Paul Jones / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Fairphone has entered the US, debuting with its repairable headphones.
- The company says it’s preparing to launch a phone in the market too, which will likely be the Fairphone Gen 6.
- Fairphone handsets are currently available in the US via distribution partner Murena, albeit with a Google-free Android skin.
The US isn’t exactly the most competitive smartphone market in the world, largely due to a dearth of manufacturers in the country. Nothing is the most recent entrant in the market, but another brand has just announced its own entry.
Fairphone has confirmed to Reuters that it has entered the US market. The company isn’t debuting with its Fairphone smartphones, though, as it’s choosing to launch the Fairbuds XL repairable headphones as its first product in the country. This will be sold in the US as part of a partnership with Amazon.
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Fairphone CEO Raymond van Eck reportedly confirmed that the company was also preparing to launch a phone in the market. There’s no word on a release window for the phone, which will presumably be the Fairphone Gen 6.
The company also cited more right-to-repair legislation in various states as a reason to enter the market. The company’s audio and smartphone products all offer repairable designs and easy access to spare parts.
For what it’s worth, Fairphone handsets are currently sold in the US via partner Murena. These particular phones come pre-installed with Murena’s /e/OS Android software, which promises a deGoogled experience. However, Fairphone devices elsewhere come with Google services out of the box. So US consumers would finally be able to get their hands on a Fairphone handset with Google integration.
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