the small notch, and carefully lift the battery tray loose. A typical LIR1054 rechargeable coin cell battery. Simply replace it with a new one, snap the tray shut, and then pop the sleeve back into place so the small tab fits into the matching notch on the opposite side. The entire process is so simple that even a complete newbie can finish it in under a minute, which is exactly what a hands-on test demonstrated, as their tester was able to disassemble the buds and case in one or two minutes flat, with no instructions required.

To open the charging case, all you need is a Torx T5 screwdriver. Flip the case over, remove the single screw at the bottom, and then lift the inner core out. The battery is just sitting there, waiting to be replaced with a fresh new Fairphone battery. Nothing is attached to the earphones or the casing, which is unusual for most headphones on the market. Fairphone advertises seven user replaceable parts in total, including three batteries, silicone sleeves, ear tips, individual earbuds (in case one goes missing), and even essential sections of the casing itself. Replacement batteries cost around €10 per pair, while case batteries cost about €13.

Earbuds that score this high remain rare. Most models glue the shells shut or solder batteries in place, so any capacity loss means the whole product gets discarded. Fairphone’s earlier Fairbuds already reached a 10/10 for the same reasons, and the second generation keeps that score while shrinking the buds by 37 percent and the case by 32 percent. Battery life improved at the same time, reaching up to eight hours on the buds alone and 40 hours total with the case when noise cancellation stays off. The design still carries an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance, showing that modular access does not require giving up basic protection.

Fairphone also provides a three-year guarantee that covers manufacturing faults even after you’ve replaced the batteries (or any other parts that may need to be replaced). About 49 percent of the materials used are fair and recycled, including plastics and certain minerals, and the product carries LONGTIME certification for repairability. European legislation will eventually require all manufacturers to include user changeable batteries in portable devices, and the Fairbuds 2 are already well ahead of the curve. If you keep spare batteries on hand, you can change them in when charging times begin to drop, and your earphones will last for years; there’s no need to treat them as disposable.