Fairphone 5 review

18 September 2023


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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • mnk
  • 19 Sep 2023

aReefer, 19 Sep 2023Well as stated previously, I'm guessing that the avera... moreThis is a niche phone on it´s 5th generation.

Give it some time. They don´t the billions resources like the ones from Samsung or apple or Xiaomi like you mention. Still there are plenty of people out there who will get one

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • mnk
    • 19 Sep 2023

    Just bought the iPhone 14, but honestly if I had went for another Android this would be probably my choice.

    Easy to repair, 8 years of support , swappable battery, clean Android. Maybe 8 years of OS updates is way too bold, but think about it. Even for 5 years 600€ is still a great investment.

    We will certanly hear more about these guys in the following years

      Well as stated previously, I'm guessing that the average GSMArena reader wouldn't be the target demographic for this phone, but hopefully there is one out there, but I suspect this phone will fail as a business model pretty quickly regardless for a number of reasons already stated.

      I think that the main reason it will fail is price.

      To have a measurable impact on the environment, it would need to be an attractive phone in one parameter or another, but the main one is price.

      This is not a cheap phone when you can get a Xiaomi for example that will give you about twice the performance for half the price.

      So people on a budget / in developing markets will be priced out of this device, thus reducing its impact on the environment to wealthy people that can afford to be environmentally friendly, but who also don't mind getting poor overall performance - so basically a pretty narrow demographic overall.

      Maybe it could also be a good phone for our grandparents?

      In summary, I'm glad that it exists, but I wouldn't buy one. I'll be happy to congratulate and respect anyone else that does though and wouldn't mock them for their decision at all.

      Real, measurable impact on the environment will come when Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and other big companies just make their phones more repairable and more recyclable - without taking a major performance hit - as a result of new regulations in the EU etc. perhaps, as they did with the iPhone USB-C regulations.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • mnk
        • 19 Sep 2023

        Anonymous, 19 Sep 2023Repairability and sustainability isn't worth much when... moreLike they mention throughout the review, it´s not aiming to be a power spec phone. Honestly i think they are pretty damn decent and more than enough for a regular user.

        And nobody , not even Apple gives you 8 years of support, let alone the reparability.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • m62
          • 19 Sep 2023

          atichko, 19 Sep 2023As it was stated already many times, this device is not for... moreRepairability and sustainability isn't worth much when the phone itself is mediocre right now, let alone in the future. Who wants to suffer with this thing for more than 2 years? Bad display, bad camera, mediocre performance and speakers that nowadays are barely acceptable. This phone will make you suffer everyday from it's mediocreness. Does it cost less than my S23 Ultra? Yes. But in terms of quality it's not even close and I can use my Samsung easily for 5 years, which is plenty of time for most before an upgrade.

            BenSchneider, 19 Sep 2023It should offers the best display on the market, the best c... moreAs it was stated already many times, this device is not for people with common expectations where they want to see as much as possible for the asking price without thinking of the impact of it on different levels. This device is aimed at two sort of people, the ones that do like the fact that they can easily repair their device and this keept it longer and the ones who are conscious that our current habits will have (and already has) a serious impact on the planet and people and thus willingly pay more as in the end it is less given the support and reparability.
            The only thing that is a bit disappointing to me is the battery life but as it can easily be swapped I'll be able to live with it as I would opt for a second battery anyway. I kind off expected this result as the used chipset was never intended for smartphones and thus not really optimised to run sipping energy. Maybe it can be addressed with a future software update.
            On the other hand, Fairphones were never renown for battery life given that the concept of modularity simply does not allow for big battery size unless you make the devices even bigger and bulkier.

              It should offers the best display on the market, the best chipset, excellent cameras and fast charging straight from the factory. Not for 700€ but it should be an option. What is the point of spending €700 on a smartphone in which you would immediately have to invest so much more to get everything I listed? It's a shame, I like the concept and would like it if every customer could choose what they want on their new smartphone and for what money when shopping online. As it is, this is a bad buy to begin with.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • 0BG
                • 19 Sep 2023

                Anonymous, 19 Sep 2023It is a good idea but waaaay to expensive. You can change p... moreYep, and it could still get damaged beyond repair by water or something else, so the 5-10 year lifespan is very uncertain. I would buy it if it really was "fair", but having no 3.5mm jack and no decent parts makes it just another mediocre phone made for people who don't care about the details.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • xjH
                  • 19 Sep 2023

                  Yong Farlight84, 19 Sep 2023Boring! They're better options at this price. Almost $... moreThe price may have something to do with the fairly sourced materials and the fair pay/compensation allegedly afforded to workers in the supply chain. Apparently, all gadgets would be significantly more expensive were it not for underpaid workers, inadequate waste management, etc.

                    Expensive crap, my old redmi note 3 till going strong after 7 years after cheap and easy battery replacement. Fairphone should be shut down before more people fall for this scam.

                      • G
                      • George USA 299
                      • Ibx
                      • 19 Sep 2023

                      Not worth it, I would rather purchase a Kunfabo mobile phone from a vendor in Conakry that the agency I work for endorses as our go to fence for technological and AM FM radios and clocks needs when we have operations in Guinea instead of our usual Miami Colombia runs

                        • E
                        • En.OniGiRi
                        • K1I
                        • 19 Sep 2023

                        Not worth the money really...

                        Nowadays manufacturers give a extra 1+1 years extra warantty

                        I'm happy using a phone for 2 half years+

                        Technology on smartphone always something news on upcoming year which is worth to change

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • pq}
                          • 19 Sep 2023

                          It is a good idea but waaaay to expensive. You can change port, replace battery and screen in almost every phone by yourself, not as easy but it can be done. And for 200€ you can get very nice and more capable phone that would be a joy to ise every day.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • x{6
                            • 19 Sep 2023

                            Performance of Fairphone 5 is way similar to Nothing Phone (1), assuming it has UFS 3.1 on it's 256GB storage and 8GB of LPDDR5 Memory.

                            Seeing in the AnTuTu 9, that's preety close.

                              Super Android 22, 18 Sep 2023I mean i dont get this site, youre right this phone is a de... moreBelieve it or not, some people want a phone exactly like this with all the pros and cons, but for everyone else I would obviously recommend something else 👽

                                • V
                                • Vibe
                                • mFd
                                • 19 Sep 2023

                                Motorola edge 4O neo was in for review before this, i am still waiting.

                                  Looks like prestigious greenwashing to me.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • 0BG
                                    • 19 Sep 2023

                                    Anonymous, 19 Sep 2023Not surprising considering that reviewers on the site consi... moreThe concept of long term is to have a great peace of tech you will enjoy. That's not it. I wouldn't be able to bear it for more than 6 months and i'm not one "chasing the new thing". On the contrary, I'm always extremely critical of current trends and manufacturers. But Fairphone is part of all that. They even proudly sell a 10EUR USB dongle.

                                    Well, thanks, but no, thanks.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • vaS
                                      • 19 Sep 2023

                                      Super Android 22, 18 Sep 2023I mean i dont get this site, youre right this phone is a de... moreNot surprising considering that reviewers on the site consider 6 months as long term. 😕
                                      Then you have users who are subscribed to influencers that are always hawking new stuff (free review units) that they keep chasing the next best thing, making the concept of long term unknown to them.

                                        Boring! They're better options at this price. Almost $1k for some phone which is not even a flagship 😅

                                        Even though it's saving the environment, should it be that expensive. Kinda negates the whole idea.