It’s clear that, at this level, Fairphone has nailed down the basics of constructing an ethically and environmentally aware smartphone.
A lot so, in reality, that the newly unveiled Fairphone 6 (formally ‘The Fairphone (Gen. 6)’ makes for a extra versatile and private telephone than ever, with out compromising on the corporate’s core values.
Constructing on 2023’s Fairphone 5, the sixth-generation mannequin has enviable sustainability credentials. It’s comprised of greater than 50% recycled materials (essentially the most of any telephone at present available on the market), makes use of ethically-mined cobalt, gold, silver and tungsten, is made in factories powered by 100% renewable power, is 100% e-waste impartial, and guarantees higher working situations and truthful wages for employees all through its provide chain.
Nonetheless, it’s one of many new {hardware} options which is more likely to catch your eye. The Fairphone 6 consists of help for a brand new run of modular equipment, together with lanyards, card wallets, a finger loop and a flip case.
Sound acquainted? It’s similar to the providing from Nothing, whose CMF Telephone 1 and CMF Telephone 2 Professional each additionally help modular equipment. Nonetheless, Fairphone has made no point out of constructing its system open supply, one thing that Nothing did, which resulted in a wealth of community-designed and made equipment for the CMF Telephone 1.
After all, Fairphone’s precedence stays a high-quality system that can stand the take a look at of time.
This newest mannequin nonetheless boasts a hardy building, with IP55 and MIL-STD 810G certification towards drops and temperature extremes, in addition to Corning’s Gorilla Glass 7i (the identical glass used to guard the Xiaomi 15 Extremely‘s digicam system).
Fairphone additionally pairs its most up-to-date gadgets with an prolonged five-year guarantee, to not point out the Fairphone 6’s building, which permits for 12 totally different elements to get replaced by the consumer.
Ought to it’s essential substitute the Fairphone’s enticing and compact new 6.31-inch adaptive 120Hz LTPO pOLED show, for instance, it’ll value you £76.70/€89.95 for the alternative half, direct from Fairphone. Examine that to having to ship your base iPhone 16 off to Apple for a display screen alternative – such a repair would set you again a relatively gargantuan £289/€338.99.
The digicam modules are additionally as soon as once more replaceable, with Fairphone letting you swap out the likes of the brand new Pantone-validated Sony LYT-700C primary sensor, which guarantees improved low-light efficiency, plus 4K and 240fps slow-motion video seize choices.
With the Fairphone 5, the corporate made the attention-grabbing choice to go for Qualcomm’s QCM6490, a chipset extra generally utilized in sensible house gadgets.
The reasoning was that Fairphone would be capable to provide software program help for a long run than even Qualcomm has deliberate for, however with the 2025 Fairphone, customers are getting a much more standard Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 (the identical nice chip powering the Nothing Telephone 3a and 3a Professional), while nonetheless benefitting from the corporate’s spectacular long-term dedication to OS and safety updates.
On the launch occasion in Amsterdam, Fairphone dedicated to not less than seven generations of OS updates (equal to that of Google and Samsung), with the telephone arriving on Android 15, whereas wider help for the telephone was promised to final till not less than 2033 (that’s eight years, on par with the Fairphone 5).
Talking of software program, together with a well-known, near-stock construct of Android, the Fairphone 6 boasts a brand new lime {hardware} change, which is used to activate the ‘Fairphone Moments’ expertise.
Very like Minimalist Telephone, ‘Fairphone Moments’ strips again UI parts, notifications and most of your apps, leading to a clear, distraction-free mode designed that will help you disconnect out of your smartphone with higher intentionality. The truth that this can be a subscription-free expertise helps it stand towards otherwise-similar stripped-back Android launchers, too.
These with privateness considerations will even have the choice of a “deGoogled” model of the 2025 Fairphone, operating on the Android Open Supply-based /e/OS.
The Fairphone 6 launched on 25 June within the UK and Europe, and you should purchase one now from the Fairphone web site.
It’s priced at £499/€599 for the bottom mannequin with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, although the latter could be expanded by way of Micro-SD card as much as 2TB. That makes it very a lot a mid-range telephone, although it’s in contrast to anything you possibly can at present purchase.
US availability is reportedly deliberate for August this yr, with extra particulars on pricing and availability to observe nearer the time.