Technologies

What Makes a Phone Ethical? I Talked With Someone Who Builds One to Find Out

CEO Raymond van Eck explains how the Fairphone 6 is better for people — including the people who make it — and better for the planet.

Fairphone is a David among Goliaths in the phone world. We’re talking about a tiny Dutch social enterprise that shipped just over 100,000 phones in 2023, versus tech giants such as Apple and Samsung, which routinely ship hundreds of millions of phones annually.

On Wednesday, Fairphone CEO Raymond van Eck unveiled the latest device, the sixth generation, in its family of phones. Intended to be known simply as the Fairphone (but in reality more likely to be referred to as the Fairphone 6), this modular phone is designed to be easily repairable and last people who buy it at least eight years.

I spoke with van Eck at the Amsterdam launch event, which took a different tack for a smartphone company. Instead of foregrounding the specs and AI capabilities, Fairphone talked mostly about how this newest device has the lowest carbon footprint of any phone it has made. Company reps also talked about how the workers in its supply chain are paid a living wage bonus and protected from harmful chemicals.

It’s not the easy or convenient way to make a phone. But if a phone maker as diminutive as Fairphone can do it, then it does raise the question of why industry mammoths can’t too.

“It takes effort,” van Eck tells me. “If we can do it, in my opinion, others can do it, because if you look at our scale, it’s even more difficult to convince suppliers to work this way.”

Niche phones are having something of a moment. Just last week the Trump Organization announced the T1 device, also known as the Trump phone, expected later this year, with much boasting of American origins. But rather than a preoccupation with making phones in the US, which doesn’t have the supply chain or manufacturing capabilities, I’d much rather see more options that present people with more ethically made, more easily repairable devices. I’ve been covering consumer tech and the climate crisis for many years, and not only do phones such as the Fairphone provide people with better value for the money in the long run, but they also put less stress on our rapidly warming planet.

Fairphone’s slice of the market is a small one, and van Eck is aware of that fact. But the company is also making an impact through its role in setting up systems that the entire tech industry can take advantage of. He cited progressive approaches focused on the use of minerals in mobile phone manufacturing like the Fair Cobalt Alliance and responsible gold credits (through which companies pay an extra $1 per every gram of gold mined in order to fund oxygen masks and other safety equipment).

A fairer phone

Then of course there’s the Fairphone itself — a device designed to be easily repairable by anyone who owns it, regardless of skill level. It even comes with a dedicated iFixit screwdriver in the box so that you can replace the back panel.

Inside is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 chip — a solid processor, but not the company’s most sophisticated silicon. I can’t help but wonder whether Fairphone is potentially shaving years off the phone’s longevity by not using the most advanced chipset at the time the device is manufactured. But van Eck thinks not.

“The device is perfectly equipped to fulfill the needs of the customers that are buying it,” he says. The Fairphone is designed for longevity via repair and updates, not to compete with future flagship models of competitors, he adds. “Within this midrange, we’re very confident that we can still deliver to the expectations of the customers in the years to come.”

One of the more notable (and noticeable) features of the Fairphone 6 is a lime green slider on the side of the phone. There’s been something of a renaissance of physical buttons on phones over the past few years, but most phone makers install these primarily for activating a device’s AI features.

I was fascinated to see that Fairphone has gone practically in the opposite direction. The slider is customizable, but comes pre-programmed to switch the phone into “essentials” mode. This pared-back monochrome interface gives you access to just the core functions of your phone — messaging, camera, web browser and the like — to give you something more akin to a dumb phone experience.

It’s not that van Eck is against AI. The Android version of the Fairphone 6 will come with Google’s Gemini. But he’s also aware of the wider conversation around responsible phone us.

“We see debates about children’s smartphones. We see debates about people who are glued to their devices even having eye problems,” he says. “It’s actually in our mission … that we want to make tech ethical. So it’s also good for us to help our users to switch off.”

When ethics meet scale

Worthy though its ideals and practices may be, this doesn’t mean Fairphone is totally above criticism.

If you’ve followed the company’s journey as closely as I have, it’s impossible not to have seen an influx of negative customer experience reports over the past few months, especially complaints about wait times and lack of communication.

Fairphone’s growth has been both a blessing and a curse, according to van Eck, who puts the issues the company has experienced down to systems, processes and workforce that have now been resolved.

“We see more interest for our devices, and that also triggered the fact that we needed to scale up,” he says. “We expect that the longer waiting times that customers have experienced, that will be a thing from the past within the next few weeks.”

Crucially, people who are interested in buying a Fairphone 6 shouldn’t see a repeat of these issues. This is the sixth-generation device, rebranded without a number officially attached to it. Does that mean this ultimate Fairphone is therefore the last Fairphone?

It is not. “We’re here to stay,” he tells me. Not only will Fairphone continue developing its tech, but it will keep pushing for and holding itself to higher standards. The new device contains more recycled materials than the Fairphone 5, for example.

“Of course there will be next versions to come,” he says. “But for now, we’re very happy with the Fairphone.”

Technologies

Trump Maintains US‑Iran Negotiations Continue Amid Tehran’s Denials of Duplicity

President Trump insists that US‑Iran talks are ongoing despite Tehran’s denial of any negotiation plans, while warning that only a deal or total surrender will allow passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Conflicting statements from both sides have heightened uncertainty as the conflict enters its sixth month.

On Monday, President Donald Trump asserted that negotiations between the United States and Iran are still taking place, even after Tehran stated it has no intention of engaging in direct talks with Washington.

In a fiery Truth Social post, Trump labeled Iran’s leaders “unbelievably duplicitous,” claiming they are lying about ongoing peace talks “whether Iran wants to admit it or not.” He repeated his assertion that the United States completely controls the Strait of Hormuz, despite maritime traffic through the crucial route lingering at only a small fraction of pre‑conflict levels.

