Fairphone 6 Plus review: an eco-friendly phone that’s finally available in the US

Fairphone 6 Plus: Two-minute review

To many in Europe, Fairphone is seen as a niche yet reliable Android manufacturer that specializes in one thing: fair phones. Its devices are made from eco-friendly materials, in factories that respect their workers, and are designed to last ages so they don’t become e-waste.

But the new Fairphone 6 Plus — officially called the Fairphone Gen 6 Plus — is not just for European buyers. It’s the first of the Dutch brand’s smartphones to be released in the US, giving a whole new audience of green-minded consumers the chance to buy a phone that aligns with their ethical beliefs.

If that’s you, the Fairphone 6‘s slightly newer successor is an easy recommendation; there’s no real competition in the environmentally-friendly phone space, at least since Teracube stopped making new devices. But there are other reasons to pick up the Fairphone 6 Plus, too.

For starters, it boasts impressive durability credentials, with a military-grade chassis and plastic body that shrugs off drops and bumps with ease. If you do damage something, the phone is easy to open up at home, allowing you to replace parts instead of throwing the device away or shelling out loads of money for a company to repair it.

In fact, that’s Fairphone’s whole schtick: it wants your phone to last as long as possible, to avoid it going into landfill (they’re eco-friendly, remember). So the 7 years of software updates make sense too.

Okay, so you’re now brushed up on Fairphone, but let’s fully rip the band-aid off: the brand’s phones are rarely good value for money if you compare them with similarly priced rivals. It’s the same with Fairphone’s audio products, like the Fairbuds XL: you pay for longevity, not features.

Samsung, Google, and Motorola all offer Fairphone 6 Plus-beating phones for the same price, and if you live outside the US, a whole host of Chinese brands offer superior specs for a fraction of the cost. The Fairphone 6 Plus doesn’t match its rivals in performance, camera capabilities, or slimness (though longevity, of course, is a different conversation).

Normally with Fairphones, you’re paying for their eco-friendly credentials and high level of repairability. But a price hike for the Fairphone 6 Plus over the non-Plus model makes this trade-off a little harder to stomach, especially when the specs are barely different. And sure, price hikes are rife these days — Fairphone isn’t alone in charging more for not much more — but they’re harder to justify when the handsets weren’t that competitive anyway.

But that 4-star score? As a devout green buyer, I’d still recommend the Fairphone 6 Plus. It lets you talk the talk and walk the walk, as long as you don’t need a flagship phone. For me, Fairphone is the only company whose tech is actually, genuinely green — there’s no greenwashing going on here (at least to my knowledge).

Still, the Fairphone 6 Plus is only worth it if you have the money to spare, plan on keeping your handset for a long time, or find it discounted in the sales. And if it is on sale in your country, keep tabs on the Fairphone 6 too: it’s basically the same phone for a slightly lower price.

Fairphone 6 Plus review: price and availability

• Released in August 2026 in Europe and US
• Sells for $649.99 / £569 (roughly AU$1,100)
• Price hike over predecessor

The Fairphone 6 Plus was revealed in mid-August 2026, a little over a year after the unveiling of the ‘standard’ or non-Plus model. This is Fairphone’s modus operandi: it often releases main-series phones every other year, bridging the gap with ‘Plus’ models in the meantime.

This latest Plus model justifies that suffix with its price, though. The Fairphone 6 Plus costs $649.99 / £569 (roughly AU$1,100, though Fairphone doesn’t sell its tech in Australia), which is a sizeable price hike over the Fairphone 6’s £499 (roughly $680 / AU$990) starting price. The latter phone remains on sale as a valid alternative to the newer handset, especially for cost-conscious buyers.

Given the relatively few upgrades the new model offers, for a higher price, its value proposition just isn’t as competitive.

Notice how I could share a US price for the Fairphone 6 Plus? That’s because it’s the first of the brand’s mobiles to be sold in the States, finally giving green-minded US buyers a phone to buy since Teracube went quiet.

