Fairphone’s Most Repairable Feature Isn’t a Part…

Most companies are happy to sell you a phone, but they’re far less comfortable giving you full control over it. Fairphone takes a different approach.

This is the new Fairphone Gen. 6+, and when you buy it, you actually own it. That sounds obvious, but once you see what Fairphone allows you to change, it starts to feel surprisingly rare.

A Phone You’re Allowed to Repair

Fairphone is already known for making phones that owners can open and repair themselves. The Gen. 6+ continues that approach with 12 replaceable parts, including the battery, display, cameras, earpiece, and USB-C port.

You only need a T5 Torx screwdriver to get inside, and Fairphone sells the replacement modules directly. The phone also comes with a five-year warranty and software support through 2033.

That alone gives owners far more control than most modern smartphones. But the replaceable hardware is only half of the story.

You Can Replace the Software Too

Fairphone also allows the Gen. 6+ bootloader to be unlocked.

The bootloader normally controls which operating system the phone is allowed to run. Unlocking it means I can wipe Fairphone’s stock version of Android and install a completely different operating system.

Fairphone has even simplified its unlocking process, removing the need to request a unique unlock code. Once OEM unlocking is enabled and verified, the phone is no longer permanently tied to the software it came with.

That is where /e/OS comes in.

Android Without Google

/e/OS is a privacy-focused version of Android designed to reduce Google’s presence and limit how much personal information is collected in the background.

The idea is similar to other privacy-focused systems such as GrapheneOS, although they are separate projects with different approaches. /e/OS removes many of Google’s default services while still providing an Android experience and access to familiar apps.

Installing it requires wiping the phone, so this is not something you would want to do without backing up your data first. Fairphone also warns that while unlocking the bootloader is permitted, damage caused by modifying the system or installing third-party software may not be covered under warranty.

Still, the fact that Fairphone officially allows it is important. The company is not just selling repairable hardware. It is letting owners decide what software runs on that hardware.

Final Thoughts

Replaceable batteries and charging ports can keep a phone alive physically, but software restrictions can make perfectly functional hardware feel obsolete just as quickly.

Fairphone seems to understand that real repairability includes both. You can replace the parts that break, remove the software you do not want, and keep using the phone on your own terms.

That is what owning a phone should have meant all along.

See you in the next article!