Fairphone 6 launches with an improved modular design, brighter display, and bigger battery for €599

The Fairphone 6 or Fairphone (Gen. 6) has been announced as the latest smartphone from Amsterdam-based Fairphone. Like the previous models, the Fairphone 6 is said to have been manufactured in factories where the working conditions and wages are fair. Fairphone also claims its new smartphone features more recycled and fairly-sourced materials than previous models.

Like the Fairphone 5 (available on Amazon.de for €499), the new Fairphone 6 has a modular design that allows owners to easily replace parts that get damaged. For the new model, Fairphone will provide twelve replaceable parts that include the display, cameras, battery, speaker, and back panels. All of these components can be replaced with the aid of just a screwdriver. Pricing for the spare parts can be viewed here. However, the modularity doesn't stop there.

The Fairphone 6 now supports accessories that can be attached to the back in a fashion similar to the CMF Phone 2 Pro. Owners will be able to purchase a card holder, finger loop, or carrying strap that can be attached to the phone.

With respect to its specs, the Fairphone 6 is a mix of upgrades and downgrades when compared to its predecessor. The display, while now smaller at 6.31 inches is an LTPO P-OLED display with a 1116 x 2484 resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Gorilla Glass 7i. The display also has PWM and DC dimming but its 240Hz touch sample rate is lower than the 300Hz of the Fairphone 5. However, peak brightness has received a huge boost from 800 nits to 1400 nits.

Under the hood is a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor paired with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. There's a microSD card slot for adding up to an extra 2TB of storage. The primary rear camera is a 50MP Sony Lytia 700C sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS) and is capable of recording in 4K.

Although the 50MP ultrawide angle camera of the Fairphone 5 has been replaced with a 13MP f/2.2 camera, the new sensor has OIS and it can shoot macro images, too. The time of flight sensor also makes a comeback. The selfie camera is no longer a 50MP Samsung JN1 sensor but a 32MP Samsung KD1 sensor with autofocus, OIS, and electronic image stabilization (EIS). There are several camera modes available in addition to a pro mode for better control.

The Fairphone 6 has stereo speakers but lacks an audio jack. Supported codecs include SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD,aptX adaptive. The phone also has Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, dual SIM (nano-SIM + eSIM), a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock, a barometer, and is rated IP55 for dust and water resistance. Despite the smaller size, there's a larger 4,415mAh battery inside it, but it still charges at 30W.

The Fairphone 6 ships with Android 15 with Google Gemini AI integration and will receive 8 years of software support 'including at least 7 Android OS upgrades'. Like previous generations, there's also an /e/OS version available. The phone also comes with a lime physical switch on the right hand side that activates a distraction-free space called Fairphone Moments. When activated, the UI changes into a simplified one with only the five apps you have granted access. There's also the option to create custom profiles for Fairphone moments.

The Fairphone 6 is available to buy starting today in Cloud White, Forest Green, and Horizon Black for €599 (~695. The /e/OS version costs a bit more at €649 (~$753).