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The Fairphone 6 no longer feels like a compromise (except in the US)
Product Reviews

The Fairphone 6 no longer feels like a compromise (except in the US)

by admin


The Fairphone 6 arrives almost two years after the 5, a testament to the company’s approach to the upgrade cycle. If anything, I suspect the company would be frustrated if Fairphone 5 owners were considering a new model already — these are phones to keep, to repair, and to hold on to until the bitter end.

The newest Fairphone continues the company’s commitment to user-repairability, long-term customer support, and ethical production. That means compromises for the consumer: You’ll find more powerful phones with prettier displays and more capable cameras for less money. But this year those compromises are smaller and easier than ever before, while the phone remains a lot better for the planet — you can’t say fairer than that.

$899

The Good

  • Exceptionally user-repairable
  • Ethically produced
  • Decent performance
  • Long-term software support

The Bad

  • Basic cameras
  • Only IP55
  • Expensive in the US

The Fairphone 6 is available now across the UK and Europe. It costs €599 / £499 for a version running Fairphone’s custom Android software, which is fairly close to the stock experience, or €50 / £50 more running /e/OS, a privacy-centric, Google-free version of Android made by Murena. If you’re in the US, that’s the only model available, and you’ll have to buy it directly from Murena for $899, a price that Murena founder and CEO Gaël Duval told me reflects tariffs on US imports. It’s a substantial price difference that takes the Fairphone 6 from competing with midrangers like the Pixel 9A in Europe to flagships like the Pixel 10 or iPhone 16 in the US, making it significantly harder to justify.

/e/OS replaces Google’s Discover feed with a set of dedicated privacy controls. Image: Dominic Preston / The Verge

I’ve been testing the privacy-focused /e/OS version of the phone. It might not look a million miles from stock Android, but the out-of-the-box experience is quite different. It has quick access to options to block tracking cookies within apps, fake your geolocation info, or hide your IP address, along with a “Wall of Shame” listing your apps by how many times they try to track your activity. Murena describes it as “de-Googled,” which means it’s built on the Android Open Source Project, but doesn’t require a Google account to use, includes no Google apps by default, and should share none of your data with Google.

If you’re ready to commit to the Google-free life, there’s an array of relatively simple stock software, like calendar and map apps that look like they’ve been lifted from a decade ago. An app store defaults to open-source options, giving every app a privacy score with details on the trackers it uses and permissions it requires.

You can install open-source apps, or Play Store alternatives like Google and Samsung’s. Image: Dominic Preston / The Verge

The app store also lets you install just about any Android app — even the Google ones — but only if you want to. That’s thanks to microG, an open-source alternative to Google Play Services. The only caveats are that Google Wallet won’t work for NFC payments, and that some apps are a little… janky. Most seem to work, but MyFitnessPal won’t run, and a few others tend to stutter and crash.

On the hardware side, the Fairphone 6 is smaller and lighter than the 5, with a brighter and smoother 6.31-inch 120Hz display. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chipset isn’t flagship hardware, but it’s smooth enough most of the time, and with 8GB of RAM, it’s powerful enough for anything except serious gaming. The 4,415mAh battery lasts more than a day, and the 30W wired charging speed is fine but unimpressive, with no wireless option.

The cameras remain a big downgrade compared to the competition. The 50-megapixel main lens and 13-megapixel ultrawide are fine for the basics — and exceeded my expectations every now and then — but they struggle in the dark, in complex lighting, or with fast-moving subjects. If you just need your phone camera to be good enough then these definitely are, but you can get much better cameras for the same money (or less) elsewhere.

1/13The Fairphone 6’s main camera does the basics well.

The other big addition to the Fairphone 6 is a range of semi-modular accessories, similar to those offered with Nothing’s CMF Phone 2 Pro. There’s a lanyard, a card holder, and a loop grip, but the clever thing is that all three screw onto the phone’s rear, becoming integral parts of the hardware. I hope more options are coming.

More important is the phone’s ability to last for years. Whether you buy from Fairphone or Murena, you’ll get an extended five-year warranty. Fairphone also commits to eight years of software updates and seven Android version updates, though Murena only promises five years of software support for its version — worse than the likes of Apple, Google, and Samsung.

