‘Like comparing a $5 Walmart steak to a steak from a local ranch’: the Fairphone Gen 6 Plus's perceived high price is dividing fans — and I know where I stand | Tech Radar
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‘Like comparing a $5 Walmart steak to a steak from a local ranch’: the Fairphone Gen 6 Plus's perceived high price is dividing fans — and I know where I stand
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The Fairphone Gen 6 Plus has landed, and it's available in the US too
However, at $649.99 / £569, some tech fans are questioning its price
The specs aren't special, but it's modular and sustainably produced
The Fairphone Gen 6 Plus has just launched, and the big news with this model is that, for the first time, a Fairphone is available in the US with Android fully intact (previously, Fairphones sold outside of Europe were only available in de-Googled configurations). But with this wider availability comes some increased scrutiny about the phone's price.
You see, Fairphones cost a lot for what you’re getting on paper, with the Fairphone Gen 6 Plus retailing for
The phone also has a 50MP main camera, a 13MP ultra-wide, and a 32MP selfie camera on the front. All of these specs are... fine, but mid-range at best, and rather worse than what you'll find on most other comparably priced phones.
But this isn’t most phones. The Fairphone Gen 6 Plus stands out in two main ways. First, it’s built to last, with a modular design that lets you swap out 12 parts yourself; it’s easy to repair or replace a worn-out battery, for instance. That, coupled with software updates until 2033, means, in theory, you won’t need to buy another phone for a long time.
The other notable element of Fairphone’s products is that they’re designed to be fair to the environment and the people making them, meaning things like higher wages, safer factories, and net-zero emissions targets.
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Of course, these sustainable practices come at a cost.
As for whether this cost is worth it, smartphone fans are divided on the matter.
On our recent Tik Tok about the Fairphone 6 Gen Plus, one user argued that “comparing this phone to others by price is like comparing a $5 Walmart steak to a steak from a local ranch,” clarifying that, in this analogy, the other phones are the Walmart steak, as they’re “only this cheap because of the blood and the exploitation of the workers.”
This individual, then, is clearly in favor of paying what they see as a price that’s fair for the workers. But another commenter argued that “a similarly priced phone with way better specs will last you longer if you just take care of it,” so in their view, the longevity of this phone is a questionable selling point.
Other comments are similarly mixed, but more seem opposed to the price than in favor of it, with one going so far as to call it “dead on arrival,” adding that “this must be a joke at this price.”
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But Fairphone has never been a mainstream brand — its products are not and never will be for everybody. If you believe the world should be fairer, and that workers should make a fair wage, then it’s a company worth supporting.
That’s my view, anyway — but then again, I say this while using an i Phone as my main device, so maybe I’m a hypocrite.
Personally, as a fan of the latest tech, I’d be more inclined to pay a premium for a Fairphone if it could offer specs to match the very best phones, but for a small brand with limited resources, I can understand why Fairphone is limiting itself to the mid-range market for now.
We're currently putting the Fairphone 6 Gen Plus through its paces, so stay tuned for our full review verdict in the coming weeks.
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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at Tech Radar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
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