After happily using a privacy‑focused Volla Phone for the past few years, I decided to switch to the Fairphone 6 with /e/ OS, as it seemed to offer better hardware at a lower price than the current Volla model.
Only after placing the order did I start reading posts in this forum (yes, not the best sequence), and now I’m having second thoughts: apparently the FP6 has quite a few hardware and software issues, making it feel almost like a beta product.
Should I cancel the order and stay with Volla OS, which has always worked smoothly for me? (I don’t want to make my phone a hobby and I don’t like to tinker.) Or does the forum perhaps give a misleading impression, since users without problems rarely post?
If I go ahead with the FP6, are there specific things I should test right away to make sure the device is working properly and that I didn’t end up with a lemon?
This is partially the case, but there is some truth to the complaining in the forum
In terms of hardware issues:
the volume button placement causing people to constantly take screenshots - I had this issue too, but got used to it and just started holding the phone slightly differently; it has become a non-issue for me, so I think it’s safe to assume it’s just a muscle memory thing,
no USB-C DP-alt mode - meaning no video output through the USB-C port; this can’t be fixed with software, so if it’s important for you to use external displays with your phones, then the FP6 is not for you, you can get the FP5 which is heavily discounted now and will still receive many years of software updates,
the lack of a headphone jack - again, not fixable, so up to you if you need one or if you’re fine with using Bluetooth/an adapter; the FP5 has a headphone jack if you need one.
In terms of the software - I’ve watched it through many updates and Fairphone is consistently fixing the bugs that have been reported here in the forum. I think the last major one is the random reboot issues happening if you live outside Europe (or maybe just in NA, hard to say precisely). They are a bit late with the Android 16 update, since they promised it will be available before the end of 2025, but I’ve heard that beta testers have already been given access to the A16 update and that there are many improvements in the software.
Looking back at Fairphone’s history, it seems that it’s common with their phone launches, that there are many bugs in the first version of the software that get fixed after the phone’s release. Major Android version upgrades often bring new issues (like the latest FP4 and FP5 updates) and those also usually get fixed later down the road. They seem to not nail the quality assurance on initial releases, but live up to their name and provide updates and bug fixes at later dates.
I think the FP6 is a very capable phone, with a very nice build quality. It feels nice to hold and I actually prefer the high quality plastic to the aluminum/glass of my precious phone. The design is up to date with modern trends and the screen doesn’t disappoint with daily usage and media consumption. The cameras could probably be better (could be improved with software or a Google Camera port) - the photos look very nice when viewed on a phone screen, but you can clearly see it’s not a flagship when viewing them on a larger screen. The battery is okay (~4-5 hours of screen on time with AOD and the charge limited to 80%), though I’ve seen people report way better battery stats than I have experienced - it’s hard for me to tell if it’s a set of apps I use that drains the battery faster or if I got a randomly “worse” battery, which is always a possibility. Overall, I’m happy with my purchase and I would buy the phone again, knowing the experience I’ve had with it.
All that being said - never buy a product based on the promise of future updates. You’re paying for a product you’ll be using today. If you don’t like what you’re seeing today, don’t buy the phone, as there is no guarantee that it will suit your needs in the future.
Edit: I missed that you’re interested in the e/OS version, so the software part might not apply as others have mentioned. e/OS is not provided by Fairphone and you’ll find more info about it in the e/OS forums.
Half my family is using Fairphones, I love their mission and design.
That being said, my family gifted my mother the FP6 and she’s kept having issues with the WiFi. As is discussed in Wifi no longer finding any networks her phone disconnects from WiFi several times a day, then won’t show any networks (not even the ones of neighbors) and requires a reboot to find networks again. Possibly related, it also randomly reboots, maybe because it encounters a critical issue with connecting to the network.
Maybe the problem is solved by not using Wi-Fi 6, as it only happens at our home, nowhere else.
All in all, I am happy with my FP5, think the FP6 has many great improvements. Still, my mother will change to another phone, should the latest experiment not fix her issue.
