Look out, iPhone fans — some new tech is in town that costs less and has a longer life.
Fairphone, a Dutch company known for its environmentally conscious ethos with a relatively small but growing customer base overseas, has made headlines for making its latest model — the Gen 6+ — available to US consumers through a new American site, with the Android phone sparking national interest for its repairable, modular design (meaning users can swap out parts for a customized design).
Interested US based Fairphone buyers can plan on spending significantly less than they would if they shelled out for the latest iPhone — $650, compared to any device in the iPhone 17 series (standard iPhone 17s start at $799 and go up to an eye-watering $1,099 for the Pro models).
The device, which comes in three colors and has a five-year warranty (with software support guaranteed until 2033), also has a long charge capacity with up to two days of battery life, while the iPhone 17s will maintain a full day of charge with normal use.
According to Trusted Reviews, another mid-range priced option available in the US that is comparable in performance is the Google Pixel 10a — an Android-based mid-range 5g that’s currently on sale at retailers like Google Store and Best Buy for $428, down from $499, for the 128GB model.
However, the phones are very different in that the Fairphone provides 12 various user-replaceable components — including a battery, display, main camera, ultra-wide camera, selfie camera, top unit, earpiece, USB-C port, top back cover, bottom back cover and SIM tray. While the Google Pixel 10a is faster due to its superior chipset, which acts as the brain of the device, the Fairphone has higher RAM (Random Access Memory, which holds temporary data for apps) at 12GB, compared to the Pixel’s 8GB.
The Fairphone site also states that all the phone owner needs to open up their device is a Torx T5 screwdriver tool, which is included with each purchase.
In the Netherlands, the 2013-founded company has an estimated 45,000 to 50,000 active users — approximately 0.3% of the Dutch smartphone market, according to Telecompaper, a tech-focused independent research and publishing company. A drop in the bucket compared to iPhone’s staggering customer base — a whopping 1.56 billion, per Demandsage.
As a whole, Android has about 3.9 to 4.5 billion active users, per Adapty. Fairphone operates on the Android operating system, but is its own independent company.
But Fairphone appears to be akin to the little engine that could, and its client number is steadily growing — and now, American buyers could help it climb to new heights.
Many US tech nuts are excited for the US Fairphone site launch, with one commenter on a YouTube video detailing the announcement proclaiming it to be “great news.”
However, others who appear to have previously imported the phone from European resellers were not as thrilled.
“Fairphone is a cool concept, but it’s an expensive phone; early on [I] had problems with the speakers and mic,” said one commenter on a recent Hacker News blog post about the U.S. launch. Security updates are extremely slow, support is extremely slow.”
Time will tell if it’s a small tech win or bust.
