Fairphone 6+ review: the most repairable, ethical phone gets faster
Dutch sustainable smartphone revamped with new chip and more RAM without sacrificing modular design Fairphone’s top Android for 2026 is a little faster with more memory while maintaining full compatibility with its previous phone, including its repairable and ethical chops. The Fairphone 6+ continues the Dutch cooperative’s mission to make consumer electronics longer lasting and more sustainable,…
Dutch manufacturer Fairphone has revamped its top Android model for 2026, the Fairphone 6+, by adding a more powerful chip and extra memory, while keeping its modular design intact. This latest iteration of the Fairphone maintains compatibility with its previous model, retaining all the repairable and ethical features that make it stand out in the sustainable smartphone market.
The Fairphone 6+ uses 51% recycled or ethically sourced materials, and it is fully repairable at home using just a single screwdriver. This model marks the first time Fairphone has expanded its reach beyond Europe, making it available directly in the US. However, this new model costs £70 (€50) more than the previous Fairphone 6, with a price tag of £569 (€649/$649.99) for Google Android and £598.63 (€699.99/$699.99) for the e/OS alternative.
Aside from the updated Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip and an additional 4GB of memory for a total of 12GB, the Fairphone 6+ maintains a similar design to its predecessor, boasting a 120Hz OLED screen, fingerprint scanner in the power button, and the same modular accessories that can be attached to the back of the phone. It is approximately 2g heavier than the Fairphone 6 but offers similar performance, thanks to the upgraded chip, which is about six to 10% faster in testing, placing it in the mid-range category.
Battery life remains comparable to its predecessor, providing about a day and a half of usage with moderate usage, including messaging, browsing, and photos. The phone takes about 80 minutes to charge fully using a 30W power adapter. The dual-camera system remains the same, featuring a 50-megapixel main camera and 13MP ultra-wide camera, with modest improvements in software updates.
The phone can capture decent photos and offers a 2x zoom feature, although it struggles in low-light conditions. Connectivity options include 5G, eSIM, wifi 6E, NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, and GNSS.
Running Android 16, the 6+ is supported with updates until 2033, similar to other mainstream smartphones. While it comes with Google's Gemini AI features, it also offers an alternative privacy-focused version, /e/OS, for users who prefer an alternative to Google's Android. The battery should retain at least 80% of its original capacity for 1,000 charge cycles and can be replaced at home using a single screwdriver, along with the remaining 12 modular components.
The Fairphone 6+ has received a perfect score of 10 out of 10 for repairability from iFixit, thanks to its modular design and easy-to-replace components. The phone is priced at £569 (€649/$649.99) with Google Android or £598.63 (€699.99/$699.99) with e/OS. When compared to other flagship smartphones like the Google Pixel 10a, Apple iPhone 17e, and Nothing Phone 4a Pro, the Fairphone 6+ offers decent performance, a good screen, and a five-year software support warranty, but falls short in terms of camera quality and high-end specs.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Technology's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
