Two years after the Fairphone 4 and following the release of some audio products like the Fairbuds XL, the Dutch company is back with a new repairable phone: the Fairphone 5. It looks and feels a lot like the Fairphone 4, but it adds choice upgrades across the board, making it the most modular and also most modern-looking repairable phone from the company yet.
The design is largely unchanged compared to the Fairphone 4, but the improvements that the company did make go a long way: The teardrop notch and the LCD screen is finally gone, with an ordinary punch-hole selfie and an OLED taking its place. Otherwise, you’re looking at an aluminum frame, a triangular camera array, and a removable back cover. Here, the company brought back its signature translucent back cover next to two black and blue variants. The dimensions and weight has been reduced ever-so-slightly compared to the predecessor.
How did they fit in so many ads?
Man I’ve never spent more than 300 bucks on any phone, fair or not. Isn’t there something in the 150-300 category that’s worth buying, more sustainable and de-googled/foss?
I don’t do high end shit with my phone. I just browse the web, take notes and do 2FA stuff. I don’t need a 700€ phone for this, even considering the higher cost because of sustainability.
Buy an FP3 or 4 if you don’t need these features.
A used Pixel can be had in that range.
I got a Pixel 3a for 50 bucks once (really good deal, a few circumstances around it) and an OEM unlockable 4a 5g for 100, so under the category you gave and in some sense more sustainable (its used), able to be degoogled,
More sustainable in the sense that you have a lesser carbon footprint, yes. Buy used.
Yeah but then you’ll have a worn out battery you can’t change easily (correct me in he latter if I’m wrong). I’ve seen some shops offering refurbished phones but the ones I saw had so high prices where you already may buy the new ones.
Yes, that is a point of concern, you’ll need to find a way to replace the battery… which is where the Fairphone’s design comes in again. Hopefully that will be the norm in the future.
but muh headphone jack
I really hope it does well, the business model really needs to change.
Low-end hardware and a pretty much closed CPU you can’t do much with for 700 Euros? No, thank you.
It’s a 778G equivalent, from what I can tell, how is that even low end?
8 years of suffering on that octa-core
You make it sound like 8 years of guaranteed support is something bad, lol.
No, but this will be a living, stutters hell in 3 years time.
Nah, these days hardware doesn’t go outdated that fast.
You know, people are out there using their phones on Snapdragon 400s; I know you’re exaggerating.
Don’t know, have my FP4 since release, no problems with performance.
Same here
I dont really understand this gripe. Can you explain why its a closed CPU that I cant do much with?
If the CPU isn’t a breadboard I can resolder any time I want and have to carry around in a suitcase what is the point?
Lmfao
Can anything from the new phone be used on the pervious models?
Looking at the spare parts from the shop it appears that it’s not possible. It would have been cool, but that must be pretty dang hard to do without compromising the new device.
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Victim complex much? Shesh who the heck cares
Why is that a problem?
Brand only wants to fit in, instead of standing out.
no headphone jack
😡
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I could live without headphones jack, but its thick and cost almost 2x the price I can afford. Id consider keeping it if I get it for free because I like the Idea of repairability
I refuse to accept a phone without a 3.5mm jack. I have old hi-fi systems and my car also doesn’t have BT. The two places I listen to music most. No jack, no buy.
3.5mm jack takes way to much space, and it requires a dedicated DAC circuit. And there is not enough users to warrant it anymore, especially considering the existance of usbc to 3.5mm adapters which do exactly the same without wasting internal space.
3.5mm is bound to disappear everywhere but dedicated audiophile hardware.
I’m a vinyl collector and audiophile myself, I’d love to see analogical staying relevant, but let’s be realistic, smartphones are not dedicated enough to music to waste space for a feature that only 10% of the user will ever need.
If you really need a portable device with a 3.5mm jack, go buy a Walkman. Sony still make new ones, and they all have 3.5mm jacks.
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And looking at the internals of the Fairphone 5, there is plenty of god damn space.
I would definitely get this phone if I can get it easily in my current location. Otherwise, I’ll help reduce my smartphone usage impact by using it long term and give it to my family members after I get a new phone.
That’s what I did. Used my ROG Phone 2 for four years before giving it to my brother in law and getting a Fold5 because of work.
Everybody seems to care about headphone jacks, nobody seems to care about Fairphone’s former stance to focus on keeping their existing models usable long term rather than produce a new phone every year and incentivise a race to the latest model like every other brand does…
Try getting parts for the original fairphone or fairphone2.
You saying they stopped selling them?
They just don’t have any stock on any of it and it isn’t coming back.
tbh it Fairphone 5 had one, i wouldn’t hesitate
Buy a 3 then, show em low tech is in demand
Would if i found one for sale
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Do you still have software support and parts?
can confirm the fairphone 3 is still getting updates - written from a fairphone 3
I mean, you don’t have to buy the new one. I guess as long as they’re not forcing you to upgrade while your current phone is still fine, it shouldn’t have too much impact on e-waste and stuff for them to refresh the parts list and specs for new buyers.
6.46" is too large a screen. My pixel 6a is barely small enough. Also, bring back the headphone jack.
I was pained to move to iOS when my kids decided they wanted iPhones and I needed one to manage their parental controls, but boy do I love the form factor of the 12 mini I got.
Everything out there seems so huge now.
I’d love to have more options for smaller, manageable phones, especially as my workplace have given out work iPhones now, I could realistically go back to Android again come upgrade time as I can manage their accounts with that.
I know lots like small phones, but I don’t. I personally would like a 6.7" 19.5:9 screen. This is actually a little smaller than I’d like.
Probably harder to make stuff repairable and modular when it’s smaller
I like it. If Google didn’t send me a new pixel 6a when my 5a broke, I’d have bought one right now. Hopefully these catch on and are still around in a few years when this one breaks. I’ll get one for sure…
Sounds like the perfect opportunity for GrapheneOS
The major issue for me is availability, they don’t sell the phone here, so if I buy through shipping services I can’t buy replacement parts.
Wait doesn’t that defeat the point then?
NTA but there are plenty of other reasons for buying a Fairphone but yeah, not having easy access to replacement parts is why I haven’t bought one yet. Would love to see a parts infrastructure for them emerge in the US.
It does defeat the point, so I won’t buy a fairphone untill they sell here directly.