I reviewed the Fairphone Gen 6 to see if a repairable phone is worth using for the next 7 years

Buying a repairable phone, where you can change broken screens or a dead battery yourself, sounds like a great idea. However, the repairable phone has to be desirable and powerful enough to be worth using for many years if you’re going to get your money’s worth from it.

The Fairphone (Gen 6+) wants to be that phone. I’ve been using it for more than seven days to see if I could live with it for up to seven years.

8/10

SoC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7S Gen 4

Display dimensions

6.31-inch

Battery

4415mAh

RAM

12GB

The Fairphone (Gen 6+) is a lightly refreshed version of the Fairphone (Gen 6), and now available to buy in the US. It’s a compelling prospect for those who value repairability, and want to support companies with strong values.

Pros & Cons

• Repairable at home
• Responsibly produced
• Fast charging
• Long warranty
• Essentials Mode is useful

• Aggressive power management
• Software can be unreliable

Price, specs, and availability

The Fairphone (Gen 6+) is officially available in the US through the Fairphone online store. It costs $650 and comes in a single 12GB/256GB configuration. In the UK, the Fairphone Gen 6+ costs £569.

Fairphone’s website shows the (Gen 6+) will work on AT&T, T-Mobile, and T-Mobile’s MVNO operators, including Mint Mobile and Google Fi.

The Fairphone (Gen 6+) faces considerable competition. The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE and Galaxy A57, Nothing Phone 4(a) Pro, Honor 600, Oppo Reno16, Motorola Edge, and Google Pixel 10a are among the devices you should also consider.

However, none can match the Fairphone (Gen 6+)’s repairability, and not all come close to its long software update commitment either. You will likely choose to buy the Fairphone (Gen 6+) for different reasons than the models mentioned above.

Fairphone (Gen 6+) design

Made for repairability

The Fairphone (Gen 6+) has a unique style, influenced by its repairability. Panels are separated because you can take the phone apart, and there are two exposed Torx T5 screw heads ready for you to undo.

It’s made of plastic and feels very durable. The spec backs this up, with a decent (considering anyone can take the phone apart) IP55 dust and water resistance rating, and MIL-SPEC-810H toughness certification.

The body is thick at 9.6mm but light at just 193 grams. The plastic body can get quite smudgy, but despite the sharp angles on each side, it’s fairly comfortable to hold for longer periods of time.

On the side is a big, yellow slider which can be configured to turn on the battery saver, flight mode, Do Not Disturb, change sound profiles, and a few other options. It’s useful, but the switch itself looks and feels cheap. It’s the same story with the volume buttons.

However, it’s the power key, which also includes the fingerprint sensor, that frustrates most. It’s set flush with the side of the phone, and there’s no obvious way to quickly locate it with your finger. The fingerprint unlock is fast once you get used to the placement of the sensor.

I love the Cobalt Blue color, exclusive to the (Gen 6+), but you can also get it in Forest Green or Horizon Black.

From the concave section on the lower part of the rear panel to the Cobalt Blue color, the Fairphone (Gen 6+) has its own identity, and I really like that. Just don’t expect it to feel as expensive and luxurious as a metal and glass flagship phone.

Fairphone (Gen 6+) camera

Stick to the main camera

It may look like there are three cameras on the back of the Fairphone (Gen 6+), but there are only two. A 50-megapixel main camera with an f/1.88 aperture and optical and electronic stabilization (OIS and EIS) is paired with a 13MP wide-angle camera. On the front is a 32MP selfie camera with autofocus and EIS.

The main camera takes decent photos in good light; the 2x mode is usable enough, and colors are natural with plenty of pop, and you can get a lovely depth of field too.

Look closely, though, and there’s not much detail in the photos, which are spoiled by noticeable haze if you crop down. There’s a macro mode enabled by the wide-angle camera, but the lack of autofocus makes it hard to get a good photo.

The camera shutter is also quite slow to react, so don’t expect to capture many action shots. Practically every photo of my cat taken with the Fairphone (Gen 6+) is blurred.

Provided you don’t have high expectations, the Fairphone (Gen 6+)’s main camera won’t disappoint in the right environments.

Fairphone (Gen 6+) software and performance

Power management spoils the show

The design, camera, and screen are all the same as the Fairphone (Gen 6+), with the big difference between them being the change to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7S Gen 4 processor and 12GB of RAM.

The 6.31-inch, 120Hz AMOLED screen is acceptable, with good viewing angles and bright colors. The Gorilla Glass 7i isn’t my favorite as it attracts fingerprints, and the Fairphone (Gen 6+)’s ambient light sensor is very aggressive and often reduces the brightness too low.

