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  1. Table of Contents
  2. Top
  3. Main Differences
  4. Design
    1. Style
    2. Comfort
    3. Controls
    4. Breathability
    5. Portability
    6. Case
    7. Build Quality
    8. Stability
    9. Headshots 1
    10. Headshots 2
    11. Top
    12. In The Box
  5. Sound
    1. Sound Profile
    2. Frequency Response Consistency
    3. Raw Frequency Response
    4. Bass Profile: Target Compliance
    5. Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
    6. Treble Profile: Target Compliance
    7. Peaks/Dips
    8. Imaging
    9. Passive Soundstage
    10. Virtual Soundstage
    11. Weighted Harmonic Distortion
    12. Test Settings
  6. Isolation
    1. Noise Isolation - Full Range
    2. Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
    3. Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
    4. ANC Wind Handling
    5. Leakage
  7. Microphone
    1. Microphone Style
    2. Recording Quality
    3. Noise Handling
  8. Active Features
    1. Battery
    2. App Support
  9. Connectivity
    1. Wired Connection
    2. Bluetooth Connection
    3. Wireless Connection (Dongle)
    4. PC Compatibility
    5. PlayStation Compatibility
    6. Xbox Compatibility
    7. Base/Dock
  10. Comments

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless vs Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless

Side-by-Side Comparison

Products

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless
Fairphone Fairbuds

Tested using Methodology v1.5

Updated Oct 23, 2024 01:49 PM

SEE PRICE
Walmart.com

Tested using Methodology v1.8

Updated Oct 23, 2024 01:40 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Picture

Variants

  • WF-1000XM3 (Black)
  • WF-1000XM3 (Silver)
  • Fairbuds (Black)
  • Fairbuds (White)

Our Verdict

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless

Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless

The Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless and Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless are both a good choice for users who value repairability. The main difference is that Fairphone officially support customers repairing and replacing parts. By contrast, an informal community of people interested in repairability have deemed the Sony an unusually user-fixable set of buds, but Sony doesn't officially support this. Both pairs are well-matched for most use cases, though the Sony do have a noticeably better microphone. Still, the Fairphone are newer and have a more stable fit, so if you're concerned about your environmental footprint, they're the pair to choose. 

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Main Differences for
Neutral Sound

Threshold 

0.10

Neutral Sound 

7.5
6.4

Treble Accuracy 
 

8.9
1.9

Mid Accuracy 
 

8.8
7.3

Bass Accuracy 
 

8.0
9.5

Peaks/Dips 
 

8.5
6.9

Full Comparison

Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Design Picture 2
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Design Picture 2

Type  

In-ear
In-ear

Enclosure  

Closed-Back
Closed-Back

Wireless  

Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless

Transducer  

Dynamic
Dynamic
Show text

Comfort 
 

7.0
7.0

Comfort Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Comfort Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Comfort Picture

Weight  

0.04 lbs
0.03 lbs

Clamping Force 
 

0 lbs
0 lbs
Show text

Controls 
 

6.3
7.6

Controls Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Controls Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Controls Picture

OS Compatibility 
 

Not OS specific
Not OS specific

Ease Of Use  

Good
Good

Feedback  

Good
Decent

Call/Music Control  

Yes
Yes

Volume Control  

No
Yes

Microphone Control  

No
No

Channel Mixing 
 

No
No

Noise Cancelling Control  

On/Off
On/Off

Talk-Through 
 

On/Off
On/Off

Additional Controls  

Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Show text

Breathability 
 

9.1

Breathability After Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Breathability After Picture

Avg.Temp.Difference  

0.9 °C
Show text

Portability 
 

9.3
9.4

Portability Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Portability Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Portability Picture

 

1.5" (3.8 cm)
1.2" (3.1 cm)

 

2.0" (5.1 cm)
1.6" (4.1 cm)

 

0.6" (1.5 cm)
0.8" (2.0 cm)

Volume  

2.00 in³ (32.77 cm³)
1.55 in³ (25.42 cm³)

Transmitter Required  

No
No
Show text

Case 
 

8.0
8.0

Case Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Case Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Case Picture