The Fairphone 6’s cameras aren’t anything to write home about. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

I’m a fan of this slight dent on the phone’s back, which becomes a natural place to rest your little finger. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

That blocky yellow button turns off the camera and mic on /e/OS phones, but switches between customizable modes to control notifications and distractions on the regular model. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

The phone is made from fairly sturdy plastic, with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i on the display, and feels tough. There’s one big durability downside, though: it only has an IP55 rating for dust and water protection — good, but not great — which is the drawback of a repairable design that swaps glue for less watertight screws. So while the Fairphone 6 is more repairable than other alternatives, there’s a slightly higher risk of needing that repair in the first place, at least when it comes to sand and water.

Speaking of: you only need a single Torx T5 screwdriver to strip the phone down to parts, which connect and disconnect with a simple push, clicking into place. You can replace the battery, display, rear cover, each individual camera lens, speaker, earpiece, USB-C port, and SIM tray (which doubles as a microSD slot for expandable storage). Spare parts are sold by Fairphone and iFixit, with a promise to stock them for years. In the US, Murena should stock them, but at the time of writing, the parts aren’t on its site yet.

A Torx T5 screwdriver is all you need to take the phone apart. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

Replacing the backplate — and swapping in accessories — involves just a couple of screws. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

Replacing the battery requires a few more… Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

And taking the whole thing apart requires a little commitment, but it’s easy work. Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

I wanted to confirm if any idiot could pull off a repair, so I took apart every bit of the phone I could and put it back together again, which took a little over an hour and left me with a perfectly functional phone on the other side. Fairphone has some good YouTube videos to run through any given repair step by step, and it couldn’t be much easier, so long as you pay attention to screwing everything back in the right order (ahem, not a mistake I’d ever make…).

The “fair” bit of the name applies to production too. Fairphone claims to use as many recycled materials as possible, and to work with mines, recyclers, component factories, and assembly lines with fair working conditions, from living wages to worker representation. There’s no ethical consumption under capitalism, but Fairphone claims to get as close as it can.

I’ve been cautious to recommend previous Fairphones. The elevator pitch is great, but paying a premium for underpowered hardware is still a hard sell. But pure power isn’t the differentiating factor it once was, so even if the Fairphone 6 is less powerful than its counterparts, it’s still powerful enough for most of us. Still, improvements in software support and durability from other manufacturers have made Fairphone’s offering less unique — though no one offers repairability like this.

Up against midrange alternatives, as it’s priced in Europe, the Fairphone holds its own. There are small compromises, but it remains a fair choice for just about anyone. In the US, where it costs more than some flagships and comes with the de-Googled /e/OS whether you like it or not, it’s only for those truly committed to the cause.

Photography by Dominic Preston / The Verge

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Brad Norton
Esports

Death Stranding 2 review: Hideo Kojima’s vision executed without compromise

by admin



From your first steps in Death Stranding 2, you know you’re in for something special. The sequel to Kojima’s 2019 game is an audiovisual spectacle throughout its 50+ hour story and endlessly replayable endgame. 

The engrossing narrative – with a stellar cast all delivering arguably career-best performances – has you guessing what might happen at every turn. From the epic spectacles to the moments of quietude between deliveries, the pace is perfect and makes this follow-up a drastic improvement over the original.

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It’s a remarkable feat given its turbulent development, which saw Kojima nearly giving up on the game. We’re glad he didn’t.

Death Stranding 2 screenshots

What is Death Stranding 2 about?

Some time has passed since the end of Death Stranding, when Sam Porter walked off into the sunset with Lou, saving the Bridge Baby from its demise. They’ve found a sort of peace in their humble living conditions, but the world is still in disarray due to the events of the Death Stranding. That peace is short-lived though – we’ve got an arc to get through!

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As in the first game, your job as an experienced porter is to reconnect Australia. That means travelling across the continent on foot and in a range of vehicles, taking an assortment of goods with you and delivering them to those in need.

Death Stranding 2 assumes your knowledge though. This is not the type of game you can just jump into and expect to understand what’s happening. Sure, there’s a Death Stranding recap in the main menu, but there are major story beats and character appearances that won’t make any sense if you’re unfamiliar. Kojima even throws in some real deep cuts too, the type of references and callbacks only those with 100 hours in the first game will even recognize.