I wish I could wholeheartedly recommend to you the FP6, but for now, I cannot.
(I don’t want to make my phone a hobby and I don’t like to tinker.)
I bought an FP6 in November and even though I like the phone, the constant tinkering is a reality.
Random reboots, WiFi crashing randomly, video calls too loud even on the minimum volume and other little annoyances have been adding up over time. I often find myself thinking about these issues or possible solutions for them.
Thanks, everyone. That’s a bit sobering — I had actually expected (or had hoped for) a flood of enthusiastic recommendations. I will get the phone in three days, which gives me some more time to think it over. However, all alternative, privacy‑focused operating systems and phones (Sailfish OS, Ubuntu Touch, Mobian, /e/, Lineage, Graphene, Volla, Jolla) come with their own drawbacks.
Thank you, Meaghan, that’s an important point. From what you’ve seen here: do people generally run into fewer problems with /e/OS Fairphones than with Android ones (aside from the expected quirks of a de-Googled phone)? And if you had to make an educated guess, what share of users would you say are on /e/OS?
Thanks for pointing that out, @kwasow. I came across this this thread on the FP4 which seems to offer a rather bleak glimpse into the future. The collective anger expressed there is striking.
I got the FP6 pretty short after release, as I had to wait for the wage payment in may, as it included holiday extra (no clue what the correct english term is for the Dutch vakantiegeld) and almost immidiately had Lineage on it. The issues I had are with the sd card (random read-only and it even got formatted without my consent) and the sony earbuds only give sound, mic isn’t supported (older Samsung buds and other full-size headphones work fine)
My wife bought one as well and is using the official OS. No issues reported by her, but she’s using the Fairbuds XL as headphone for calls. For us the promise for 8y software updates and parts availability was the main reason to get them. e/OS was not an option, as we’re pretty licked into the google calendar. (until the proton calendar app can be used in landscape)
The device itself is, apart from the location of the volume buttons, well designed and is very usable as phone, shared calendar, signal messages or navigation tool. No clue about the rest, as that all it’s allowed to do here. For me it beats the Samsungs we had before (it;s also lighter and smaller).
I am satisfied with Fairphone 6 Android so far. I mainly use it as a phone to listen to audiobooks from Onleihe, do quick searches on the internet and read the online edition of my daily newspaper. The features that bother me are that the audiobooks are too quiet. I have to listen to them with headphones to be able to hear everything clearly. That was better on my old mobile phone. I also don’t like that I keep taking screenshots accidentally. Others in the forum have the same problem. And when I open Klips 2.0 from the University of Cologne, the font is so small that it’s barely legible. It’s also difficult to click on the right button for a selection with my finger, as it’s easy to miss because of the small page display.
I ran into many problems which I didn’t experienced with my old phone (Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro).
You can’t start the google assistant (gemini) via voice command when the phone is locked by saying “hey google”
I have severe issues with my pixel buds pro 2, when i have the phone in my pocket the sound often is choppy, tried to go for a run too and had the phone in the compression inner shorts with the same results, never experienced anything like that with my old phone
The right navigation button (where you can see all open apps) doesn’t react from time to time, only a restart solves this
The switch doesn’t work as it should, I have the flashlight there and it takes five to ten seconds to go on when the phone is locked (also to turn off). When I wake the phone it’s working, but then it is meaningless.
When I try to take pictures in Whatsapp Chats it’s often laggy and the flash doesn’t work with the selfie camera (it goes off too soon so your selfie is dark after the picture is taken.
I think that’s all for now, but as I said, I only used it roughly three weeks.
Didn’t expect it to be much better than my old phone to be honest, and I could have lived with it working the same as my old one, but this is just annoying. On the bright side there’s one positive for me, which is the camera (apart from using it directly in Whatsapp).
I’m rather happy with my Fairphone 6 with /e/OS. I’d recommend taking a few photos and having a phone call in a noisy environment to try it out for possible issues.