This Android Phone Puts the Emphasis on Easy Repairs and a Sustainability Vibe
If you’re looking for a different device, Fairphone may have what you need. The Dutch company focuses on consumer electronics products designed to be easy to repair and manufactured with sustainability in mind.
It will make a new push in the United States with an Android version of its Fairphone 6as well as over-ear headphones called Fairbuds XL. Both feature modular construction, as well as the incorporation of recycled materials and e-waste neutral components.
The first will be the headphones, which offer 30 hours of listening time, active noise cancellation and joystick control. Fairphone says they will be available in stores in late November or early December and are currently available online.
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THE Android phone does not yet have an official launch date. This is due to the “complicated process” of launching a new Android phone in the United States, Rutger Sneep, Fairphone’s chief commercial officer, told CNET. “We are working hard to be ready for this in the very near future.”
Furthermore, a version without Android of the Fairphone 6 is already available in the United States via the French startup Murena, under the Murena Fairphone (Gen. 6) brand. This model uses an operating system called /e/OS and is “de-Google,” meaning it doesn’t have Google apps and services preloaded like most other Android-based smartphones do.
When Fairphone starts selling the phone in the US, it will run on the Android system with Google apps and services preloaded.
But it’s repairability and durability that Sneep sees as central to its appeal to American consumers, “who are increasingly interested in their right to repair and to have more durable devices.”
There has been a notable push to allow DIY fixes for phones and other equipment. Right to Repair Laws have been introduced in all 50 states, and some are already in effect (check out this handy map from iFixit). Whether for technological devices or agricultural machinery, these laws stipulate that manufacturers must make parts, tools, diagnostic software and repair documents available. This is an effort to give consumers more control over their purchases and make them last instead of going the “throw it out and buy a new one” route.
Mike Sorrentino, editor-in-chief of CNET, says Fairphone’s sustainability message aligns well with a U.S. consumer base that may be fearful of economic uncertainties over pricing.
“Fairphone’s long-standing goal has been to make a phone that lasts longer by being easy to repair, making this US campaign timely for tariff-conscious phone buyers,” Sorrentino said. “It might even be new to see a phone available in US stores whose battery can be replaced without needing to make an appointment at a repair store.”
Fairphone announces its latest phone should last eight years or more. Need to replace the battery? The cameras? The speakers? Check, check and check. All parts are listed here.
iFixit gives the Fairphone 6 a repairability rating of 10 out of 10.
The economic model seems to be successful in Europe. The company said its revenue grew 61% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2025. Parts sales increased 41% during the same period.