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Sublime storytelling

Death Stranding 2’s presentation is world-class with its visuals among the very best I’ve seen, and I played through the entire thing on a base model PS5. Kojima Productions is up there with Naughty Dog, the pinnacle of how video games can look, sound, and feel.

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Extraordinarily detailed motion capture helps emphasize the captivating performances, too. I loved Norman Reedus in the first game, but he was a bit generic, and he’s famously gone on record to say he wasn’t entirely certain what was going on in the first game.

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That showed throughout, but here, he appears to have much more of a grip on the narrative. He gives his all in scenes that are both heartbreaking and cheerful, masterfully displaying his emotions.

Troy Baker returns as Higgs – a monster who makes your skin crawl – in what might be his best work yet. Then there’s Neil, brought to life by French actor Luca Marinelli. He’s a revelation. 

Kojima ProductionsTroy Baker delivers another breathtaking performance as Higgs in Death Stranding 2.

It’s a testament to the intricate creation process. The writing, performances, cinematography, lighting, animation, set dressing, all of it is executed on with such a remarkable level of care. It’s the type of game you just completely lose yourself in.

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Improved gameplay

Even playing on the Brutal difficulty setting after finishing the story, it’s clear gameplay has been ironed out so that very little feels frustrating or unfair in any capacity. You have all the tools at your disposal. If you mess up, that’s your fault. Whereas in the first game, you often had to fight against the jank while dealing with everything else.

However, as good as Death Stranding 2 is, if you weren’t a fan of the first game, this won’t convert you. It’s still the same game – The bulk of your time is spent navigating the land, only stopping along the way for the occasional conversation, to pick up more goods for delivery, or to fight against BTs (the souls of the deceased), robots, or other humans.

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Kojima ProductionsYou won’t be getting stuck on awkward terrain anywhere near as much as in the first game.

Gunplay is much improved. Back then, automatic weapons felt a bit flimsy, like you’d only use them in a last resort or when forced in the few sections with Cliff. Sam had no idea how to fire a machine gun then. Here, they’re much easier to control and there’s a greater variety of weapons – You’ve got shotguns, grenade launchers, snipers, handguns, assault rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, and a great deal more that I won’t spoil.

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Stealth is also much more satisfying when you get it right, which is easier said than done. Before you even get close to an enemy base, you need to do some reconnaissance. It’s vital to not only know how many targets there are, but understand their positioning too. With a patient playstyle and the right equipment for the job, you can take down a dozen enemies without making a noise.

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Then there’s the BT encounters, which caused more frustration than anything in the first game. A bit more spaced out in the sequel, the presence of these haunting ghosts is still just as chilling, but it’s a great deal easier to avoid them altogether.

If you do find yourself in a fight, you’ll be treated to a vast array of unique enemy types. There are plenty of BT enemies both big and small that require different strategies and most of the time, different equipment. There’s no ‘one loadout fits all’ type of solution here and if you get caught in a fight with a BT in the sky but all of your weapons are for a close-range stealth mission, you’re very likely screwed.

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Kojima ProductionsOptions in combat feel near-limitless. It’s a tremendously deep sandbox.

The one thing we can say that hasn’t improved, however, is end of mission music. Not to criticize the selection of songs, but rather, the repetition of the effect Kojima is going for.

In Death Stranding, it always felt special when you overcame the odds, saw a haven on the horizon, and some melancholic track from Low Roar started blaring through your speakers.

They’re still present here in the sequel, along with a dozen other artists, but when nearly every main mission ends with a new song, it squanders the chance to make something special.

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In the endgame

For hardcore Death Stranding fans, the endgame is where the real fun begins. It’s all about mapping the most efficient paths between facilities in order to deliver packages unscathed and in a timely manner.

Your goal is to reach that Legend of Legend of Legends S-Tier ranking on as many deliveries as possible. So before even setting out, you first scout the area, assess any hazards, lay out zipline paths, and generally get a sense of how you’ll be navigating from Point A to Point B.

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It’s just as enjoyable here as it ever was, and with a litany of new tools and even revised versions of tools from the first game, it provides countless hours of fun.

Kojima Productions / DexertoEven this far in, there’s still so much left to do in Death Stranding 2.

