Fairphone brings its repairable phone direct to US buyers for the first time
The repairable smartphone segment has operated almost entirely within European distribution channels, with the US market remaining a secondary consideration for most players in that space. Fairphone broke from that pattern this…
Key takeaways
- Fairphone launched the Fairphone 6 Plus in the United States at $649.99, sold unlocked through Fairphone's own website and Amazon with T-Mobile and AT&T support.
- This is the first time Fairphone hardware is available directly from Fairphone in the US, rather than through its previous sole partner, Murena.
- Previously, US buyers had to route purchases through Murena and run its /e/OS de-Googled Android software as a precondition for accessing the hardware.
- Direct US availability decouples hardware access from any specific software environment, though Murena's /e/OS remains an option for buyers who want it.
- In Europe the Fairphone 6 Plus costs €649, a €50 increase over last year's model, placing it in the same price tier as the US version.
The repairable smartphone segment has operated almost entirely within European distribution channels, with the US market remaining a secondary consideration for most players in that space. Fairphone broke from that pattern this week, launching the Fairphone 6 Plus in the United States at $649.99. It is on sale now through Fairphone's own website and Amazon, sold unlocked with support for T-Mobile and AT&T.
The headline development is the channel itself. Fairphone hardware from the Fairphone 4 onward has been purchasable in the US before, but never directly from Fairphone. The company had routed American sales through a single partner: Murena, the developer of /e/OS, a de-Googled version of Android. That arrangement came with a requirement. Buyers had to run Murena's software. There was no path to the hardware without accepting that software stack.
The Fairphone 6 Plus is a minor hardware refresh. The distribution change is the actual news. Direct US availability means buyers now access the device without accepting a specific software environment as a precondition. Murena and its /e/OS offering remain available for buyers who want a de-Googled Android experience, but that choice is now decoupled from hardware access.
Against the backdrop of cross-border consumer electronics demand, this is the read-through for the sector-wide question of whether European sustainability-focused device makers can build US market presence beyond niche importer channels. T-Mobile and AT&T compatibility gives the device a workable network floor from launch.
In Europe, the Fairphone 6 Plus carries a €50 increase over last year's model, landing at €649. The US price of $649.99 sits in the same tier. At that price, the device competes in the unlocked segment of the US market, where it goes up against subsidized carrier alternatives without the benefit of a carrier arrangement of its own.
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