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The Fairphone 6 no longer feels like a compromise (except in the US)

The most repairable Fairphone yet is also the first I can easily recommend — but only if you live in Europe.

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fairphone-6-15
fairphone-6-15
Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

The Fairphone 6 no longer feels like a compromise (except in the US)

The most repairable Fairphone yet is also the first I can easily recommend — but only if you live in Europe.

Comments0Comments
Dominic Preston
is a news editor with over a decade’s experience in journalism. He previously worked at Android Police and Tech Advisor.

The Fairphone 6 arrives almost two years after the 5, a testament to the company’s approach to the upgrade cycle. If anything, I suspect the company would be frustrated if Fairphone 5 owners were considering a new model already — these are phones to keep, to repair, and to hold on to until the bitter end.

The newest Fairphone continues the company’s commitment to user-repairability, long-term customer support, and ethical production. That means compromises for the consumer: You’ll find more powerful phones with prettier displays and more capable cameras for less money. But this year those compromises are smaller and easier than ever before, while the phone remains a lot better for the planet — you can’t say fairer than that.

Photo of the Fairphone 6 lying on a green cutting mat

7

Verge Score

$899

The Good

  • Exceptionally user-repairable
  • Ethically produced
  • Decent performance
  • Long-term software support

The Bad

  • Basic cameras
  • Only IP55
  • Expensive in the US

The Fairphone 6 is available now across the UK and Europe. It costs €599 / £499 for a version running Fairphone’s custom Android software, which is fairly close to the stock experience, or €50 / £50 more running /e/OS, a privacy-centric, Google-free version of Android made by Murena. If you’re in the US, that’s the only model available, and you’ll have to buy it directly from Murena for $899, a price that Murena founder and CEO Gaël Duval told me reflects tariffs on US imports. It’s a substantial price difference that takes the Fairphone 6 from competing with midrangers like the Pixel 9A in Europe to flagships like the Pixel 10 or iPhone 16 in the US, making it significantly harder to justify.

Photo of the Fairphone 6 lying on a green cutting mat showing /e/OS on the screen
/e/OS replaces Google’s Discover feed with a set of dedicated privacy controls.
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