Fairphone 5 review

The Fairphone 5 is just not speculated to be a robust, spec-heavy smartphone, so it isn’t.

It’s not speculated to have cameras higher than the iPhone 14 Professional or Google Pixel 7, so it doesn’t.

Its design isn’t speculated to wow you, so it in all probability gained’t.

As a substitute, Fairphone has got down to make a smartphone that can get eight years of software program assist, probably 10.

And it is aware of not all of the elements within the telephone will final that lengthy, so lots of them are person repairable or replaceable, with the corporate promising to inventory key elements for it for a number of years.

It’s unattainable for me to check these guarantees proper now, and the longevity of the Fairphone 5 depends on the corporate nonetheless present in 2033. However Fairphone has a great monitor document up to now, and its newest telephone is spectacular in what it units out to attain.

Importantly, Fairphone is a small firm proving that different smartphone producers may supply longer software program assist, whereas questioning the environmental ethics of telephones whose elements will solely final two or three years.

It additionally says it pretty sources all of the telephone’s elements, and pretty treats the employees at each stage of the availability chain proper to its personal factories, going above and past what different telephone corporations do. Shopping for a Fairphone, the corporate implores, is a vote for a fairer smartphone business.

Design & construct

• Enjoyable clear mannequin
• Easy modular repairability
• Strong however chunky construct

The Fairphone 5 seems to be very very like the Fairphone 4 however there are a number of adjustments.

The design is apparent, with a thick-feeling 9.6mm physique and curved edges and corners. My pattern is the wonderful clear model that permits you to see via the detachable plate to the detachable battery and thoughtfully offered modular design beneath.

There are plainer, opaque black or blue fashions too or you’ll be able to even purchase all three and swap them over such as you did together with your old-school Nokia in 2002.

It’s pretty heavy at 212g and is barely IP55 rated for mud and water resistance, so principally don’t get it moist. It’s comprehensible when the telephone is designed to be taken aside and put again collectively by the proprietor.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

The telephone is available in recyclable packaging however with no charging cable or brick, or a screwdriver. You should purchase the latter individually to take the telephone aside.

The battery comes out by itself however in any other case there are tiny screws that must be eliminated as a way to substitute elements such because the show, cameras, earpiece, USB-C port, and loudspeaker, all of that are in the stores direct from Fairphone.

I took the telephone aside with ease and had no bother placing all of it again collectively. It’s a lot simpler than the Nokia G22, which requires you disassemble half the telephone earlier than attending to the battery, which wants cables detaching. The Fairphone is way easier to restore.

Even earlier than you’ve repaired something the telephone comes with a five-year guarantee. Fairphone walks the stroll, right here.

Display screen & audio system

• 6.4in pOLED
• Gorilla Glass 5
• Each display screen and audio system replaceable

That is the primary Fairphone with an OLED show. It’s vivid and sharp with a 1224 x 2770 decision, in addition to a 90Hz refresh charge for a smoother look to apps and textual content scrolling by.

It’s a good show however it’s not the very best high quality panel on the market at this value. The Google Pixel 7 has a greater one at £599.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Regardless of this I used to be happy to discover a ton of customisable choices within the settings together with three color mode toggles and a customized one, a blue mild filter, and a studying mode that offers the show a paper-like sheen for longer studying classes.

Within the settings it’s labelled ‘NXTVISION’ that backs up the speculation that the Fairphone 5 is manufactured by TCL. Nxtvision is TCL’s show tech that’s designed to scale back eye pressure and could be present in its personal new 40 Nxtpaper telephones.

I discovered it annoying the highest left nook of the show cuts so near the time, however in any other case the telephone has a giant vivid, replaceable show. No dealbreakers.

Fairphone

Specs & efficiency

• The chipset is the telephone’s weak point
• Laggy and gradual efficiency
• Beneficiant 256GB storage

The Fairphone 5 makes use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon QCM6490 chipset. That’s not a generally used one in smartphones.

Fairphone says the choice to decide on it’s “distinctive”, and it’s a chip extra generally present in enterprise-grade {hardware}. The corporate thinks it’s higher suited to receiving eight years of software program updates. It additionally helps 5G.

The issue is the efficiency proper now is just not that nice, and I discovered that disappointing. The telephone typically lags and stutters, and is a ache to make use of even for primary communication.

I’ve requested Fairphone if it should enhance, however I’m inclined to imagine that if the software program is supported in eight years, the {hardware} can be on its knees if that is the way it performs new. It’s a disgrace.

Fairphone 5 benchmarks

You additionally get dual-SIM (one bodily, one eSIM), NFC, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2 LE. No headphone jack in sight.

Digicam & video

• Strong 50Mp most important digital camera with OIS
• 50Mp ultrawide
• 50Mp entrance dealing with digital camera

The cameras listed here are good however nothing particular. Fairphone has notably used three 50Mp sensors for the principle, ultrawide, and selfie cameras, although they’re all totally different {hardware}.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

The primary makes use of the Sony IMX800 and produces crisp, pleasing pictures in good lighting at the usual 12.5Mp output. Optical picture stabilisation (OIS) is welcome.