As I’ll mention later in the review, the Fairphone 6 Plus is designed to be repaired, and you can easily buy spare parts on the brand’s websites. These range in price and vary by region, and so instead of reeling off a massive list, I’ll simply refer you to Fairphone’s website for the full list.

It’s worth noting, too, that the Fairphone 6 Plus — like many previous Fairphone models — is also available in a de-Googled /e/OS configuration from Murena, which puts privacy at the forefront of the experience. This version of the phone costs $699.99 / £599 (around AU$1,009). We’ll be publishing a separate feature on the de-Googled Fairphone experience in the coming weeks.

Fairphone 6 Plus review: specs

Fairphone 6 Plus review: design

• Bulky handset that stretches the hand
• Neat touches like a switch, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, and military protection
• Easily repairable and modifiable

People often turn their noses up at Fairphones for their middling specs, but I’ve used most of them, and to me, I’d say their designs are an equal reason why some users may be put off. These phones are bulky. The 6 Plus measures 156.5 x 73.3 x 9.6mm and weighs 193g, so in this age of super-slim mobiles, it feels like a dinosaur.

There are benefits to this chunky size. Not only does it ensure the phone is easier to repair — more on that later — but it means it’s better protected too. Case in point, the Fairphone 6 Plus has the military-grade MIL-STD-810H compliance, and IP55 protection against dust and water jets. I used the handset without a case and never felt like it was at risk.

On the left edge of the phone you get your power rocker, and on the right there’s a power button with a fingerprint scanner embedded. This worked flawlessly in my testing, unlocking the handset instantly and never failing to recognise my thumb, though some prefer phones with under-display scanners.

The right edge also has a physical switch, which can be programmed for different functions like turning on Airplane mode, enabling the torch, or enabling Fairphone’s Moments (which basically turns your handset into a ‘Lite’ mode with only access to certain apps). The switch is useful if you use it right, but it’s a shame that the list of functions is a little limited. I can’t use it to instantly open Google Maps, for example, or turn on NFC.

You can buy the mobile in a fetching blue, as you can see in the images, which is new for the Plus model. There are also green and black options, matching the Fairphone 6’s hues (but no white, as was offered for the previous model).

Now onto one of the big draws of Fairphone handsets: they’re designed to be repairable. This means you can remove various elements using a simple Fairphone screwdriver, and replace them if anything is damaged. If you smash the screen of your handset, scratch the lens, or find the battery health greatly diminished, you can simply swap the offending components out instead of buying an entirely new phone.

A side-effect of this modularity, which Fairphone has greatly leaned on in recent years, is that you can remove the parts for another purpose: buying accessories. You can swap out the phone’s back and replace it with a card holder or finger loop, for instance, the latter of which you can see in all of these review pictures (I absolutely love using it to hold the phone).

There are other accessories available from the My Fairphone app, and they all vary in price.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Fairphone 6 Plus review: display

• 6.31 inches, 1,116 x 2,484 resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate, 1,400 nits max brightness
• Decent display, but nothing special

Despite the Fairphone 6 Plus feeling like a pretty chunky phone in the hand, its display is a little smaller than those of many Android rivals.

The panel measures 6.31 inches diagonally, and it’s broken up by a top-center punch-hole cut-out for the front camera. It’s got a 1116 x 2484 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, and 20:9 aspect ratio; the size, OLED build, and 1400-nit max brightness all match the specs of the Fairphone 6’s panel.

A note on the refresh rate: by default, it’s set to 90Hz, so bump it up in the Settings app if you don’t mind the resulting lower battery life.

I can’t pretend that this is the best-looking screen on any Android phone, but the difference between ‘best’ and ‘good enough’ is tiny, and the Fairphone 6 Plus’ display will seem as good as any other to most users. Unless you’re doing something wild like professional photo editing, you’ll find the display to be bright and responsive.

One small annoyance: at the top of the display is a speaker grille, which is much larger than most you see in this day and age. It proved quite the fluff magnet when the phone was in my pocket; I kept having to pick bits of tissue out of it.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Fairphone 6 Plus review: software

• Stock Android 16 (or /e/OS in alternative model)
• And I mean stock: there’s no bloatware or extra features
• Seven years of OS updates

The Fairphone 6 Plus comes with Android 16 pre-installed — and I mean stock Android, not ‘almost-stock’ like some other brands use. So you’re not getting loads of random pre-installed social media and holiday apps here. There’s a single pre-installed app (which I’ll get to later), and beyond that, you’re getting a clean slate with the bare minimum Google apps that all Android phones come equipped with.

