I’d have liked to see Fairphone win some brownie points with a headphone jack, but alas. You’ll at least appreciate the microSD card slot to expand on the already generous 256 GB of internal storage (unusual at this price). You might even prefer the capacitive fingerprint sensor baked into the side power button, rather than the under-display fingerprint sensor in most Android phones.
Long-Lasting
People are holding onto their phones for longer. But manufacturers can do several things to make it easier. Software and security updates are crucial, and thankfully, Fairphone promises seven years of updates through 2033. It also comes with a five-year warranty, virtually unheard of for a phone.
A big part of the Fairphone is repairability (iFixit gave it a 10/10 score). With the included screwdriver, you can remove that same backplate mentioned earlier to access the battery. Fairphone has instructions on its website for accessing the 11 other components you can replace, from the speakers and display to the USB-C port. Fairphone will sell these parts through 2033, and they’re cheap, too! Replacing the display, for example, will cost just $90. (You can also access most of this information in the preinstalled My Fairphone app.)
There are some caveats. The Fairphone (Gen. 6+) only has an IP55 dust- and water-resistance rating, meaning it’ll be fine in the rain, but a drop in the pool may wreck it. That’s the trade-off for having such easy access to the device’s internals for repairs.
And while the Gen. 6+ works on T-Mobile and AT&T, it doesn’t support Verizon (which includes all the smaller MVNOs that rely on Verizon’s network, like Visible). Fairphone’s website has a chart showing carrier compatibility, and you’ll see that some MVNOs on AT&T’s network are only partially supported, like Boost Mobile and Cricket. Other limitations include the lack of millimeter-wave 5G or missing eSIM support on T-Mobile. For what it’s worth, I’ve used it with an eSIM on Google Fi—the phone dips to 4G more often than other phones, but it hasn’t been a big issue for me. Your mileage may vary.
Can you find better specs for the money? Sure. The Pixel 10a will easily give you a better camera system. For $50 more, the new Samsung Galaxy S26 FE delivers flagship-grade performance and a telephoto camera. But you’ll also be out of pocket if you drop either phone and need a screen replacement. The Fairphone doesn’t have that problem, and you’ll have a little more peace of mind that your phone was made sustainably, with fair wages paid out to folks in the supply chain. The Fairphone (Gen. 6+) proves you no longer have to make massive compromises just to take a stand.
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