He wrote, “Nothing reaches Iran unless we allow it, and nothing will pass unless a deal—or total surrender—is achieved.”

Earlier that day, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters there is no imminent plan for U.S.–Iran negotiations, contradicting Trump’s earlier comment that talks would resume Monday afternoon. Baghaei added that Iran’s only current discussions are with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

The conflicting statements have heightened uncertainty over the peace‑talk process and the broader conflict, now in its sixth month.

Trump’s assertion about new negotiations came a day after he said on Truth Social that he had agreed to cancel a massive strike against Iran “subject to being able to rapidly make a DEAL.” He said in the same post that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries had asked him to hold off on that attack because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

Trump has claimed dozens of times throughout the more‑than‑five‑month‑long war that a deal is at hand. No permanent deal has been signed, and a temporary ceasefire reached in June has fallen apart.

Trump has also repeatedly threatened to launch devastating strikes against Iran before backing off. After the latest example, oil prices on Monday fell and stocks surged.

BMI, a research unit of Fitch Solutions, said in a note Monday that a broader diplomatic understanding on reopening the Strait of Hormuz is still achievable this quarter, while raising the probability of its escalation scenario to 35% from 25%, citing mounting military, diplomatic and economic signs of rising U.S.-Iran tensions.

“Diplomatic progress is likely to be punctuated by periodic military flare-ups, while miscalculation by either side could trigger a renewed escalation,” BMI analysts wrote in a note. The firm said the key issue to watch is the future governance of the strait, as the Iran-Oman talks — potentially backed by Gulf states, China and the U.S. — point to efforts to build a post-conflict shipping framework.

Shipping risks persist even as diplomacy appears to be advancing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre said it received a report of an incident 20 nautical miles (23 miles) northeast of Khasab, Oman — at the mouth of the strait — with a tanker’s master reporting an explosion in close proximity to the vessel at about 20:37 UTC Sunday (4:37 pm ET). The vessel and crew were safe and authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, advising ships to transit with caution.

The proposal Trump announced over the weekend calls for the U.S. and Iran to return to negotiations and continue ironing out some of the thorny issues that had derailed diplomatic efforts, according to The Associated Press, citing a regional official involved in the mediation efforts.

The official said the proposal also includes a reopening of the Hormuz Strait and halting attacks across the region, including by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq on the Arab Gulf countries and Jordan.

The U.S., for its part, will end its naval blockade on Iran and allow Tehran to export its oil, the official said, adding that no deal has been reached, although the mediation efforts remained underway.

Trump’s weekend reversal has lowered the temperature after days of escalating attacks across the Gulf. Kuwait said Saturday that Iranian forces launched a wave of drones within its airspace, with its military destroying multiple aircraft after Iran targeted critical infrastructure in the country’s north.

A parallel track with Muscat is also advancing. Iranian diplomats said Tehran was close to reaching a new arrangement with Oman to manage shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a deal critical to preventing the war from escalating further, according to the Financial Times.

Iranian officials said negotiations over future management of the Hormuz Strait with Oman, which sits on the opposite shore of the waterway, are in their final stages. The agreed shipping route would be different from those used before, according to Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Baghaei, adding that the new route was separate from the issue of the strait’s reopening or continued closure.

Technologies

Oil Prices Slide as Trump Halts Planned Iran Strike

Oil prices dropped after Trump cancelled a planned strike on Iran, with WTI down about 5% and Brent near 5% lower. He said the move followed requests from Tehran and regional allies for a pause while a deal shaping the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s nuclear program is negotiated.

Oil prices fell on Monday after President Donald Trump announced he had cancelled a planned strike on Iran. WTI futures dropped roughly 5% to $80.34 a barrel, while Brent slipped about 4.7% to $83.77 a barrel.

Trump said early Sunday he called off the strike after Iran and several Middle Eastern nations asked him to hold off, noting that the outlines of a deal had been agreed upon. He added that the prospective accord would entail the immediate, full opening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear ambitions, according to his Truth Social post.

The president had been considering another round of strikes as diplomatic hopes waned since the conflict began on February 28. He said the U.S. and Iran would meet for talks on Monday, but Iran denied any scheduled negotiations with Washington, citing PressTV. Iran’s foreign‑ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei clarified that Tehran was only discussing shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman. In a follow‑up Truth Social message, Trump insisted that, regardless of Iran’s acknowledgment, the United States is indeed discussing a solution to a long‑standing problem created by Iran.

Technologies

Oil Prices Drop as Trump Cancels Planned Attack on Iran

Oil prices fell sharply after President Trump announced the cancellation of a planned strike on Iran, citing a new deal that would open the Hormuz Strait and end Iran’s nuclear threat.

Oil prices fell sharply on Monday after President Donald Trump announced that he had called off a planned strike on Iran.

West Texas Intermediate futures, the U.S. benchmark, slipped roughly 5% to close at $80.34 per barrel, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, declined 4.7% to settle at $83.77 a barrel.

Trump made the announcement early Sunday, saying he had canceled the strike following requests from Tehran and other Middle Eastern countries.

In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “We have just been asked by Iran, and other Middle Eastern Countries, to hold off any attack in that the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to.”

The president indicated that the proposed agreement would include the immediate, complete, and total opening of the Hormuz Strait, as well as an end to Iran’s nuclear threat.

Trump had been weighing additional strikes amid diminishing prospects for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict that began on Feb. 28. He stated that the U.S. and Iran would hold negotiations on Monday.

Tehran denied that talks were planned with Washington, according to state news outlet PressTV.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran was only holding talks with Oman regarding the routes ships can use through the Strait of Hormuz.

In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump added that whether “Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused for decades.”