Fairphone 4 review The two available versions of the Fairphone 4 5G cost 579 and 649; accessories are available separately. Watch the highlights 5-year warranty Fairtrade Gold The OS has its own app store and Murena Cloud apps for things like email, calendar, and cloud storage. Its also getting a much more limited Europe-only release, with no plans for a US launch. Its LCD rather than OLED, and viewing angles arent amazing, but I was happy with how it looked after I turned off its overkill image enhancement options in its Settings app and tweaked the color temperature. Ive been using the Fairphone 4 for a couple of days as my primary phone, and while Im not ready to give a final verdict just yet, it feels like a big step forward compared to the dated designs and low-power components found in the companys previous phones. If youre not familiar with Murena, its best known for its open-source software that is free from digital surveillance. But the only area of the Fairphone 4 that I think could be a real dealbreaker for some people is its camera, which, despite being based around a pair of 48-megapixel sensors (one for the main camera and one for the ultrawide), produces mediocre shots, even in broad daylight. A five-year warranty should also keep the repair costs down over the life of the phone. The Fairphone 4 is available to pre-order now, and devices will start shipping on October 25th. It is a more powerful phone that runs on Android 11 and is ready for the 5G network. News Performance is acceptable, battery life is good, and the phones screen is perfectly fine. It's been 10 years since Dutch smartphone maker Fairphone declared a bold mission to create sustainable and ethical smartphones. Phones are made up of a gazillion (okay, maybe a thousand) tiny pieces and parts that need to be ordered, assembled, screwed and soldered together. Fairphones ambition is to produce a more ethical alternative to modern smartphones. Do not sell my data, Fairphone 5 images leaks, show slimmer bezels and a transparent colorway, Fairphone launches Fairbuds XL: modular, repairable over-ear headphones, Seven years later Fairphone 2 receives its last software update, Fairphone 2 support ends after seven years, last update coming in March, Sales, showrooms, and silicon: Tesla's Optimus bot takes center stage, Eyes on the road: BMW unveils ConnectedRide smart glasses for bikers, BMW believes its new CE 02 eParkourer can redefine urban mobility. Per the Murena website, the phone is currently only available on backorder. The 3+ was . Prices start at 579 / 499 for the . The Fairphone 4 is made with Fairtrade -certified gold, aluminum from Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Performance Standard certified vendors, fair tungsten from Rwanda, recycled tin, rare earth minerals, and plastics. Its every bit as sustainable, with a modular repairable design that Fairphone now offers a five-year warranty for. [24], Media related to Fairphone at Wikimedia Commons, "A Smartphone That Lasts a Decade? Fairphone 4 - Sustainable. Long-lasting. Fair. | Fairphone This is just a brief introduction to how we do things differently to make phones fairer. But when it comes to the devices themselves, previous Fairphones have struggled to be competitive with similarly priced smartphones. Where is the Fairphone 4 manufactured? Youll need to take this rear panel off to insert a SIM card underneath the battery during setup, a process which handily doesnt require the use of a SIM tool convenient given there isnt one included in the box (though Fairphone tells me this may differ between release markets). Fairphone 4 smartphone review - 5G phone with environmental focus Fairphone has partnered with Murena to bring the Fairphone 4 to US shores, according to Android Police. It starts at a selling price of $599. The code can be used on any orders from 75. The Fairphone 4 is the only time Ive regretted using a review phone for vacation snaps because I regret not coming home with nicer photos. Instead, it will come with its own default apps for email, messages, the calendar, and more. These factories can turn exciting new product ideas into reality, and can take care of all the tiny details related to assembly, so their clients dont need to worry about it. The Fairphone 4 uses a modular design thats similar to the companys previous phones, only now with more powerful internals, a five-year warranty, and a promise of two major Android updates and software support until the end of 2025. But if youre the kind of person that can live with the budget phones listed above, if you just need a smartphone for daily use and arent concerned about having the best camera or most premium-feeling device, then I think youre the kind of person who can live with the Fairphone 4. In a statement, Fairphone CEO Eva Gouwens called the launch "a great opportunity for us to pilot selling devices in the US and learn more about the American market.". The phone comes in two configurations (6GB+128GB, 8GB+256GB) and also features a dedicated microSD card slot. There are a lot of details about that on their blog, which I can recommend as an interesting read; they've always been pretty transparent. Fairphone's repairable smartphone goes on sale in US for the first time This includes exclusive Fairphone news, insights about my personal impact, tips about my Fairphone products, as well