The Fairphone 6 arrives virtually two years after the 5, a testomony to the corporate’s strategy to the improve cycle. If something, I believe the corporate can be annoyed if Fairphone 5 homeowners have been contemplating a brand new mannequin already — these are telephones to maintain, to restore, and to carry on to till the bitter finish.
The latest Fairphone continues the corporate’s dedication to user-repairability, long-term buyer help, and moral manufacturing. Meaning compromises for the patron: You’ll discover extra highly effective telephones with prettier shows and extra succesful cameras for much less cash. However this yr these compromises are smaller and simpler than ever earlier than, whereas the cellphone stays quite a bit higher for the planet — you possibly can’t say fairer than that.
$899
The Good
- Exceptionally user-repairable
- Ethically produced
- Respectable efficiency
- Lengthy-term software program help
The Unhealthy
- Fundamental cameras
- Solely IP55
- Costly within the US
The Fairphone 6 is accessible now throughout the UK and Europe. It prices €599 / £499 for a model operating Fairphone’s customized Android software program, which is pretty near the inventory expertise, or €50 / £50 extra operating /e/OS, a privacy-centric, Google-free model of Android made by Murena. In case you’re within the US, that’s the solely mannequin out there, and also you’ll have to purchase it straight from Murena for $899, a value that Murena founder and CEO Gaël Duval informed me displays tariffs on US imports. It’s a considerable value distinction that takes the Fairphone 6 from competing with midrangers just like the Pixel 9A in Europe to flagships just like the Pixel 10 or iPhone 16 within the US, making it considerably tougher to justify.
/e/OS replaces Google’s Uncover feed with a set of devoted privateness controls. Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
I’ve been testing the privacy-focused /e/OS model of the cellphone. It may not look 1,000,000 miles from inventory Android, however the out-of-the-box expertise is kind of totally different. It has fast entry to choices to dam monitoring cookies inside apps, faux your geolocation data, or disguise your IP handle, together with a “Wall of Disgrace” itemizing your apps by what number of instances they attempt to observe your exercise. Murena describes it as “de-Googled,” which suggests it’s constructed on the Android Open Supply Challenge, however doesn’t require a Google account to make use of, contains no Google apps by default, and may share none of your knowledge with Google.
In case you’re able to decide to the Google-free life, there’s an array of comparatively easy inventory software program, like calendar and map apps that appear to be they’ve been lifted from a decade in the past. An app retailer defaults to open-source choices, giving each app a privateness rating with particulars on the trackers it makes use of and permissions it requires.
You may set up open-source apps, or Play Retailer alternate options like Google and Samsung’s. Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
The app retailer additionally helps you to set up nearly any Android app — even the Google ones — however solely if you wish to. That’s because of microG, an open-source different to Google Play Companies. The one caveats are that Google Pockets received’t work for NFC funds, and that some apps are a little bit… janky. Most appear to work, however MyFitnessPal received’t run, and some others are likely to stutter and crash.
On the {hardware} facet, the Fairphone 6 is smaller and lighter than the 5, with a brighter and smoother 6.31-inch 120Hz show. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset isn’t flagship {hardware}, but it surely’s easy sufficient more often than not, and with 8GB of RAM, it’s highly effective sufficient for something besides critical gaming. The 4,415mAh battery lasts greater than a day, and the 30W wired charging velocity is high-quality however unimpressive, with no wi-fi possibility.
The cameras stay an enormous downgrade in comparison with the competitors. The 50-megapixel foremost lens and 13-megapixel ultrawide are high-quality for the fundamentals — and exceeded my expectations once in a while — however they battle in the dead of night, in complicated lighting, or with fast-moving topics. In case you simply want your cellphone digital camera to be adequate then these undoubtedly are, however you will get a lot better cameras for a similar cash (or much less) elsewhere.
1/13The Fairphone 6’s foremost digital camera does the fundamentals properly.
The opposite large addition to the Fairphone 6 is a spread of semi-modular equipment, just like these supplied with Nothing’s CMF Cellphone 2 Professional. There’s a lanyard, a card holder, and a loop grip, however the intelligent factor is that each one three screw onto the cellphone’s rear, changing into integral elements of the {hardware}. I hope extra choices are coming.
