Modular and repairable, the Fairphone 3 makes an entrance

The Fairphone – a self-avowed “conflict-free” smartphone that runs Android – has been updated with version 3 imminent shortly.

Under the slogan “The phone that dares to be fair”, the Fairphone 3 can be pre-ordered for €450, with shipping expected to start in mid-September.

What’s in the box? Well, the company writes:

If you don’t need it, we don’t include it! There’s no charger, USB-C cable or earphones, so you can use the ones you have and help cut down on e-waste.

You do get the phone, a mini screwdriver, a “Bumper”, a quick start guide and a 2-year warranty.

Specification

In terms of the spec, the phone ruins Android 9 “Pie” on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 (2.2GHz, 64-bit Octa-Core processor) with a 5.65inch LCD display (18:9 aspect ratio, 2160 x 1080 resolution, 427ppi).

As well as the 4GB of RAM, there’s 64GB of internal storage (expandable with a microSD card), a 3060 mAH capacity removable Li-ion battery and two cameras (a 12MP resolution rear camera with HDR, and 8MP front camera).

In terms of comms, there’s NFC and Bluetooth support and WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. Supported GNSS standards are GPS, Glonass, BeiDou and Galileo. And 4G (LTE), 3G (HSPA+) and 2G (GMS, GPRS, EDGE) support.

There’s also an FM radio, fingerprint sensor, a 3.5mm headphone jack and Gorrilla Glass 5 for the display. So plenty in there…

Of course the most important element of the spec, arguably, is the ‘green’ bit.

Thanks to our commitment to fairness, some of the best features are the ones you can’t see — like the fairly sourced and recycled materials, better working conditions and programs to reduce e-waste.

Repairable by design

Why include a mini screwdriver? It’s because of the modular design, to aid repair.

You can view the spare parts, or modules, that are available. For example, a Fairphone 3 Camera (€49.95), a Fairphone 3 Speaker Module (€19.95), a Fairphone 3 Display (€89.95) or a Fairphone 3 Battery (€29.95 ), among other.

Accidents happen but that doesn’t have to mean the end of your phone! Make it last with replaceable modules – you can repair it yourself with a single screwdriver (included in the box).

What began as an awareness project, back in 2010, to highlight the use of conflict minerals in electronics, evolved into the design and production of an Android smartphone.

I last wrote about the Fairphone back in 2013. With a launch price of €325, it ran Android 4.2 “Jelly Bean” on a quad core processor, and had a 4.3 inch touch screen, dual SIM support and 8 megapixel and 1.3 megapixel cameras.

[Via fossbytes.com]

See also: A conflict-free Android smartphone

See also: How to build a conflict-free smartphone