Gear News of the Week: Fairphone Lands in the US, and WhatsApp Is Finally on the Apple Watch

The lone smartphone shaper with a 10/10 iFixit repairability people is yet bringing its products to the US, but it isn't starting with its phones. Netherlands-based Fairphone announced this week that it volition people its enlargement into the US with the Fairbuds XL, its repairable over-ear headphones. It'll beryllium disposable connected Amazon aboriginal this month.

Fairphone says it achieved 61 percent gross maturation successful the 3rd 4th of 2025 compared to the aforesaid play successful 2024, though this is apt attributed to the motorboat of The Fairphone (Gen 6)—the institution doesn't merchandise a caller telephone each year. It sold much than 100,000 units successful 2024, including phones and audio products.

Right-to-repair laws person been cropping up each implicit the US, and Fairphone smartphones are the easiest to repair. The institution provides a screwdriver, sells spare parts for years, and offers semipermanent bundle support. Its devices whitethorn not beryllium the flashiest oregon the astir powerful, but they are a much sustainable solution, besides ensuring just mining practices and wages for workers successful its proviso chain.

Bringing its smartphone implicit to the US is simply a small much analyzable than headphones, arsenic it requires bearer certifications, but Fairphone tells WIRED it's successful “advanced discussions” with prime retailers and carriers.

WhatsApp Arrives connected the Apple Watch

Meta seems to beryllium connected a quest to yet bring its apps to different platforms. A fewer months ago, it launched an Instagram app for the iPad; present we're getting WhatsApp connected the Apple Watch. Rather than conscionable mirroring your notifications and sending basal replies, present you tin work afloat messages connected the Apple Watch, grounds and nonstop dependable messages, spot who's calling, nonstop emoji reactions to messages, and spot much of the chat past connected the screen.

It syncs with your iPhone, truthful you don't request to acceptable it up arsenic a companion device. You can't instrumentality calls connected the ticker itself oregon adjacent reply them; you tin spot who is calling and decline. It besides doesn't look arsenic though you tin adhd the WhatsApp app arsenic a complication.

Motorola’s Cheapest Phone Now Has 5G

It's a small earlier than usual, but Motorola's latest fund phones are here: the Moto G 2026 and Moto G Play 2026. They stock a akin look and aren't excessively antithetic from the plan connection Motorola has employed connected its 2025 Moto G devices. What's astir notable is that the Moto G Play volition person 5G support, making it 1 of the cheapest handsets with 5G astatine $170.

Both phones person 6.7-inch 120-Hz LCD screens, large 5,200-mAh batteries, and IP52 h2o resistance. They're powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 6300 processor with 4 GB of RAM, but they disagree successful retention size, with the Moto G offering 128 GB of interior retention and the Play with 64 GB (both are expandable with a microSD). Cameras are the different spot wherever the 2 phones diverge, with a 50-MP main sensor connected the Moto G and a 32-MP sensor connected the Play. Yes, they inactive person headphone jacks.

Motorola says the Moto G Play volition get archetypal connected November 13 astatine Motorola, Best Buy, and Amazon for $170, and the $200 Moto G launches connected December 11 astatine Motorola's website first, past astatine Best Buy and Amazon connected January 15.

Canon’s R6 III Goes More Pro

Canon has announced its much-anticipated caller EOS R6 Mark III full-frame mirrorless camera. The R6 III features a caller 32.5-megapixel sensor (the aforesaid sensor successful the EOS C50 cinema camera), arsenic good arsenic the company's latest Digic X processor.