Consumer electronics brand Nokka is releasing the Nokka One on September 15, a modular wireless headphone with every part individually replaceable. The headphones start at 179 euros and are available via nokka.nl and Coolblue. With this design, Nokka is getting ahead of the upcoming European right to repair regulation.
Wireless headphones rarely last more than a couple of years. Not because the technology becomes outdated, but because a worn ear cushion, a weaker battery, or a cracked headband is, in practice, impossible to replace. An EU report on e-waste describes discarded electronics as one of the fastest growing waste streams in Europe, while the upcoming right to repair regulation will require manufacturers to make repair more accessible. The Nokka One was designed with exactly that in mind: every part, from battery to headband, clicks loose and can be ordered separately. Break something, and you replace the part instead of the whole headphone.
Interest was already clear before sales even started: in six weeks, 3,200 people placed a pre-order, selling out the entire first production run. "People are tired of throwing away a good pair of headphones because of one broken part," says Mila Roskam, founder of Nokka. "The Nokka One shows that designing for repair does not have to come at the cost of sound or looks."
"We designed every part as if it would one day need replacing, from the magnetic ear cushions to the battery module that comes loose without tools," says Joris Blom, head of product development at Nokka. "That approach is becoming the standard for everything we build next." Nokka is already working on a second production run to keep up with demand after September 15, and plans to expand the range with earbuds in 2027, built on the same modular principle.