Fairphone 3+ hands-on review

27 August 2020


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MEP, 27 Aug 2020Inside parts are not valued 120€, similar specs Samsung A21... moreWow,that Samsung costs 150euros,for 240euros you can get Redmi Note 9 Pro,incomparably better in every aspect.Since when is Samsung a reference for a value for money?150 for a phone itself,another 150 for the expenses and 150 pure profit...not bad..

    Nice device I do like the modular design
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    I heard it's set to get 5 years of updates plus swappable OS
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    But I would have appreciated it more if I could swap the SOC amd Ram module at will
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    Price tag is too Agressive for the features it offers
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    Availability is limited especially for potential users in Africa and the middle east
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    I really hope the phone becomes more affordable because at this price point the iphone SE is looking very good.

      • M
      • MEP
      • nT0
      • 27 Aug 2020

      harwey, 27 Aug 2020Ok,I do respect the idea behind an upgradable phone and eco... moreInside parts are not valued 120€, similar specs Samsung A21s costs 240€ and some other phones even more. Also the true costs of the phone are more visible in Fairphone because labor costs are fair to workers and materials environmentally sustainable.

        • S
        • Shiny Dave
        • StU
        • 27 Aug 2020

        YUKI93, 27 Aug 2020As much as I like this phone, I do hope that Fairphone will... moreGiven the pricing of today's flagships, there might even be room for this, or at least a 765G or something, without the pricing looking absurd.

        It doesn't necessarily have to throw in all the other flagship bells and whistles. In fact, it might be better if it doesn't, and was literally just a Fairphone 3+ with a 2020 SoC in it (as far as that's possible depending on actual SoC size etc.)

        I won't pay a four-figure price for a Note 20 Ultra or whatever, nor would I pay €450 for this when it's less powerful than the phone I had before this one, but I'd seriously consider it for a Fairphone 4 with a near-flagship spec. That's a device that would actually last me four years.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • M6S
          • 27 Aug 2020

          harwey, 27 Aug 2020Ok,I do respect the idea behind an upgradable phone and eco... morebecause those phones are made in sweatshops by kids being paid a few cents per hour. That's how they get that cheap.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • pv}
            • 27 Aug 2020

            YUKI93, 27 Aug 2020As much as I like this phone, I do hope that Fairphone will... moreYeah that would be Awesome!

              Ok,I do respect the idea behind an upgradable phone and ecological aspect too.But,why paying €450(!?!) for a phone that can be usually found for,say,€120?Because of the modular design?And next year you pay €90 more for equally cheap,slow,low quality, device with outdated design.Maybe with some (much) better components it'd justify its price tag.

                • S
                • Sambit
                • P%0
                • 27 Aug 2020

                Rocking the good old Moto G 2014 on its 6th year. Wouldn't say its the best experience, but does the job. LineageOS has improved the performance a LOT.
                No repairs or replacements whatsoever. That's how solid their phones were back then.
                It was good VFM, and (marginally) sustainable.
                Fantastic speakers though.

                  As much as I like this phone, I do hope that Fairphone will be back using a flagship-tier chipset. I do want to see a true successor to the Fairphone 2 since that phone was powered by a Snapdragon 801 chipset, which is the same chipset found in the still-popular OnePlus One. Just imagine a new Fairphone smartphone with a Snapdragon 855 or 865 chipset with dual wide/ultrawide or triple wide/ultrawide/telephoto setup. I definitely don't mind using it for more than 5 years.

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