At 100 hours, I’m only around halfway to flawlessly executing on every delivery. With the social reputation system too, you could play Death Stranding 2 and nothing else for an entire year without seeing everything.

Verdict

Death Stranding 2 is phenomenal. It’s among Kojima’s very best work not just for its narrative, but for the near-limitless variety in its gameplay opportunities.

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While it may very well end up being the final game in the series, at least with Kojima at the helm, we can only hope someone else picks up the mantle and continues to iterate on one of gaming’s most unique experiences. After all, why else would we have connected?



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Kwikset Halo Select review: A smart compromise
Product Reviews

Kwikset Halo Select review: A smart compromise

by admin


Legacy lock maker Kwikset has been producing innovative smart locks since 2013, when it released the first touch-to-open lock, the Kwikset Kevo. The company followed that up with the launch of one of the first key-free locks in 2016, one of the earliest Apple HomeKit locks, and one of the first fingerprint-only locks. Kwikset has not shied away from new tech.

Its latest model, the Halo Select ($279.99), is one of the first full-replacement, Matter-over-Thread smart locks. I’ve tested almost every smart lock that Kwikset has made over the years, and this is its best yet. It’s super-responsive with solid features and broad smart home compatibility. It’s just too bad that using Matter means giving up its best feature.

$279

The Good

  • Excellent auto-unlock function
  • Choice of Wi-Fi or Matter-over-Thread
  • Great design
  • Discreet door sensor
  • Can be rekeyed

The Bad

  • Have to choose between Thread and Kwikset’s auto-unlock
  • No Home Key or biometric access
  • Touchscreen shows fingerprints
  • Prominent Kwikset branding

The Halo Select is a sleek-looking lock that should fit in with both traditional and contemporary door sets, although it has a modern slant. As Kwikset is one of two major residential lock companies (the other being Schlage), you may already have Kwikset locks and handle sets on your outer doors, meaning the Select might fit in with what you already have — something few other smart locks do.

The Halo blends in nicely with a contemporary Kwikset door handle set. But it’s a shame about the prominent branding.

It offers four entry methods: a keyway (which is rekeyable), a touchscreen keypad, app / smart home control, and auto-unlock based on location. The latter worked so well that I didn’t mind the lack of a fingerprint reader or Apple Home Key — normally my two favorite access methods. (Kwikset has teased a Halo Select Plus model with an NFC chip, but it hasn’t said whether that will work with Home Key or the forthcoming Aliro standard.)

One of Halo Select’s standout features is the option to connect to your smart home via Matter-over-Thread. This brings broad smart home compatibility over a local protocol, working with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple Home, and Samsung SmartThings, among others.

The Thread radio brings faster response times than Wi-Fi and significantly longer battery life — almost double based on my testing. There are only a handful of full-replacement, Matter-over-Thread locks available – including the Level Lock Plus, the Eufy E30, U-tec’s Matter lock, and the Yale Assure SL. But the Halo Select is your best option right now.

Kwikset’s auto-unlock feature worked flawlessly in testing

To set it up with Matter, you need a Matter controller and a Thread border router. An Apple TV is both, or you can use a combination, such as an Echo speaker (Matter controller) and an Eero Wi-Fi router (Thread border router). Alternatively, you can connect the lock using its built-in Wi-Fi. This allows it to work with the Kwikset app, as well as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, via the cloud. You’ll lose the broader compatibility and battery life of Matter-over-Thread, but in exchange, you get one of the Halo Select’s best features: auto unlock.

Auto unlock is a relatively new feature on Kwikset locks. It uses a combination of radios, including GPS and Wi-Fi, to determine where your phone is in relation to your home so it can unlock the door as you approach.

This tech has been used in smart locks for a while — it was first seen on the original August smart lock in 2013 — but each company implements it slightly differently. In most locks I’ve tested with the feature, it’s been unreliable, working only about half the time. However, on the Halo Select, the experience has been flawless, with the door unlocking just as I approach my porch, every time.

1/3The Select in black, there’s also the option of satin nickel.