It’s a superbly good digital camera, although at this value lacks the element and processing high quality of the Pixel 7, and even the cheaper Pixel 7a. You may as well shoot in 50Mp however the stabilisation is worse.

Ultrawide pictures are acceptable however lose element and high quality fairly drastically on the edges of pictures and in low mild.

The selfie shooter is completely good for group snaps and video calls although did make me look a bit of washed out and gray (insert getting old joke right here).

Battery life & charging

• 4,200mAh replaceable battery
• Gradual 30W charging
• No cable or charger included

Having a replaceable battery within the Fairphone 5 brings me again to the great previous days of my Nokia 3310, and even telephones from 2015 just like the LG G4 that had batteries you would take out of the telephone with no instruments wanted.

Fairphone sells spare batteries for £35.95 so you would get an additional one and preserve it charged for emergency swap out or days away from the plug.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

Sadly, battery life is just not superb right here – the telephone lasted me a full day with reasonable to heavy use, however it’s working on fumes by bedtime. For such a comparatively underpowered telephone I’d have hoped for higher, however 4,200mAh is smaller than the more and more widespread 5,000mAh in mid-tier Android telephones – a trade-off for repairability you is likely to be prepared to make.

The telephone charged agonisingly slowly with my 30W USB-C charger, solely reaching 29% in half an hour. There’s no wi-fi charging.

Software program & options

• Eight years of updates
• Clear Android look
• Desktop mode

Fairphone is promising 5 Android platform updates and not less than eight years of safety updates. That is roughly the identical variety of OS updates as Apple provides most iPhones, and longer safety assist than another smartphone producer.

It’s a real differentiator and it’s commendable if Fairphone can pull it off. At launch, the corporate even mentioned it hoped to increase these eight years to 10. If the Fairphone 5 will get its final safety patch in 2031, that will be very spectacular.

Henry Burrell / Foundry

I hesitate on the usefulness of such longevity when I discovered the {hardware} already a bit of creaky. Will Android nonetheless run acceptably on this telephone in a decade? However I can’t knock the dedication. It goes to indicate different corporations with infinitely extra useful resource may very well be supporting telephones far lengthy, however they select to not as a result of they wish to promote you a brand new telephone each three or so years.

The Fairphone has a clear, inventory Android feel and appear with zero bloatware. It makes use of Google apps for every little thing, and there’s one Fairphone app the place you’ll be able to log in to your account and entry your guarantee and different options.

There’s additionally an amazing desktop mode you’ll be able to allow in settings – simply plug the telephone right into a USB-C monitor together with keyboard and mouse and you should use a full Home windows-style arrange. Extra mid-range telephones ought to supply this.

Worth & availability

The Fairphone 5 prices £649/€699 direct from Fairphone and goes on sale 14 September 2023. It isn’t out there within the US simply but: Fairphone does promote the earlier mannequin, however it stays to be seen if this newest one can be or not. We think about it’ll price $800 or so if the corporate does resolve to launch Stateside.

That could be a good value contemplating it’s billed to final you not less than eight years, however by way of the smartphone promote it’s dearer than higher performing telephones. The Google Pixel 7a, as an example, prices £449 and has higher efficiency and cameras.

However to match the Fairphone 5 to different telephones misses the purpose. You’re shopping for this to assist a trigger and reject the necessity to substitute your telephone each two years. I believe the value is, certainly, truthful.

Verdict

If you happen to can put to 1 aspect that the Fairphone 5 is a middling smartphone so far as market comparisons go, you then’re midway there. It’s a product that proves different telephone producers ought to supply longer software program assist and actively encourage you to not improve.

Apple can say the iPhone 14 is extra repairable than older iPhones, however it’s laughable in comparison with the true repairability of the Fairphone 5. It’s really easy to take away and substitute elements, and all you want is a £5 screwdriver.

My reservation is the underpowered processor, and I’m not satisfied the telephone will carry out properly in 4 or 5 years, but alone eight to 10.

However all issues thought-about this can be a strong telephone that you can purchase since you imagine within the trigger, not since you need essentially the most highly effective telephone for the cash. On this manner, the Fairphone 5 is a good success.

If you happen to don’t agree, that’s superb. There are many different nice mid-range telephones simply ready so that you can purchase them.

Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon QCM6490 chipset
• Android 13 at launch
• 5 OS upgrades
• 8 years of software program assist
• 6.46in 90Hz pOLED
• 256GB storage
• microSD expandable to 2TB
• 8GB LPDDR4x RAM
• 4200mAh detachable battery
• Cameras:
• 50Mp Sony IMX800 most important sensor, f/1.88, OIS
• 50Mp Sony IMX858 ultrawide, f/2.2, 121 levels FoV
• 50Mp entrance dealing with, 90 levels FoV
• Modular design with 10 spare elements out there
• 161.6 x 75.8 x 9.6mm
• 212g