Fairphone 6

The only choice for environmentally minded people, but also a solid mid-range Android phone in its own right

- TOM BEDFORD

Fairphone has always sought to offer the most eco-friendly smartphones on the market. In the Fairphone 6, that shows in the use of recycled materials wherever possible, in production processes that support fair working conditions, and in using energy from renewable sources. What's more, as with past models, it's easy to replace and repair parts yourself, and with this new generation you can also add a range of accessories, such as a finger loop, a card holder or a lanyard.

The standard handset costs £499 - a welcome step down from the £649 of 2023's Fairphone 5 (see issue 355, p44). That makes this a competitive smartphone in its own right, especially since it comes with 256GB of storage. There’s even a “de-Googled” version for an extra £50 that comes with the open-source /e/OS instead of Android.

Chunky design

Like past models, the Fairphone 6 has a thicker body than most phones at 9.6mm. The phone and accessories come in white, green and black; my review unit was white with green accessories. This proved an attractive combo, but I found the white handset picked up marks and stains easily.

The buttons and connections are mostly as you'd expect. There’s no 3.5mm audio jack - Fairphone ditched that years ago when everyone else did - but you can listen to music over Bluetooth 5.4, or using a USB-C adapter. One nice surprise is the inclusion of a microSD slot for adding extra storage, a rare feature nowadays. The fingerprint sensor is embedded in the power button, rather than under the screen as is now common, but I didn’t mind this as it proved quick and reliable in use.