Specs: Kwikset Halo Select

  • Price: $279
  • Style: Full-replacement deadbolt
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi or Matter-over-Thread
  • Auto-unlock: Yes, using Kwikset app
  • Access options: Key, keypad, app, voice control
  • Battery type: Four AA batteries
  • Battery life: Six to 12 months
  • Guest codes: Yes, 250
  • Security rating: BHMA Grade AAA / ANSI Grade 1 (highest rating)
  • Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Matter (including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings)
  • Warranty: Lifetime mechanical and finish, 1 year electronics

The Halo Select can also auto-lock based on location. Most smart locks, including the Select, can be set to lock after a set period of time. In practice, this sometimes means your door locks behind you when you pop out to grab something from the car. Kwikset’s location-based lock can be set to not lock until you’ve left the driveway.

The downside is that the Kwikset app has to be running in the background, so if my phone died while I was out, it wouldn’t work unless I remembered to open the Kwikset app after I powered it back on.

A new technology called ultra-wideband unlocking is coming (someday) to solve this problem. It will communicate directly between your phone and the lock, no app required, and could also work with devices like smart watches. In the meantime, Kwikset’s solution is the best I’ve tested.

The other main unlocking option is a touchscreen keypad. While touchscreen keypads can be finicky, the Select’s is super responsive, and I like the clicky feedback it gives. However, I’d like to see better fingerprint resistance, as you can see them at some angles, which could be a security concern.

The Kwikset app, which is simple and easy to use, lets you share up to 250 access codes and choose from temporary, scheduled, or permanent access. I like the new LED lock indicator, which lights up when the keypad does and shows green for unlocked and red for locked. (Yes, I have often found myself accidentally locking an already unlocked door.)

While I like the look of the new Halo Select, I don’t like the prominent Kwikset branding, and I wish the lock itself were smaller; the rear housing is still very big. But the mechanism is much quieter than previous Kwikset locks I’ve tested.

The Halo Select is slim and compact up front, but the rear housing is still very large and chunky.

The Select uses four AA batteries.

Installation and setup were straightforward, thanks to a detailed and easy-to-follow in-app guide. I was impressed with its super slim door sensor that tucks up above the strike plate. This sends an alert via the Kwikset app when the door has been left open and can show you in the app if the door is open or closed when you control it remotely. However, this only works with the Kwikset app. It’d be nice if it showed up as a sensor when the lock is connected in Matter.

The lock has to be set up in the Kwikset app and connected to Wi-Fi, but there is then the option to switch it over to Matter-over-Thread. The app does a good job of making it clear what will happen if you do this — you lose access to the lock in the Kwikset app and can no longer use the auto-unlock feature or access the door sensor to see if the door is open or closed. But it also tells you what you’ll gain. Matter-over-Thread does promise better battery life, plus the ability to add it to Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, and other platforms.

Kwikset does a good job explaining the advantages / disadvantages of using the lock with Matter. Image: Kwikset

I set it up in Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings via Matter with no issues and could control it with routines, automations, and voice commands. As for battery life, it uses four AA batteries that Kwikset says will last six months on Wi-Fi and over a year via Thread.

I tested it for five weeks on Wi-Fi and was at 50 percent, meaning I would get just over three months on Wi-Fi. After three weeks on Thread, it had only dropped 10 percent, an early indication that it should get the promised double battery life.

It’s frustrating to forgo features to use Matter, but this is mostly an issue with Matter, not Kwikset. Matter doesn’t support auto-unlock, door sensing, fingerprint access, or newer entry methods like facial recognition. And while some ecosystems have geofencing automations that can be set to unlock your door, in my testing, they don’t work as well and sometimes require extra steps.

All of this means that, today, choosing a smart lock requires making some compromises. Kwikset’s solution allows you to use some of those more advanced features today while retaining the future-proofing potential of Matter for tomorrow.

Agree to continue: Kwikset Halo Select

Every smart device now requires you to agree to a series of terms and conditions before you can use it — contracts that no one actually reads. It’s impossible for us to read and analyze every single one of these agreements. But we started counting exactly how many times you have to hit “agree” to use devices when we review them, since these are agreements most people don’t read and definitely can’t negotiate.

To set up the Halo Select, you must download and install the Kwikset app (iOS and Android) and create an account. By doing so, you need to agree to the following (Assa Abloy is Kwikset’s parent company):

The Select can be set up in Matter platforms such as Apple Home and Samsung SmartThings, but it must be set up in the Kwikset app first.

Final tally: three mandatory agreements.





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