Extra necessary is the cellphone’s potential to final for years. Whether or not you purchase from Fairphone or Murena, you’ll get an prolonged five-year guarantee. Fairphone additionally commits to eight years of software program updates and 7 Android model updates, although Murena solely guarantees 5 years of software program help for its model — worse than the likes of Apple, Google, and Samsung.
The Fairphone 6’s cameras aren’t something to put in writing house about. Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
I’m a fan of this slight dent on the cellphone’s again, which turns into a pure place to relaxation your little finger. Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
That blocky yellow button turns off the digital camera and mic on /e/OS telephones, however switches between customizable modes to manage notifications and distractions on the common mannequin. Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
The cellphone is created from pretty sturdy plastic, with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the show, and feels powerful. There’s one large sturdiness draw back, although: it solely has an IP55 score for mud and water safety — good, however not nice — which is the disadvantage of a repairable design that swaps glue for much less watertight screws. So whereas the Fairphone 6 is extra repairable than different alternate options, there’s a barely larger threat of needing that restore within the first place, not less than relating to sand and water.
Talking of: you solely want a single Torx T5 screwdriver to strip the cellphone right down to elements, which join and disconnect with a easy push, clicking into place. You may change the battery, show, rear cowl, every particular person digital camera lens, speaker, earpiece, USB-C port, and SIM tray (which doubles as a microSD slot for expandable storage). Spare elements are offered by Fairphone and iFixit, with a promise to inventory them for years. Within the US, Murena ought to inventory them, however on the time of writing, the elements aren’t on its website but.
A Torx T5 screwdriver is all you might want to take the cellphone aside. Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
Changing the backplate — and swapping in equipment — includes simply a few screws. Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
Changing the battery requires a couple of extra… Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
And taking the entire thing aside requires a little bit dedication, but it surely’s straightforward work. Picture: Dominic Preston / The Verge
I needed to verify if any fool may pull off a restore, so I took aside each little bit of the cellphone I may and put it again collectively once more, which took a little bit over an hour and left me with a wonderfully purposeful cellphone on the opposite facet. Fairphone has some good YouTube movies to run via any given restore step-by-step, and it couldn’t be a lot simpler, as long as you take note of screwing every part again in the precise order (ahem, not a mistake I’d ever make…).
The “honest” little bit of the identify applies to manufacturing too. Fairphone claims to make use of as many recycled supplies as attainable, and to work with mines, recyclers, part factories, and meeting traces with honest working situations, from residing wages to employee illustration. There’s no moral consumption below capitalism, however Fairphone claims to get as shut as it may possibly.
I’ve been cautious to advocate earlier Fairphones. The elevator pitch is nice, however paying a premium for underpowered {hardware} remains to be a tough promote. However pure energy isn’t the differentiating issue it as soon as was, so even when the Fairphone 6 is much less highly effective than its counterparts, it’s nonetheless highly effective sufficient for many of us. Nonetheless, enhancements in software program help and sturdiness from different producers have made Fairphone’s providing much less distinctive — although nobody provides repairability like this.
Up towards midrange alternate options, because it’s priced in Europe, the Fairphone holds its personal. There are small compromises, but it surely stays a good alternative for almost anybody. Within the US, the place it prices greater than some flagships and comes with the de-Googled /e/OS whether or not you prefer it or not, it’s just for these really dedicated to the trigger.
Images by Dominic Preston / The Verge
16 FeedbackComply with subjects and authors from this story to see extra like this in your personalised homepage feed and to obtain e mail updates.
- DevicesShut
Devices
Posts from this matter might be added to your day by day e mail digest and your homepage feed.
PlusComply with
See All Devices
- CellShut
Cell
Posts from this matter might be added to your day by day e mail digest and your homepage feed.
PlusComply with
See All Cell
- Cellphone OpinionsShut
Cellphone Opinions
Posts from this matter might be added to your day by day e mail digest and your homepage feed.
PlusComply with
See All Cellphone Opinions
- TelephonesShut
Telephones
Posts from this matter might be added to your day by day e mail digest and your homepage feed.
PlusComply with
See All Telephones
- OpinionsShut
Opinions
Posts from this matter might be added to your day by day e mail digest and your homepage feed.
PlusComply with
See All Opinions
- TechShut
Tech
Posts from this matter might be added to your day by day e mail digest and your homepage feed.
PlusComply with
See All Tech
