Well, it was faster than expected: the Fairphone 5 is now official and you can already pre-order one from the company’s online store. There’s only one version and it costs €700/£620 (compared to €580/£500 for the previous model), you just need to choose a colour: Matte Black, Sky Blue or the new Transparent edition. Shipping will begin on September 14, although the Sky Blue version won’t be available until the end of September.
Fairphone 5 in Matte Black, Blue and Transparent editions
The phone is made from 70% fair and recycled materials and is built by people making a living wage. You can also use the box that Fairphone comes in to ship your old phone to the company and they’ll recycle it for you (this is just one of the ways the company ensures its products are eco-friendly).
The Fairphone 5 is built to last: it comes with a 5-year warranty and software support until at least 2031 (8 years from now). At least for that long, if things work well, the phone will be supported for 10 years. You get Android 13 out of the box and the company plans to provide at least 5 OS updates to the phone.
This is also the easiest phone to repair, all you need is a Phillips screwdriver. There are ten modules that you can replace by yourself, no need to go to a workshop. The modules are sold by Fairphone and partners.
The modules include the new OLED display, the rear and front cameras, the USB port and of course the battery. Let’s take a closer look at these components.
The new display measures 6.46” (slightly larger than the 6.3” panel of the Fairphone 4). It’s an OLED with 1,224 x 2,700 px (20:9) resolution, 90 Hz refresh rate (the company’s first HRR display), and a peak brightness of 880 nits. It is covered with Gorilla Glass 5 (0.7 mm with an oleophobic coating).
The new phone says goodbye to the notch and has a punch-hole selfie camera: this camera (and the two on the back) uses a 50 MP sensor. This specific one has a Samsung JN1, a 1/2.76″ sensor with 0.64 µm pixels and support for 4 in 1 binning. The f/2.45 lens has a FoV of 90°, video recording is supported up to 4K @ 30fps.
The main camera on the back has a 50 MP Sony IMX800, a 1/1.56” sensor with 1.0 µm native pixels and 4-in-1 binning support. The f/1.88 lens has an 84° FoV and supports optical image stabilization. Then there is the 117° ultra wide-angle camera, this has an IMX858 sensor (1/2.51”, 0.7μm). This has autofocus and can capture macro images at 2.5cm/1 inch. The third module on the back is a time-of-flight sensor.
Fairphone has chosen a Qualcomm QCM 6490 chipset, an industrial component with long-term software support – which is why it can promise support until 2031. It is comparable to the Snapdragon 778G in terms of hardware.
There is only one memory configuration, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There’s a microSD slot that takes cards up to 2TB (those should be pretty cheap eight years from now). Also, keep in mind that this is a dual-SIM phone with one physical SIM slot and one eSIM.
Fairphone 5
Other connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz), Bluetooth 5.2 and NFC. The 5G modem supports multiple bands, but the company hasn’t mentioned releasing the phone in North America.
The Fairphone 5 comes with a larger battery, 4,200 mAh (up from 3,905 mAh). And it also supports faster charging, 30W (up from 20W). The fastest charging reaches 50% in 20 minutes, a fully charged battery should last a day and a half. And of course, it’s super easy to replace it with a new battery once it starts to die. However, there is no wireless charging.
Additionally, the USB-C 3.0 port handles charging and data tasks, and is also the only wired connection – the 3.5mm headphone jack is gone and never coming back. On the plus side, the new model comes with stereo speakers.
The Fairphone 5 features stereo speakers and 30W faster charging
Keep in mind that the retail box only includes the phone and a quick start guide—there’s not even a cable.
Although the phone is easy to repair, it is also more durable than the previous model. It has an IP55 rating (compared to IP54), so it has better water resistance. Additionally, it has been drop tested from 1.8m/6ft.
Here are some videos introducing the Fairphone 5 and all its new features, updates, and all the ways the company makes its phones “just right.”
Start a new Thread