The Fairphone 5 has some peculiarities. The key is in the name: fair: the device is made by people who want to help make the world more sustainable. The people who build the phone get paid a living wage and will recycle your old phone for you.
The Fairphone 5 comes in a recycled paper box with some leaflets and nothing else.
The other plus point of the Fairphone 5 is that it is built to last. The company behind the phone offers a 5-year warranty and at least 8 years of software support. Plus, you can change many of the phone’s integral components yourself, using nothing more than a Phillips screwdriver.
There are ten interchangeable modules in the Fairphone: the OLED display, the rear and front cameras, the USB port and the battery. You don’t even need tools to change the battery, thanks to the removable back panel.
Using the Fairphone is easy
This brings us to the third, and at least for us, most profound aspect of the Fairphone 5. It looks retro in a good way. It all starts with the feel in the hand: It’s a big, wide phone with big curved metal edges. It’s a big contradiction to the phone’s current style: no unnecessarily thin bezels, no excessive flatness, no pompous materials.
The display is surrounded by large black frames. The removable back cover is a nod to simpler times when you could open the phone, remove items, and bring in more. Good times.
The simple and comforting trend continues with software. It’s as simple as Android can get, despite being the latest version 13. But the phone starts with a 60Hz refresh rate (there’s a 90Hz option) and on-screen buttons (gestures are here too ). It’s like we’re back in the early days of 2019 phones.
The Fairphone 5 could easily have been called the Fresh Air Phone 5, although it wouldn’t have the same ring to it, we admit. Our review is coming soon, so stay tuned!
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