The new Fairphone 4 is the company's most sustainable phone yet

[jsilva]

In brief: Fairphone, a brand mostly known for manufacturing sustainable phones, has recently introduced the Fairphone 4. Fairphone refreshed its hardware, bringing 5G connectivity and more processing power to the table. It's the company's most sustainable phone yet and the world's first electronic-waste-neutral phone.

Fairphone debuted in 2013 after a successful crowdfunding campaign. Since then, it launched two more handsets: the Fairphone 2 in 2015 and the Fairphone 3 in 2019. Like the other two, the latter has been recently discontinued, paving the way for the newly announced Fairphone 4.

Like the Fairphone 3, it will come with a five-year warranty, but that's about all it shares with its predecessor. The Fairphone 4 will run Android 11 and feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G with 5G and dual-SIM support, a 6.3-inch FHD+ display and a 3,905mAh battery. Storage/memory configurations include a 128GB/6GB option, which is only available in gray, and a 256GB/8GB option in gray, green and speckled green.

The rear camera system includes a primary 48MP shooter with an f/1.6 aperture powered by a Sony IMX582 sensor and a secondary 48MP rear camera with an f/2.2 aperture. For selfies, there's a 25MP front-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture using a Sony IMX576 sensor. The phone also supports Bluetooth 5.1 + LE, NFC, and Wi-Fi dual-band (2.4GHz + 5GHz), and has a USB-C port.

Much like the Fairphone 2 and 3, the new mobile device was also designed with repairability in mind, as you can see by its TCO scores. The 128GB snatched a 9.2 out of 10, while the 256GB model was slightly better, with 9.3 out of 10. Moreover, the phone has an IP54 rating, meaning it should withstand splashes and dust.

As expected, Fairphone 4 devices come in an eco-friendly packaging. A USB-C to USB-C Cable 2.0, dual-port 30W charger (EU) and USB-C to mini audio jack adapter (3.5mm) can be bought separately. The 128GB model costs €579 ($670), and the 256GB model goes for €649 ($751).

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https://www.techspot.com/news/91511-new-fairphone-4-company-most-sustainable-phone.html

 

[Squid Surprise]

Hmm... so I can pay just under flagship prices for a "sustainable" phone that is slower than the competition? And it doesn't have an audio jack either? Tempting... but... no thanks...

 

[Theinsanegamer]

"sustainable" yet has no headphone jack forcing you to eithe ruse bluetooth headphones with a finite lifespan or wear out your USB port faster with a USB dongle (that is easily lost and will need frequent replacement), no option for a larger battery (forcing more frequent replacement of the internal cell) and costs over double what the likes of the moto G 5G, which has the same processor and a much larger battery.

Just because something is called "sustainable" or "eco friendly" does not make it so, nor does it make it a good purchase. For that kind of money I'd want bare minimum 6000 mah (or 5000 with headphone jack).

 

[mountains]

OK, sorry to be critical of this article, and I am glad you are covering this category, but there are some important questions left out.

How about privacy? How locked down is the OS? I think one of the main arguments for this kind of phone is that you sacrifice some specs to get more control of your phone, which is worth something. I wish the article educated us a little on this important side of things. Or am I misunderstanding the Fairphone's purpose? I know they are going for "sustainable", but I thought they were also pro-user control.

When I get a new phone I usually look at Fairphone and hope it is at least competitive with features/cost/user control, and I will continue to cast a hopeful eye their direction in the future. Unfortunately, so far they have tended to fall a little short overall. No Bluetooth 5.2, no headphone jack. The article does not mention removable storage or which version of WiFi. At least it now has 5G and current Android. It has a 5 year warranty, software updates, a replaceable battery. At first glance it sounds like this model is actually much more competitive than previous models.

Also, I believe Fairphone is still not available in the US.