A clean interface is great, but you’re also lacking other brands’ customization options here. If you like tweaking the look of your phone until it’s truly unique, you’ll find the Fairphone lacking — though I’ll applaud the accessibility options like high-contrast icons and text outlines that make writing easier to read.

Otherwise, you’re getting the ‘standard’ Android experience: a home screen in which to bury apps, widgets and shortcuts, plus a familiar quick-settings menu if you swipe down from the top of the phone, though I occasionally faced a recurring bug that wouldn’t let me close it easily. I also missed Circle to Search, a close-to-universal Android feature that isn’t available on Fairphones.

This aforementioned extra app is My Fairphone, which you won’t be using all the time, so you can hide it in the App Gallery. It lets you check your phone’s health (including storage use, temperature, and runtime since last reboot), and buy accessories or spare parts for your phone. If you’re planning to keep your Fairphone running for years, this latter option will be the most intriguing — although some may find the My Fairphone app unnecessary.

Fairphone has pledged that its Gen 6 Plus phone will get at least seven Android updates (bringing you to Android 24, if Google’s software naming stays true), which is one of the best commitments we’ve seen for Androids. It helps the company’s longevity promise; this phone will keep working for a long time.

Not sure about using Google’s hegemonic operating system? A version of the phone is available with /e/OS, an open-source ‘anti-Android’ operating system designed around data control, privacy and security. Given that it’s not Android, it’s not designed for the average buyer, but some people who want something more secure might consider it. However, I haven’t tested it, so I can’t give a personal take on how it works.

• Software score: 4.5 / 5

Fairphone 6 Plus review: cameras

• 50MP main, 13MP ultra-wide, and 32MP front cameras
• Basic, expected range of camera modes
• Very light-touch optimization (perhaps too light-touch)

Fairphone decided to keep its camera array unchanged from the Fairphone 6 to the new model, which means I’m going to keep my camera score similarly unchanged.

We’re looking at a 50MP f/1.9 main and 13MP f/2.2 rear duo, with a 32MP f/2.0 front-facing camera rounding out the party. Okay, there’s been one tweak: the main snapper now has a smaller aperture, but the changes aren’t huge.

I wouldn’t recommend a Fairphone if you’re looking for an accomplished camera phone, and as the unchanged specs show, the 6 Plus hasn’t changed my stance. It’s totally fine for the average buyer — your holiday snaps or selfies will be perfectly acceptable — but you won’t be taking anything particularly amazing.

You can see this from the camera samples below, and the handicap is that the image optimization isn’t particularly game-changing. Look at the field of flowers, or pizza: another handset would add much more saturation and contrast. The phone can perform better, but only in really well-lit scenarios. But, as I keep saying, its cameras are mostly fine. You can drop your photos into Photoshop if you want, to make up the difference.

The Fairphone 6 Plus offers the expected range of modes, including Portrait, low-light Night mode, and a Pro mode, but there’s nothing especially unique, as you’d find in a Samsung or Google Pixel device.

I took the Fairphone on vacation, and the one thing I really missed was a way to zoom in. You can use digital zoom up to 10x, but anything over 2x looks a little too grainy to use. I would’ve loved to see a dedicated zoom lens added to this phone, but those only show up on devices designed for photography (or phones that cost significantly more).

• Camera score: 3.5 / 5

Fairphone 6 Plus camera samples

Fairphone 6 Plus review: performance and audio

• Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip, 12GB RAM, and 256GB storage
• Mid-range performance, though it starts sluggishly
• Bluetooth 6.0 but no headphone jack

Arguably the main Fairphone 6 Plus upgrade versus its regular sibling is its performance. The RAM capacity is up to 12GB (something I asked for in my review of the Fairphone 6), and the chipset is now a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 (the previous model had a Gen 3). That’s the same chipset as you’ll find inside the Nothing Phone (4a), so it’s no slouch on the performance front.

