Latest news with #Fairphone6
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
The modular Fairphone 6 offers two-day battery life and a modern design
With the flagship smartphone market in a continued state of stagnation and more people making an effort to be more sustainable with their tech purchases, it feels like a good time for the Fairphone 6 to arrive. It's been nearly two years since the Fairphone 5 first launched, and as you'd expect, its successor is another highly repairable modular smartphone designed to last you a long time. The Fairphone 6 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, and ships with a 4415mAh battery that Fairphone says will last you nearly two days. You can get 50 percent of juice back into the phone in 25 minutes with a 30W charger. When that battery inevitably degrades a few years down the line, it's one of the 12 components in the phone that can be swapped out after removing a few screws. Nothing in the phone is glued down, so tinkering is fully encouraged here. That said, like the Fairphone 5 before it, its water and dust resistance is only rated at IP55, which means it won't take well to a swim. The Fairphone 6 has a 6.31-inch 1,116 x 2,484 OLED display with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, which is a jump up from the previous model's 90 Hz panel. You get 256GB of internal storage which is expandable by up to 2TB via microSD, and the phone is powered by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. As for cameras, you have a 50MP main rear lens with up to 10x digital zoom, which is flanked by a 13MP ultra-wide camera. On the front, there's a 32-megapixel selfie camera. On paper, the Fairphone's photographic arsenal is actually a fairly sizable step downgrade from its predecessor, which used a 50MP lens for all three cameras. The Fairphone 6 runs Android 15 and its maker guarantees updates until 2033 (on top of the phone's five-year warranty). There's also some custom software called Fairphone Moments. Activated by flicking the lime green-colored switch on the side of the device, it's effectively a minimalist focus mode that lets you streamline your phone to show only five apps of your choice. You can have multiple Moments collections, from essentials to more relaxation-oriented apps. As well as the phone's modular innards, you're also free to replace its backplates with custom alternatives with built-in features like a cardholder, finger loop or lanyard. And that remains the main appeal of the Fairphone brand. The fairly mid-range specs are less important than its future-proofed, anti-wastage design. The Fairphone 6 is available to buy now for €599 (around $695), and comes in three colors: Cloud White, Forest Green and Horizon Black.
Engadget
3 days ago
- Engadget
The modular Fairphone 6 offers two-day battery life and a modern design
With the flagship smartphone market in a continued state of stagnation and more people making an effort to be more sustainable with their tech purchases, it feels like a good time for the Fairphone 6 to arrive. It's been nearly two years since the Fairphone 5 first launched, and as you'd expect, its successor is another highly repairable modular smartphone designed to last you a long time. The Fairphone 6 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, and ships with a 4415mAh battery that Fairphone says will last you nearly two days. You can get 50 percent of juice back into the phone in 25 minutes with a 30W charger. When that battery inevitably degrades a few years down the line, it's one of the 12 components in the phone that can be swapped out after removing a few screws. Nothing in the phone is glued down, so tinkering is fully encouraged here. That said, like the Fairphone 5 before it, its water and dust resistance is only rated at IP55, which means it won't take well to a swim. The Fairphone 6 has a 6.31-inch 1,116 x 2,484 OLED display with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, which is a jump up from the previous model's 90 Hz panel. You get 256GB of internal storage which is expandable by up to 2TB via microSD, and the phone is powered by a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. As for cameras, you have a 50MP main rear lens with up to 10x digital zoom, which is flanked by a 13MP ultra-wide camera. On the front, there's a 32-megapixel selfie camera. On paper, the Fairphone's photographic arsenal is actually a fairly sizable step downgrade from its predecessor, which used a 50MP lens for all three cameras. The Fairphone 6 runs Android 15 and its maker guarantees updates until 2033 (on top of the phone's five-year warranty). There's also some custom software called Fairphone Moments. Activated by flicking the lime green-colored switch on the side of the device, it's effectively a minimalist focus mode that lets you streamline your phone to show only five apps of your choice. You can have multiple Moments collections, from essentials to more relaxation-oriented apps. As well as the phone's modular innards, you're also free to replace its backplates with custom alternatives with built-in features like a cardholder, finger loop or lanyard. And that remains the main appeal of the Fairphone brand. The fairly mid-range specs are less important than its future-proofed, anti-wastage design. The Fairphone 6 is available to buy now for €599 (around $695), and comes in three colors: Cloud White, Forest Green and Horizon Black.