Another odd issue is the autorotation, which is very keen to switch to landscape orientation at the slightest twitch of the phone. I’ve found it very frustrating in apps like Google Health, where it quickly obscures data and buttons.

The mid-range processor handles everyday tasks with ease, and I haven’t had any performance issues using Chrome, various apps, and Google Maps. However, I have found notifications to be unreliable, especially with apps like Gmail.

Also, Google Health struggled to maintain a constant connection with my Fitbit Air, and the app was often confused about whether it was paired or not. I have not had this issue with any other phone. All this may be down to the Fairphone’s power management, as things improved when I forced apps to run in the background.

The main problems will come if you want to play the top games or get the best performance from them. I played Asphalt 9: Legends, and it defaults to 30fps as the chip can’t handle 60fps. It plays well, though, but anyone expecting to play high-end games will be disappointed.

Android 16 is installed, and Fairphone promises Android updates until 2033, which is excellent. Android is clean with no superfluous pre-installed apps. It’s quite Pixel-like, and far from the complex versions of Android found on Xiaomi or even Samsung phones.

You can use the side Switch to activate Fairphone Essentials Mode, where a collection of focus modes limits what you can do with the phone, ready to minimize distractions. Essentials Mode is well-designed and easy to activate when you need it.

Outside of Google Gemini, which has no issues working on the Snapdragon 7S Gen 4 chip for general conversation, there are no proprietary AI features to ignore. How refreshing.

One last thing to mention is the Fairphone (Gen 6+)’s stereo speakers and audio performance. There’s a mass of volume, making games and video more engaging.

Fairphone (Gen 6+) unique selling points

Responsible and repairable

The reason you will want to buy the Fairphone (Gen 6+) is not because of the screen, camera, or performance. It’s the repairability, sustainable materials, and transparent business practices.

There are 12 user-replaceable components, including the screen, battery, camera, USB port, rear panel, fingerprint sensor, side buttons, and microphones. Fairphone states the parts will be available until 2033, matching its software commitment. Fairphone also provides a five-year warranty on the phone.

The company pays factory workers fairly and provides living wage bonuses, and says its tungsten and gold are fairly mined. The device uses 51% fair or recycled materials, including aluminum, copper, steel, plastics, and more.

Fairphone (Gen 6+) battery and charging

Good performance all round

The replaceable battery inside the Fairphone (Gen 6+) has a 4,415mAh capacity and supports 27W wired charging. The phone does not have wireless charging, which is frustrating for a device at this price, but unavoidable due to its repairable nature.

Battery life has been great. I’ve easily seen five to six hours of screen time on a single charge without gaming. A 30-minute Asphalt 9: Legends play session takes about 4%, and a 30-minute YouTube video over Wi-Fi takes 3%.

Fairphone claims a 50% charge takes 30 minutes, and a full charge in 85 minutes. It easily achieved the 50% charge in 30 minutes using my Anker Prime charger, and matched the 85-minute full charge time.

Should you buy the Fairphone (Gen 6+)?

The Fairphone (Gen 6+) is a hard phone to give a yes or no answer to whether it’s worth buying. You will either want it, or you won’t, because its unique selling points will attract a particular type of dedicated and conscientious buyer, and they aren’t really served elsewhere.

If you’re looking for a sustainably produced, ethically made, repairable phone, the choice is extremely limited. The Fairphone (Gen 6+) is a perfectly usable mid-range phone, and you pay more for it due to the way it’s made. Buyers looking for a phone like it will be happy to pay more.

It’s great to see Fairphone make the (Gen 6+) available in the US, especially with a five-year warranty and a software update commitment until 2033, and it makes this a fantastic buy if longevity is also high on your wishlist.

If those aspects aren’t that important, and a comprehensive camera and enough performance for high-end gaming are, you’ll want to look elsewhere. I couldn’t see myself using it until 2033, regardless of whether it can last that long.

See what I mean? If Fairphone’s major unique selling points are what you want most in a phone, the Fairphone (Gen 6+) is a recommended buy. For anyone not interested in them, or with different performance requirements, the list of alternatives is long and tempting.

8/10

SoC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7S Gen 4

Display dimensions

6.31-inch

Rear camera

50MP main / 13MP wide-angle

RAM

12GB

The Fairphone (Gen 6+) is a very different proposition to almost every other current phone, and you’ll likely be considering it not because of specs, but because of how long it can last, and the company’s values.With this in mind, it’s a good buy, but don’t expect the software polish seen on competitors like the Pixel 10a.