Supplied by Fairphone
TL;DR Fairphone has announced the Fairphone Gen 6 smartphone.
The phone maintains a repairable, modular design, but now has accessories that attach to its back.
The Fairphone Gen 6 has a recommended price of ~$695, while a deGoogled version will be available in the US for $899.
Fairphone has made a name for itself over the years thanks to its repairable designs, long update policies, and sustainable approach to smartphone manufacturing. We’ve been expecting a new phone for a while now, and the company has finally peeled the curtain back on the Fairphone Gen 6.
The Fairphone Gen 6 continues to offer a repairable design. The device features 12 replaceable parts, including the battery, screen, camera, and USB port. However, Fairphone is also taking cues from Nothing’s CMF Phone line by offering accessories that attach to the back of the phone via two screws. These accessories include finger loops, card holders, and lanyards. The company didn’t rule out additional accessories when we asked about future add-ons.
Fairphone also told us that the “measurements and specifics of the device” will be available for free if people want to make their own accessories. This theoretically opens the door to community creations and third-party add-ons.
Another new feature this time is Fairphone Moments. This is a dedicated, lime-colored hardware switch that lets you quickly enable/disable a minimalist phone experience. Fairphone says this minimalistic phone mode restricts you to five apps, although you can customize which apps appear in this mode. Thankfully, the company told us you can easily remap this switch in the settings menu. The switch can currently be mapped to features like airplane mode or flashlight functionality.
Fairphone Moments is an interesting idea, but the manufacturer confirmed to Android Authority that this feature won’t come to older models. That’s a shame, as it seems like something that can be accomplished with a quick settings toggle.
“The idea with the design of Moments is that it’s tethered to hardware,” the company explained in a statement. “This turns it into a holistic experience that is easy to access and is not just an ‘added feature’.”
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