GSM Arena
3 days ago
- GSM Arena
Fairphone 6 official, gets expanded modular design with accessories
Fairphone announced its latest sustainable smartphone with the Fairphone 6 aka the Fairphone (Gen. 6). It brings a few notable upgrades over its predecessor including a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, a larger 4,415mAh battery and a new accessory system This is still a phone that's built to last. Fairphone 6 is as easy to repair as ever, with the company supplying spare parts and video tutorials on how to replace all of the key components. Fairphone 6 is E-waste neutral, assembled in factories with fair labor conditions and boasts an excellent repairability rating from the EU's new energy efficiency label. Fairphone is also offering a five-year warranty and eight years of software support. As for the specs, Fairphone 6 is built around a 6.31-inch LTPO OLED with FHD+ resolution and a 10-120Hz adaptive refresh rate. The panel is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i and features 1,400 nits peak brightness and a 32MP front-facing camera. The smaller screen helped Fairphone 6 shed 19 grams of weight compared to Fairphone 5 and it's also shorter and narrower. Fairphone 6 is made from a matte composite body, and features IP55 ingress protection and is now drop resistant up to 1.5m. The new bits this year are the accessories which can attach to the back of the phone. You'll need to remove two screws and you can then attach a card holder, lanyard or finger loop. Also new for this year is the dedicated yellow switch on the side that turns on Moments – a digital detox mode where the UI turns monochrome and you have access to only five of your essential apps. Fairphone Moments key and UI Elsewhere Fairphone 6 gets a 50MP main cam armed with a 1/1.56' Sony Lytia 700C sensor and OIS alongside a 13MP ultrawide lens. There's a single RAM/storage trim with 8GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB storage, which is now carrying UFS 3.1 speeds. Storage is expandable via the microSDXC slot. The new 4,415mAh battery supports 30W wired charging speeds. The software department is also interesting, as Fairphone 6 comes with two options. The 'regular' Fairphone 6 boots a near-stock Android 15, but you can also opt for the 'de-Googled' version running on /e/OS. The latter is still based on Android Open-Source Project (AOSP), but it omits Google apps and services for privacy-conscious users. Fairphone 6 comes in Cloud White, Forest Green, and Horizon Black colors. The regular Android 15 version is priced at €599 while the one with /e/OS starts at €649. Fairphone 6 • Fairphone 6 (/e/OS edition)
The Verge
3 days ago
- The Verge
The smaller Fairphone 6 introduces swappable accessories
Fairphone has announced its latest repairable smartphone, nearly two years after introducing the last upgrade. The new Fairphone 6 is smaller and 9 percent lighter than its predecessor, but it includes a larger 4,415mAh battery — easily replaceable by removing just seven screws — that will power the phone for up to 53 hours on a full charge. It's also more modular than previous versions, with new accessories like a card holder and finger loop that can be attached to the back of the phone. The Fairphone 6 is available now through the company's online store and other European retailers for €599 (around $696). There are black, green, and white color options. But as with previous versions dating back to the Fairphone 3, the new model will only be available in the US through Murena, and delivery is expected sometime in August. Instead of running standard Android, the Murena version of the Fairphone 6 will feature a privacy-focused and de-Googled version of Android that the company calls /e/OS. It's available for preorder now for $899. The Fairphone 6 has a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 mobile processor, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage that's expandable up to 2TB using an SDXC card. It also features a 6.31-inch LTPO OLED display that's slightly smaller than the Fairphone 5's 6.46-inch screen, but with a refresh rate boosted from 90Hz to 120Hz. On the back, you'll find a 50MP main camera and a 13MP ultrawide camera, while the front has a 32MP hole-punch camera for selfies and video calls. That's a significant step down from the Fairphone 5, which used 50MP sensors on all three of its cameras. The Fairphone 6's physical design is similar to the previous model, although the lenses on the back are no longer located on a small camera bump and instead sit directly on the back panel. That panel is more modular now, allowing the lower section to be removed using just two screws and replaced with alternatives that add more functionality, like a wallet for holding cards or a finger loop for more securely holding the phone with one hand. The idea is similar to the swappable accessories Nothing offers for its CMF Phone 1 and Phone Pro 2, but how useful it will actually be depends on how many accessories Fairphone makes available. Repairability is still a priority for Fairphone, and its new phone carries forward the same modular design of past versions. The modular aspect lets you access and swap 12 different parts — including the screen, battery, and USB port — using just a single standard screwdriver instead of specialized tools. To further extend the Fairphone 6's lifespan, the company includes a five-year warranty and promises eight years of software support through 2033. But the downside to not having everything inside the phone being glued in place and sealed tight is that the Fairphone 6 still has a limited IP55 rating for dust and water resistance. It can get splashed or even blasted with a jet of water, but it won't survive an accidental submersion. Aside from performance improvements and the new modular accessories, Fairphone seems to be staying the course with its latest smartphone, but it is introducing one additional new feature on the software side: Fairphone Moments. Activated through a physical switch on the phone's side, it will let you 'toggle between a full-featured smartphone and a minimalist experience.' We don't know exactly what Fairphone Moments will be minimizing, but since the company describes it as being 'a mindful way to engage with technology, putting owners in control, not their notifications,' it sounds like an alternate mode that reduces distractions so you can focus on specific tasks.
