Fairphone 6+
pros and cons
- Midrange price
- Higher than midrange performance
- Repairability
- Feels great in hand
- Doesn’t quite perform to flagship levels
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Not only is the company directly shipping its latest device to the US (unlocked and compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile), but the device in question — the Fairphone 6+ — is also actually quite good.
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I previously reviewed the Fairphone 6, and found it to be one feature away from replacing my Pixel 9 Pro. When I unboxed and set up the Fairphone 6+, I seriously thought, “Hoo boy, this might be the one.”
The device in hand
Like the Fairphone 6, the 6+ is light — considerably lighter than my Pixel 9 Pro. It also feels really good in hand; the edges are smooth, the material is grippy, and the size is just right. This is truly the Goldilocks of Android phones.
It’s almost hard to describe, but the Fairphone 6+ feels better in hand than most Android phones I’ve used. It could be a combination of the weight, the material’s smoothness, and the button placement (the volume buttons are positioned lower on the side than usual).
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As with the Fairphone 6, there’s also the “Essential” switch, a physical switch that lets you switch to a simpler UI with a limited number of launchers and nothing else. You can create multiple Essentials with access only to apps related to a specific task or feeling. You might want to create a multimedia Essentials that lets you easily launch Spotify and YouTube. Or maybe you want an Essentials for napping or sleeping, which could include the Clock app and an ambient sound app.
The Essentials switch is easily accessed (as is everything) with one hand.
The performance
This is where the Fairphone 6+ really surprised me. When I reviewed the Fairphone 6, it very much felt like a midrange device, unable to match the performance of any flagship I’ve tested. The Fairphone 6+, on the other hand, performed quite well, with apps opening and running quickly and without issue.
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The display defaults to a 90 Hz refresh rate, which isn’t as smooth as my Pixel 9 Pro’s, but when I bumped it to 120 Hz, it felt more responsive. The downside of the 120 Hz refresh rate is the hit it takes on battery life. If you want longer battery life, keep the default setting (or, even better, knock it down to 60 Hz). Personally, I prefer the silkier motion of the 120 Hz refresh rate.
Speaking of the display, the 6.3-inch OLED is vibrant and easily viewable in any light.
I did run Geekbench 7 on both the Fairphone 6+ and my Pixel 9 Pro for comparison.
My Pixel 9 Pro scored:
- Single-core – 1695
- Multi-core – 4379
The Fairphone 6+ scored:
- Single-core – 1124
- Multi-core – 3519
Source : ZDNet