Question: If a phone is built to last, you know, for sustainability’s sake, then why does it have a new model every two years? Funny you should ask. Anyhoo, the sustainable phone, Fairphone, has a new model, aptly called Fairphone (Gen. 6). Yup. Even the naming gets an upgrade.
It is a sleek, minimalist-in-design device that is built with repairability in mind, thanks to replaceable modules and a durable design. It boasts drop resistance, having passed drop tests: IEC 60058-2-31 (1.8 m) and MIL-STD-810H (1.5 m), along with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 7i and IP55 rainproofing. If that’s not enough, it has you covered with a 5-year warranty and 8 years of software support.
Not going to lie. I am sold by the design: the clean, minimal aesthetic, the (reasonably) narrow bezel, all of it. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, because this is not it if you are looking for a flagship-spec phone.
Under the hood, it runs on a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, paired with 8 GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.1 storage. The latter is expandable up to 2 TB via microSDXC (card not included). It is definitely not a speed demon in this aspect.
Display-wise, it is outfitted with a 10–120 Hz 6.31-inch Full HD (1,116 × 2,484 pixels) LTPO P-OLED display. Imaging-wise, it has a dual-camera setup featuring a 50 MP 1/1.56-inch Sony Lytia 700C sensor with AF and OIS, and a 13 MP 1/3.06-inch AF macro camera with EIS. The camera system further boasts AI-powered low-light magic and an ultra-wide lens. Over at the front, there is a 32 MP Samsung KD1 camera with AF.
Other notables include stereo speakers, a 4,415 mAh removable Li-ion battery, tri-band Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4 LE, NFC, USB 2.0, dual nano-SIM, the usual positioning systems, and sensors.
The phone is also one for those who care about the environment. It is made with over 50 percent fair or recycled materials, uses 14 recycled or fair-mined materials across all parts, and supports fair factories and living wages for factory workers. Manufacturing uses green energy, the device is 100 percent e-waste neutral, and the brand positions it as climate-conscious.
Oh, you guys remember a certain phone touted to be “distraction-free”? Well, the Fairphone (Gen. 6), in spite of being a full-fledged Android phone, can do that too. At the press of the sacred lime switch on the side, it takes you into a distraction-free space. This space is not just a focus mode. Like the Light Phone, the entire interface transforms into a minimalist, mindful experience designed to help you stay present.
In addition to a removable battery, it also has an interchangeable backplate, allowing you to swap in backplates with built-in features like a cardholder, lanyard, or finger loop that feel natural and part of the phone, without adding bulk.
Finally, it runs on pure Android 15, imbued with Google Gemini (of course, it is).
The Fairphone (Gen. 6) smartphone is available now globally for €599 (about US$703).
Images: Fairphone.