Type  

Hard case
Hard case

 

3.2" (8.1 cm)
2.6" (6.5 cm)

 

2.3" (5.8 cm)
2.6" (6.5 cm)

 

1.3" (3.3 cm)
1.1" (2.7 cm)

Volume  

10.00 in³ (163.87 cm³)
7.07 in³ (115.83 cm³)
Show text

Build Quality 
 

8.0
7.5

Build Quality Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Build Quality Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Build Quality Picture
Show text

Stability 
 

7.0
7.5

Stability Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Stability Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Stability Picture
Show text

Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Angled Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Angled Picture

Side Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Side Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Side Picture

Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Front Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Front Picture

Rear Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Rear Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Rear Picture

Top  

Top Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Top Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Top Picture

In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  In The Box Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless In The Box Picture
Show text
Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Normalization Frequency 
 

500 Hz

Bass Amount 
 

-1.25 dB
-0.5 dB

Treble Amount 
 

-1.17 dB
-7.7 dB
Show text

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

9.6
9.1

Consistency L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Consistency R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Avg. Std. Deviation 
 

0.09 dB
0.19 dB
Show text

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Raw FR R  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.0
9.5

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

2.68 dB
2.2 dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

37.21 Hz
20 Hz

Low Bass 
 

-3.34 dB
-0.83 dB

Mid Bass 
 

1.47 dB
-2.7 dB

High Bass 
 

3.55 dB
2.11 dB
Show text

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.8
7.3

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.55 dB
2.63 dB

Low Mid 
 

2.11 dB
2.74 dB

Mid-Mid 
 

-0.78 dB
-0.36 dB

High Mid 
 

-0.02 dB
-2.71 dB
Show text

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

8.9
1.9

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

RMS Deviation From Target 
 

1.75 dB
9.11 dB

Low Treble 
 

-1.1 dB
-8.77 dB

Mid Treble 
 

-0.58 dB
-6.34 dB

High Treble 
 

0.1 dB
-20.92 dB
Show text

Peaks/Dips 
 

8.5
6.9

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Peaks 
 

0.96 dB
1.7 dB

Dips 
 

0.89 dB
2.51 dB
Show text

Imaging 
 

9.2
8.7

Group Delay  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Phase Response Mismatch  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Weighted Group Delay 
 

0.15
0.28

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

2.4
2.19

Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

0.46
1.02

Weighted Frequency Mismatch 
 

0.79
1.26
Show text

Passive Soundstage 
 

1.2
0.8

PRTF  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  PRTF
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless PRTF

PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Openness 
 

2.8
1.6

Acoustic Space Excitation 
 

2.1
1.7
Show text

Virtual Soundstage 
 

4.1
0.0

Virtual Soundstage  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Virtual Soundstage
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Virtual Soundstage

Head Modeling 
 

On/Off
No

Speaker Modeling 
 

On/Off
No

Room Ambience 
 

No
No

Head Tracking 
 

No
No

Virtual Surround 
 

360 Reality Audio
No
Show text

Weighted Harmonic Distortion 
 

8.1
7.6

Weighted Harmonic Distortion  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

WHD @ 90 
 

0.187
0.406

WHD @ 100 
 

0.101
0.132
Show text

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Unknown
V65

Power 
 

On
On

Connection 
 

Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth

Codec 
 

SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz

Test Instrument  

Audio Precision APx517B

EQ 
 

Off
Main

ANC 
 

On
On

Tip/Pad 
 

Silicone (small)
Silicone (small)

Microphone 
 

Integrated
Integrated
Show text
Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

7.2
8.4

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Noise Cancelling  

Yes
Yes

Overall Attenuation 
 

-19.25 dB
-21.91 dB

Isolation Audio 
 

Bass 
 

-10.9 dB
-18.70 dB

Mid 
 

-21.02 dB
-24.73 dB

Treble 
 

-26.91 dB
-22.67 dB
Show text

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

9.2

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

See details on graph tool

Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

-21.94 dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Office Noise Attenuation 
 

