Ask tech enthusiasts and average consumers what they want to change about their smartphones, and you’ll get a variety of answers. I’d bet that most people aren’t concerned with even faster chips or even sharper camera lenses. Instead, we want to see things like more affordable prices, devices that are easier to repair, and phones that don’t ship with a host of privacy concerns. I’ve been testing the Fairphone 6, and to quote a rock legend, “two out of three ain’t bad.”
The Murena Fairphone 6, now available in the U.S., isn’t affordable by any means. However, the Fairphone 6 is absurdly repairable, to the point that almost anyone can complete a successful battery swap. It’s also private, as the stateside version sold by Murena runs the brand’s custom /e/OS ROM, which offers deep security protections and a de-Googled experience.
The Fairphone 6 specs won’t blow you away
You’re paying for an ethical, repairable smartphone
I won’t sugarcoat it—the Fairphone 6’s specs are nothing impressive. The heart of the experience is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, a midrange mobile processor first released in 2024. It’s paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, but you get a microSDXC slot for expansion up to 2TB. Oddly enough, the microSD slot lives underneath the internal battery and requires a few screws to access, like the secondary SIM tray.
Of these specs, I’d say the storage options are excellent, and dual physical SIMs are a nice bonus. The Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 isn’t even that worrisome if you temper your expectations, as I’ve used plenty of midrange phones with slower chips without issue. However, the part that scares me is the 8GB of non-upgradeable memory, as this arguably isn’t future-proofed enough for a phone that is supposed to last many years.
Otherwise, the fit and finish of the Fairphone 6 is outstanding. It’s 9.6mm thick and weighs only 195 grams, which are modest figures for a phone this repairable. The plastic shell is satisfying to hold and attractive, even if it picks up fingerprints and skin oils way too easily. The IP55 certification is slightly subpar by modern standards, but it’s good enough.
And the display and cameras? They’re genuinely solid. The screen is a 6.31-inch P-OLED LTPO panel with a pixel density of 432 pixels per inch and support for 120Hz refresh rates. The primary shooter is a 50MP Sony Lytia 700C lens. If you can look past the middling SoC, you might like what you find inside the Fairphone 6.
I’m stunned at how easily I can repair this phone
It took me seven screws to get to the battery
Of course, the reason the Fairphone 6 is technically underpowered and overpriced is that it’s sustainable and repairable. Constructing a phone that’s designed to be repaired, with ethically-sourced materials, using fair labor isn’t cheap. In this regard, Fairphone did an excellent job. There are 12 components within the Fairphone 6 that can be easily repaired with a single Torx T5 screwdriver.
As an avid tinkerer, I tried to tear the Fairphone 6 apart, and was surprised by just how easy it was. Two screws are prominently installed on the back, and once removed, you can slide the back cover off. After that, you’re looking straight at the battery, complete with clear labels. Remove five more screws, and you can swap out the battery in minutes. I’ve done a lot of hardware mods, upgrades, and repairs over the years—none were as easy as this.
Fixing My Phone Was Much Easier Than I Thought, and I Saved Myself Money
Fixing your smartphone is easier than ever.
This is crucial because batteries will always need to be replaced. Whether we acknowledge it or not, batteries push us to upgrade more than any other component. When they degrade, battery life shortens, and performance becomes unreliable, leading buyers to believe they need an entirely new phone. With the Fairphone 6, a replacement battery costs about $47 and can be replaced in minutes by anyone.
In addition, the display and glass, top unit, cameras, earpiece, USB-C port, and loudspeaker are all modular components that can be replaced with only that same T5 screwdriver.
Is it time to seriously consider the Fairphone 6?
Fairphone is offering us everything we claim to want
The Fairphone 6 is sold by Murena, the developer of /e/OS, in the U.S. I happen to think /e/OS is a really cool privacy-focused Android operating system that fits in perfectly with the Fairphone 6’s mission. People who want an ethical, sustainable, and repairable smartphone probably want it to run a secure and bloatware-free OS, too. However, U.S. buyers end up paying a premium to buy the phone through official Murena channels in the states.
This phone is much more approachable at €599 in Europe, which is just under $700 when you account for taxes and tariffs (the latter of which are seemingly changing by the day). Buyers are effectively paying an extra $200 for Murena fulfillment that nets you /e/OS preinstalled, plus a five-year warranty. You can buy it via Amazon in the U.S., but note that only T-Mobile is officially supported. AT&T works but is not officially supported, and Verizon won’t work at all.
With all that in mind, yes, it’s time for U.S. buyers to seriously consider the Fairphone 6. If you’re in Europe, I’m jealous, because this phone is an even easier sell there with regional pricing. I can’t speak for everyone, but many of us claim to want private, repairable devices that don’t fall victim to planned obsolescence. The Fairphone 6 fits the bill perfectly, and eventually we’ll have to put our money where our mouth is and actually buy these fair-trade, user-repairable devices.
- SoC
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
- Operating System
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/e/OS
- Rear camera
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50MP Sony Lytia 700C
- Others
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Repairable with a single T5 screwdriver
The Murena Fairphone 6 is a repairable, sustainable, and ethical Android phone powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor. The Murena model available in the U.S. runs the company’s privacy-focused /e/OS, which removes Google’s Android bloat while maintaining AOSP as a base.
