Dutch electronics innovator Fairphone has unveiled its latest sustainable and repairable smartphone, the Fairphone 6. Succeeding the Fairphone 5, this new model continues the company’s dedication to longevity, ethical manufacturing, and user repairability, while making a significant stride in open-source friendliness by releasing initial Linux kernel support patches on the very day of its announcement.
A Commitment to Repair and Longevity
Staying true to its core principles, the Fairphone 6 is designed to be highly modular and user-repairable. Building on the foundation laid by previous models like the Fairphone 5 – which notably promised an impressive 8 years of software updates, partly enabled by using industrial-grade processors – the Fairphone 6 arrives with enhanced durability and a five-year warranty, offering peace of mind and a reduced environmental footprint by encouraging longer device lifespans.
Key Specifications of the Fairphone 6
The newly announced Fairphone 6 is priced at €599 (approximately $695 USD) and features competitive specifications for a device focused on sustainability:
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3
Memory & Storage: 8GB RAM, 512GB internal storage (expandable up to 2TB via microSD)
Display: 6.3-inch OLED with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate
Battery: 4415 mAh capacity
Camera: 50MP main sensor
Design: Modular and repair-friendly build
These features align with Fairphone’s mission to provide a capable smartphone experience without compromising on their ethical and environmental goals.
Immediate Mainline Linux Kernel Support
Perhaps the most exciting news for the open-source community is Fairphone’s proactive approach to Linux support. Concurrent with the phone’s formal announcement, the initial DeviceTree patches necessary to enable the Fairphone 6 within the mainline Linux kernel have already been submitted to the Linux kernel mailing list.
This release, a 14-patch series originating directly from Fairphone, focuses on adding support for the underlying Qualcomm SM7635 SoC (the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3) and integrating the specific DeviceTree Source (DTS) configurations required for the new Fairphone 6 hardware. This prompt action demonstrates Fairphone’s strong engagement with the open-source community and signals a clear intention to facilitate robust Linux compatibility from day one. The hope is that these patches will be reviewed and merged into the mainline kernel tree in the near future, paving the way for alternative operating systems and deeper hardware control for users and developers.
The Fairphone 6 reinforces the company’s position as a leader in sustainable and repairable electronics, now coupled with a significant push for open-source support right out of the gate. Those interested in learning more can visit Fairphone.com.