-20.36 dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Street Noise Attenuation 
 

-23.19 dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Show text

Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Male Voice 1 
 

Female Voice 2 
 

Male Voice 2 
 

ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

See details on graph tool

ANC Wind Noise 
 

Show text

Leakage 
 

8.2
8.5

Leakage  

See details on graph tool
See details on graph tool

Leakage Audio 
 

Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

32.31 dB
30.13 dB
Show text
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Yes
Yes

In-Line 
 

No
No

Boom 
 

No
No

Detachable Boom 
 

No
No

Mic  

Yes
Yes

Recording Quality 
 

6.9
0.0

Microphone Frequency Response  

See details on graph tool
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Microphone Frequency Response

Recorded Speech 
 

LFE 
 

306.43 Hz
N/A

FR Std. Dev. 
 

2.98 dB
N/A

HFE 
 

7,240.77 Hz
N/A

Weighted THD 
 

4.982
N/A

Gain 
 

2.9 dB
N/A
Show text

Noise Handling 
 

6.6
4.2

SpNR  

See details on graph tool
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless SpNR

SpNR 
 

7.62 dB
N/A

Noise Gate 
 

No
N/A

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

7.0
4.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

6.0
4.5

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

Show text
Active Features

Battery 
 

6.9
6.0

Battery Type 
 

Rechargable
Rechargable

Continuous Battery Life 
 

6.9 hrs
4.9 hrs

Additional Charges 
 

3.0
4.2

Total Battery Life 
 

27.6 hrs
25.5 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.3 hrs
0.9 hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Auto-Off Timer
No

Audio While Charging 
 

No
Yes

Passive Playback 
 

No
No

Charging Port  

USB-C
USB-C
Show text

App Support 
 

8.5
6.0

App Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  App Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless App Picture

App Name  

Sony| Headphones Connect
Fairphone

iOS  

Yes
Yes

Android  

Yes
Yes

macOS  

No
No

Windows  

No
No

Equalizer 
 

Graphic + Presets
Graphic + Presets

ANC Control 
 

On/Off
No

Mic Control  

No
No

Room Effects 
 

No
No

Playback Control 
 

Yes
No

Button Mapping  

Yes
No

Surround Support 
 

Yes
No
Show text
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

0.0
0.0

Cable Picture  

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless  Cable Picture
Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless Cable Picture

Analog Audio 
 

No
No

USB Audio 
 

No
No

Detachable 
 

No
No

Length 
 

N/A
N/A

Connector 
 

No Wired Option
No Wired Option

Latency - Analog 
 

N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency Connection  

No Wired Audio
Show text

Bluetooth Connection 
 

7.7
6.1

Bluetooth Version 
 

5.0
5.3

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

No
2 Devices

NFC Pairing 
 

Yes

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

No

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

No

Line Of Sight Range 
 

295.00 ft (89.92 m)
141.08 ft (43.00 m)

Latency - SBC 
 

227 ms
459 ms

Latency - aptX 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Recorded Latency Codec  

SBC

AAC Support 
 

Yes

PC Latency (aptX HD) 
 

N/A

PC Latency (aptX-LL) 
 

N/A

iOS Latency 
 

91 ms

Android Latency 
 

70 ms
Show text

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

0.0
0.0

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

N/A

PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

No
No

Wired USB 
 

No
No

Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show text

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS4 Analog 
 

No
No

PS4 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS4 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

PS5 Analog 
 

No
No

PS5 Wired USB 
 

No
No

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox One Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox One Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox One Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

No
No

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

No
No
Show text

Base/Dock 
 

2.2
2.2

Type 
 

Charging Case
Charging Case

USB Input 
 

No
No

Line In 
 

No
No

Line Out 
 

No
No

Optical Input 
 

No
No

RCA Input 
 

No
No

Dock Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

Power Supply 
 

USB-C
USB-C
Show text

Check Price

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless

Fairphone Fairbuds True Wireless

Comments

  1. Comparison

Sony WF-1000XM3 Truly Wireless vs Fairphone Fairbuds: Main Discussion

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