Tom's Guide
4 days ago
- Tom's Guide
The modular Fairphone 6 could be a game changer for upgradability and repairability — and it needs to come to the US
I've happily used an iPhone for the past six years, but the thing I hate about it the most is that you can't repair anything yourself. If your screen cracks, camera lens breaks or the charging port gets damaged, then off you must trot to Apple for a pricey repair job. I'm not just taking jabs at Apple though, this is broadly true of all the best phones. If something breaks, the manufacturers have made it difficult, if not impossible (physically or economically), for you to fix it. The Fairphone series is different. It has a modular design with easily switchable components, a long warranty, and extended parts availability, so you should be able to keep your phone in working order for five years or more. We're just a day away from the launch of the Fairphone 6 (to be announced on June 25), which sounds like it'll be the most repairable version of the phone yet. But I'm still praying that it'll actually come to the U.S. this time. I'm old enough to remember when you could grab a Nokia phone, slide the external case off, and change the battery. This is the phone I grew up with, one where you're not locked out but invited in to change components. And can you imagine how much easier it'd be if you could carry a small battery to switch in when you're running out of power instead of a large power bank? That's one of the most immediately notable things about the Fairphone, especially the Fairphone 6. According to WinFuture, the latest iteration of the repairable phone will have a two-part rear cover; one for the camera and another to expose the battery. Although it looks like it'll be technically possible to remove the case, it does appear to be held on with a few small screws, so hot swaps on the go probably won't be practical. But one of the first things to go bad on any phone is the battery. So being able to change the battery will extend the life of your phone, which is one of Fairphone's aims. In fairness, a lot of the big brands have got better at this, offering longer update support to keep devices in play for longer. But my partner's iPhone 13 Pro battery dropped below 60% capacity recently on a phone just a few years old, and we got it replaced at the Apple Store. That cost almost $100, while Fairphone sells replacement batteries for just under $50. Five years ago, I tested the Fairphone 3 for MakeUseOf. I loved the ethics of the company (they aim to have traceability on all components and ensure fair labor practices) and the approach of the phone, but the trade-off with less remarkable performance. But the situation has dramatically improved now, based on what we've heard of the Fairphone 6 from WinFuture. It'll have a 6.31-inch 120Hz OLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage (expandable up to 2TB) and a fingerprint reader hidden in the power button. Those are far from flagship specs, but are similar to the internals of the Google Pixel 9a, one of our favorite cheap phones. And even though the Pixel 9a is just a fraction below $500 and the Fairphone 6 is rumored to launch at €550 ($640), the modular design of the Fairphone means you could keep the phone running for a lot longer with performance updates, even considering Google's promised seven years of software up Earlier in the year, I reported on the fallout from the Trump tariffs imposed with little warning on all goods imported to the U.S. These affected pretty much every product across every industry, but one of the most notable (for me) was Framework. Within not much time at all, the company worked it out enough to still bring its repairable laptops to the U.S. And this is incredibly good news; these tariffs, whether at the baseline 10% or something higher, are going to make things more expensive. There have been price rises almost across the board on laptops, headphones, smartwatches and phones launching in the U.S. Some brands have been upfront about why, others less so, but either way, it's going to hurt your wallet. So it's going to make upgrading to a new $1,000 iPhone every couple of years a lot less appealing. The Fairphone 6 could be the solution, but only if the company brings it to the U.S. Fairphone is a European company, and generally doesn't sell direct in the U.S. That's why, although I loved them, I couldn't recommend the brand's repairable Fairbuds earbuds as some of the best workout headphones. However, in the past, it partnered with Murena, developer of the de-Googled Android edition known as e/OS. Through Murena, you could buy a Google-free version of the Fairphone 4, though not the Fairphone 5. But given that iFixit rated the Fairphone 5 a perfect 10/10 for repairability, let's hope that tomorrow we find that the latest model will land on American shores at some point this year, for the planet and for your wallet.
