The new Fairphone 2, the modular smartphone that's marketed as a repairable, recyclable and conflict-free Android handset, has found its way to the teardown table over at iFixit.
Getting inside the phone was easy enough as the rear cover snaps off sans tools. The battery comes right out with ease, just like the "good old days," without any adhesive holding it in place. Life gets even easier as a pair of sliding tabs are all that hold the display in place.
Breakout boards are used to foster compatibility, making it incredibly easy to mix and match components. The company even went to the trouble of adding a tiny map to the main board showing where the conflict-free tin and tantalum used in the phone were sourced from.
Finally, iFixit had to break out the tools... a simple Philips #0 screwdriver. Best yet, all of the screws are the same size so there's no worry in getting them mixed up. Should you need to repair an individual module, however, a Trox T5 screwdriver will be needed.
As you might expect from a modular device, the Fairphone 2 earned a perfect 10 out of 10 repairability score (the higher the number, the easier it is to repair). Aside from a slight ding due to the LCD and cover glass being fused together (thus increasing the cost of replacement), iFixit had nothing but praise for the Fairphone 2.
All images courtesy iFixit