October 22, 2023, 1:49 pm | Read time: 6 minutes
The environmentally friendly and fairly produced Fairphones have not necessarily impressed with outstanding specifications so far. However, the latest model offers two major technical advancements. But is it worth buying the sustainably manufactured smartphone? TECHBOOK took a closer look at the Android device.
Since the end of August 2023, the Fairphone 5 has been on the market. While the environmental aspect is often overlooked by many major manufacturers, the Dutch company Fairphone promotes a sustainable concept. The individual parts are generally fairly traded or manufactured, and recycling is also a strong focus. Additionally, the company emphasizes modularity, meaning that (independent) repair of various components should generally be possible.
Overview
The Specifications of the Fairphone 5 at a Glance
TECHBOOK Takes Apart the Fairphone 5
Fairphone 5 to Receive 10 Years of Software Updates
The new Fairphone 5 could be a smartphone for an entire decade. While devices from many other manufacturers become obsolete after just two or three years due to lack of software updates, the Dutch company promises between eight and ten years of security updates–a record in sustainability.
To make this promise a reality, developers in Amsterdam made an unusual decision regarding the main chipset. Unlike the previous model, they did not opt for the Snapdragon series, which chip supplier Qualcomm typically provides for mobile phones.
Instead, they chose Qualcomm’s QCM 6490. This chipset is usually used in entirely different environments, such as self-service terminals at large fast-food chains. However, there is also an outdoor phone from AGM with this chip. Although the QCM 6490 was not specifically developed for smartphones, it has a crucial advantage from the perspective of Fairphone’s designers. Qualcomm guarantees eight years of software support.
Without this assurance, the small Dutch manufacturer would have to develop the complex driver software itself for major Android operating system updates. In terms of computing power, the Fairphone 5 is comparable to mid-range smartphones like Samsung’s Galaxy A54.
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Vibrant Colors Thanks to OLED
The second important technical innovation is immediately noticeable. Compared to its predecessor (Fairphone 4), the Fairphone 5 has received a significantly better display. The Dutch no longer use a simple LCD panel but have opted for a high-quality display with OLED technology. This ensures that photos on the device have much more vibrant colors and appear beautifully sharp.
And when playing videos, dark areas appear truly deep black, not just dark gray. The OLED technology also makes the screen easier to read outdoors. The refresh rate is 60 or 90 hertz. The OLED display also enables an always-on mode: information such as time or current notifications can be displayed continuously without draining the battery prematurely.
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Camera Innovations
The position of the selfie camera has also changed. In older models, the front camera had a larger, teardrop-shaped area reserved for it. In the Fairphone 5, this “notch” has shrunk to a small black circle (“punch hole”), making the device look significantly more modern, also because the display edges have become much narrower.
The selfie camera itself performs quite well. It now has a resolution of 50 megapixels, twice as many as the previous model. This results in beautifully sharp selfies. At first glance, the main camera system might seem to have three cameras. In reality, there are only two: a main camera with optical image stabilization and an ultra-wide-angle camera.
What looks like a third camera is a depth sensor. Both cameras have a resolution of 50 megapixels. After the so-called pixel binning, where several individual pixels are merged into a larger pixel, 12.6-megapixel photo files are produced.
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No Optical Telephoto Lens
In tests, the Fairphone 5’s main camera produced high-contrast photos with vibrant colors without veering into garishness. However, photos taken in darkness and twilight were not as sharp and detailed as those taken in daylight.
Distant objects can only be digitally zoomed in on, as there is no optical telephoto lens. In our test, we quickly reached the limits beyond two times magnification. Photos taken with the maximum 20 times magnification lost many details in image noise.
Fairphone Battery Not Great
The battery is also better than in previous models. It now has a capacity of 4200 mAh. The battery can be charged to 50 percent in 30 minutes with a 30-watt charger via USB-C.
If the battery eventually loses so much capacity that the phone can no longer be used effectively, the battery can be easily replaced without any tools. You can remove the back and the battery itself with your fingernails.
The downside of this solution is not optimal water protection. However, the Fairphone 5 still achieves an IP55 certification. The device is thus protected from a rain shower but should not be dropped in the bathtub, as it is not truly waterproof.
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Ten Parts Replaceable
The modular design allows not only for battery replacement. The three cameras, USB-C port, speaker, earpiece, and the “top unit” with SIM card slot and memory card slot can also be replaced without any tinkering experience.
The required Phillips screwdriver is included in the package. A replacement battery costs 40 euros, the display 100 euros, the back 25 euros, and the cameras between 35 euros (selfie camera) and 70 euros (main camera).
Sustainability as a Main Concept
The environmental concept includes not only excellent and easy repairability: In the Fairphone 5, 14 raw materials come from fair supply chains or recycling. According to the Dutch, this applies to the aluminum, plastics, and raw materials such as gold, tungsten, lithium, silver, cobalt, tin, zinc, rare earth metals, magnesium, indium, copper, and nickel used. Fairphone also claims to be “electronic waste neutral.” This means that for every Fairphone 5 sold, an old smartphone is recycled.
The Fairphone 5 costs just under 700 euros, which is 120 euros more than the cheapest version of the previous model. However, it now has a significantly better display. Additionally, the Fairphone 5 now includes 256 gigabytes of storage, twice as much as the entry-level model of the Fairphone 4. This means the price of the new model has effectively increased by 50 euros.
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With material from dpa.