as seasonal promotional offers. The modular Fairphone 4 arrives in the US for the first time U.S. consumers interested in getting themselves this /e/OS-powered device can buy it from Murena's U.S. website starting today. The 6.3-inch IPS LCD panel on the device has a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels, ending up with a PPI density of 410. [8] On October 12, 2016, it was announced that Fairphone founder Bas van Abel is one of the winners of the annual prestigious Deutscher Umweltpreis as a "pioneer for a more efficient resource policy in the smartphone industry." [9] Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is licensed under a Creative Commons License. [10] " The tin and tungsten used in its construction is conflict free, the gold is Fairtrade, and the copper and plastics are recycled." [9] Modular design The individual modules in an opened Fairphone 3 This is described by the company as a privacy-focused, Google-free OS, aimed at those who are wary of sharing their data with the search giant. If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Its great to see Fairphone using a more capable 7-series Snapdragon processor compared to the 6-series one used in the Fairphone 3. Fairphone beats the entire Android ecosystem with six years of support We also collaborate with our assembly partner to create better, safer working conditions (and sometimes special bonuses) for their employees. Discover the latest news and best reviews in smartphones and carriers from CNET' mobile experts. As well as being easy to remove, the parts should also be easy to replace since Fairphone plans to have replacements available until at least 2027 (as a benchmark, the company still has some spare parts left for the almost six-year-old Fairphone 2). That means making a device thats ethically sourced using sustainable materials before providing the software support and warranty to make it useable for as long as possible. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Merch store We care about designing longer-lasting products that are easier to repair. Its nice to have the versatility of dual cameras, which are a first for a Fairphone, but its a shame that the images they capture are disappointing in anything other than broad daylight. The frame of the phone is made from fairly sourced aluminium, making the phone look premium and feel sturdy . The Fairphone 4 sold in the U.S. has identical hardware specs compared to its European siblings, meaning the device gets the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G chip. It has a modular . Its been hard to fault Fairphones sustainable credentials over the years, whether its the companys lengthy support periods, easy repairability, or ethically sourced materials. Although Fairphone is only guaranteeing software support until the end of 2025, it has ambitions to extend this as far as 2027. / Sign up for Verge Deals to get deals on products we've tested sent to your inbox daily. Earlier this year, the company officially released its Android 9 update for the Fairphone 2, a device that originally launched with Android 5. TimmWa July 13, 2015, 6:11am 11. Has anybody used Fairphone in the United states? It's IP54 certified for dust ingress and water sprays, and has 5G and dual-SIM support. a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards. It supports microSD expansion, and the modular system means you can replace parts with a standard Phillips screwdriver. The regular way By Jon Porter, a reporter with five years of experience covering consumer tech releases, EU tech policy, online platforms, and mechanical keyboards. I think the images in the gallery below speak for themselves. Designs of the Year 2014. Yes, I would like to receive recurring e-mails from Fairphone (about two times per month). A fairer future It's no secret: we're out to change the world. The company was founded in 2013, as a social enterprise with the support of the Waag Society (nl), and is based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. All Rights Reserved, By submitting your email, you agree to our. Beyond sustainability, the Fairphone is a standout in user privacy. The regular way The camera setup on the phone includes twin 48MP rear-facing cameras, as well as a 25MP selfie camera. It's powered by Murena's /e/ operating system, a modified take on the Android OS that Murena says is designed to protect user privacy. I had no problems with battery life during my time with the Fairphone 4 and generally averaged around four and five hours of screen on time per charge. I have used two different German SIM cards (congstar and T-Mobile) in roaming mode and also a local one (h2o). [16]Fairphone 2 was the first[17] smartphone to be awarded with a 10/10 score at iFixit for repairability[18][19] and the first mobile phone to receive Blue Angel certification. The Fairphone 4 has a 10 out of 10 repairability score from iFixit. According to ArsTechnica, Fairphone is treating this collaboration as a way of testing the U.S. market before it makes a full-fledged entry into the country. Fairphone has a good track record with previous devices, telling me it still has parts in stock for the six-year-old Fairphone 2, two years after the last handset was sold. The company states on its website that it "designs and produces smartphones with minimal harm to society and the environment".