Fairphone has introduced its newest repairable smartphone, practically two years after introducing the final improve. The brand new Fairphone 6 is smaller and 9 % lighter than its predecessor, however it features a bigger 4,415mAh battery — simply replaceable by eradicating simply seven screws — that can energy the cellphone for as much as 53 hours on a full cost. It’s additionally extra modular than earlier variations, with new equipment like a card holder and finger loop that may be hooked up to the again of the cellphone.
The Fairphone 6 is obtainable now by way of the company’s online store and different European retailers for €599 (round $696). There are black, inexperienced, and white coloration choices. However as with earlier variations courting again to the Fairphone 3, the brand new mannequin will solely be out there within the US by way of Murena, and supply is anticipated someday in August. As a substitute of operating customary Android, the Murena model of the Fairphone 6 will function a privacy-focused and de-Googled model of Android that the company calls /e/OS. It’s out there for preorder now for $899.
The Fairphone 6 has a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 cell processor, 8GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage that’s expandable as much as 2TB utilizing an SDXC card. It additionally contains a 6.31-inch LTPO OLED show that’s barely smaller than the Fairphone 5’s 6.46-inch display screen, however with a refresh charge boosted from 90Hz to 120Hz.
On the again, you’ll discover a 50MP major digicam and a 13MP ultrawide digicam, whereas the entrance has a 32MP hole-punch digicam for selfies and video calls. That’s a major step down from the Fairphone 5, which used 50MP sensors on all three of its cameras.
The Fairphone 6’s bodily design is much like the earlier mannequin, though the lenses on the again are not positioned on a small digicam bump and as a substitute sit instantly on the again panel. That panel is extra modular now, permitting the decrease part to be eliminated utilizing simply two screws and changed with options that add extra performance, like a pockets for holding playing cards or a finger loop for extra securely holding the cellphone with one hand. The concept is much like the swappable equipment Nothing affords for its CMF Cellphone 1 and Cellphone Professional 2, however how helpful it should truly be will depend on what number of equipment Fairphone makes out there.
Repairability continues to be a precedence for Fairphone, and its new cellphone carries ahead the identical modular design of previous variations. The modular side permits you to entry and swap 12 totally different elements — together with the display screen, battery, and USB port — utilizing only a single customary screwdriver as a substitute of specialised instruments.
To additional lengthen the Fairphone 6’s lifespan, the corporate features a five-year guarantee and guarantees eight years of software program help by way of 2033. However the draw back to not having all the things contained in the cellphone being glued in place and sealed tight is that the Fairphone 6 nonetheless has a restricted IP55 score for mud and water resistance. It could actually get splashed and even blasted with a jet of water, however it received’t survive an unintended submersion.
Other than efficiency enhancements and the brand new modular equipment, Fairphone appears to be staying the course with its newest smartphone, however it’s introducing one further new function on the software program facet: Fairphone Moments. Activated by way of a bodily change on the cellphone’s facet, it should allow you to “toggle between a full-featured smartphone and a minimalist expertise.”
We don’t know precisely what Fairphone Moments shall be minimizing, however for the reason that firm describes it as being “a aware approach to interact with know-how, placing homeowners in management, not their notifications,“ it appears like an alternate mode that reduces distractions so you may deal with particular duties.