Fairphone has introduced its newest repairable smartphone, practically two years after introducing the final improve. The brand new Fairphone 6 is smaller and 9 p.c lighter than its predecessor, nevertheless 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 connected to the again of the cellphone.
The Fairphone 6 is obtainable now via the corporate’s on-line retailer 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 obtainable within the US via Murena, and supply is anticipated someday in August. As an alternative of operating normal Android, the Murena model of the Fairphone 6 will characteristic a privacy-focused and de-Googled model of Android that the corporate calls /e/OS. It’s obtainable 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 fee boosted from 90Hz to 120Hz.
On the again, you’ll discover a 50MP predominant digital camera and a 13MP ultrawide digital camera, whereas the entrance has a 32MP hole-punch digital camera for selfies and video calls. That’s a big 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 now not situated on a small digital camera bump and as a substitute sit immediately 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 presents for its CMF Telephone 1 and Telephone Professional 2, however how helpful it’s going to really be is dependent upon what number of equipment Fairphone makes obtainable.
Repairability continues to be a precedence for Fairphone, and its new cellphone carries ahead the identical modular design of previous variations. The modular facet enables you to entry and swap 12 totally different components — together with the display screen, battery, and USB port — utilizing only a single normal screwdriver as a substitute of specialised instruments.
To additional prolong the Fairphone 6’s lifespan, the corporate features a five-year guarantee and guarantees eight years of software program help via 2033. However the draw back to not having every thing contained in the cellphone being glued in place and sealed tight is that the Fairphone 6 nonetheless has a restricted IP55 ranking for mud and water resistance. It may get splashed and even blasted with a jet of water, nevertheless it received’t survive an unintentional submersion.
Except for efficiency enhancements and the brand new modular equipment, Fairphone appears to be staying the course with its newest smartphone, however it’s introducing one extra new characteristic on the software program aspect: Fairphone Moments. Activated via a bodily change on the cellphone’s aspect, it’s going to allow you to “toggle between a full-featured smartphone and a minimalist expertise.”
We don’t know precisely what Fairphone Moments can be minimizing, however because the firm describes it as being “a conscious option to have interaction with know-how, placing homeowners in management, not their notifications,“ it feels like an alternate mode that reduces distractions so you possibly can deal with particular duties.