I’ve previously found the Snapdragon 7-series chips to be fine for mid-range devices like this, and the Fairphone 6 Plus is no exception — even if it did struggle now and then to run certain games. Most users will find it enough for most tasks, though this isn’t really a device designed for gamers.

When I put the phone through benchmarking tests, it returned an average Geekbench 7 multi-core score of around 3,500. Geekbench 7 is fairly new, so we haven’t used it on enough phones to give useful comparisons, but the tool’s browser library suggests this is a similar result to other mid-range mobiles.

On 3DMark, I put the phone through various tests. The results showed that the handset lags quite far behind flagships, even ones from several years ago, but it does stand as more powerful than the ‘standard’ Fairphone 6.

Just bought the Fairphone 6 Plus and finding it surprisingly slow? Most mobiles take a little while to get up to speed, but mine took a few days more than I’m used to. Give it some time before you declare something’s wrong.

Like most phones, the Fairphone has stereo speakers and no 3.5mm jack, so you’ll probably be relying on its Bluetooth 5.4 support for audio. One minor upgrade from past models is that the device supports aptX Lossless, so in theory, it’s better for audiophiles, but it still doesn’t support LDAC, so this is only a small win.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Fairphone 6 Plus review: battery life

• Relatively small 4,415mAh battery
• Lasts roughly a day of use
• 30W charging, no wireless or reverse powering

The Fairphone 6 Plus has a 4,415mAh battery — on paper, that’s a little lower than most contemporaries, which usually offer power packs of 5,000mAh or above. However, in the past, I’ve been wowed by the battery life of Fairphone devices, which have often outperformed their spec sheets.

Not so much in the 6 Plus. Its battery life is ‘fine’, but the RAM and chipset upgrades from the past model clearly take their toll. The Fairphone lasts for about a day of average use, which is nothing to turn your nose up at, but it’s nothing exceptional, either. When I took the device on holiday, I relied on battery saver mode to make sure I had all the juice I needed.

You can power the phone up at 30W, which isn’t especially fast, but since fast charging can adversely affect battery health, it’s a hard thing to be critical of. You’ll have to plug the phone in for over an hour to charge it to full. There’s also no wireless or reverse power functionality.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

Fairphone 6 Plus review: value

I have the same problem every time I review a Fairphone; any other device with the same specs would cost a lot less, but with a Fairphone, you’re buying a device that lasts longer than rivals and takes much less of a toll on the environment.

Does that mean they’re good value or not? Because of their longevity, I usually say ‘yes’. Fairphones aren’t cheap, but if they last you twice as long as a rival phone would, and you’d end up buying two alternatives instead of one Fairphone, the price is justified.

But the Fairphone 6 Plus’ price hike over the Fairphone 6 gives me pause to second-guess this. This phone is still a green marvel that will keep ticking for years, but its high price will probably deter most people from picking it up — and that’s a shame.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Fairphone 6 Plus?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Fairphone 6 Plus review: Also consider

Not convinced by Fairphone’s latest eco-phone? Here are some alternatives, all of which ostensibly have a green angle.

How I tested the Fairphone 6 Plus

• Tested for one month
• Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Benchmarked using Geekbench 6, 3DMark, native Android stats

To write this Fairphone 6 Plus review, I used the device for one month. I conducted lab-style testing during one week of this month-long period, but for the other three weeks, I popped my SIM into the 6 Plus and used it as my normal smartphone.

This means I used it for texting, playing games, streaming music, working, and taking pictures as anyone else would. During this time, I also used the 6 Plus abroad during a vacation, so it really got put through its paces.

I’ve been reviewing Android phones for TechRadar since the start of 2019, and was on the team for much of that time. This means I’ve tested plenty of other competitors and past Fairphone models (including the Fairphone 6), as well as some other gadgets from the company, including its headphones.

I also recently published a long-read piece on gadget repairability for TechRadar, which included an interview with Fairphone’s Head of Product.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed September 2026