Fairphone, the producer of sustainable, eco-responsible smartphones, is again with the Fairphone 5. The specs are a bit bit extra enticing this yr, sporting an OLED display screen and a triple 50 MP digital camera module. The smartphone will obtain Android updates for as much as a whopping eight years! Is the Fairphone 5 price leaping on the sustainability bandwagon? I give my opinion on this complete assessment.
Good
- Extra mature, modular design
- Satisfying 90 Hz OLED display screen
- Main advances in images efficiency
- Glorious improve and reparability coverage
Dangerous
- Disappointing battery life
- Satisfactory efficiency that’s unworthy of this value vary
- High quality-to-price ratio is just not but balanced fully
Fairphone 5: All offers
In a nutshell
The Fairphone 5 has been out there in most of Europe since August 30, 2023, priced round $745. It comes with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The cellphone might be offered for 5 years and can get Android updates for as much as eight years, making it probably the most sustainable smartphone on the earth by a large margin.
Nonetheless, a persistent criticism that haunts any Fairphone handset is its price-to-performance ratio. The Fairphone 5 introduces some {hardware} enhancements over the Fairphone 4 (assessment) that was launched roughly two years in the past.
Gone is the LCD display screen, enter the OLED display screen. The rear digital camera module and selfie digital camera have all been upgraded to 50 MP decision. The design is much more modular now with 10 replaceable elements in comparison with 8 on its predecessor.
Nevertheless, Qualcomm’s extraordinarily distinctive SoC is just not as highly effective as different fashions inside the similar value vary. Wi-fi charging remains to be absent. The 30W wired charging pace stays moderately gradual (comparatively talking).
Now, Fairphone has simply launched a extra inexpensive model of the Fairphone 5. The technical specs are precisely the identical because the mannequin launched final yr. The one variations are a storage variant and value. This extra inexpensive model comes with 6 GB of RAM as a substitute of 8 GB and 128 GB of storage. It’s offered for round $607 at launch.
Do take word that Fairphone doesn’t promote its handsets formally within the US.
Design
The Fairphone 5 boasts a design that’s made up of recycled and ethically sourced components. The smartphone has a 100% recycled plastic again, an aluminum body and is IP55 licensed.
Execs:
- Simple to disassemble with accessible elements.
- IP55 licensed regardless of having a modular design.
- Good grip and neat design.
- Aluminum body.
Cons:
- Not waterproof.
- SIM and microSD ports are blocked by the (detachable) battery.
- Plastic again does not look or really feel premium.
The Fairphone 5 is obtainable in three colours: blue, black, and clear. The latter is what I acquired for the assessment unit from the producer.
As a Nothing Telephone (2) fanboy, the clear again speaks to me. Fairphone utilized colourful patterns to the seen elements through the again cowl, and I moderately favored the look. Nevertheless, I need to admit that the plastic again, which could be eliminated to entry its elements, does not exude premium vibes.
The smartphone affords grip with its rounded corners. The aluminum body jogs my memory of the iPhone 11 by way of really feel. The smartphone is licensed IP55 towards water and mud. That is higher than the Fairphone 4 (IP54), however you continue to can’t submerge it.
The Fairphone 5’s display screen is flat, and though its chin and brow are a bit too large for my style. Fortunately, they’re symmetrical in nature, so those that are OCD about such issues needn’t tear their hair out. Your complete show is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
The smartphone is moderately hefty, tipping the scales at 212 g, however I didn’t discover it too cumbersome to hold.
The true attraction of the Fairphone 5’s design is its modularity. You possibly can merely unclip the plastic cowl on the again to entry the varied elements inside. All in all, you may dismantle and substitute as much as 10 elements: the display screen, USB-C port, prime and backside audio system, selfie digital camera, the 2 lenses on the again (individually), battery, SIM port, SD port, flash, and so forth.
You should purchase the elements on the producer’s on-line retailer. The smartphone comes with a five-year guarantee, so spare components might be out there for simply as lengthy. However, I believe it is a disgrace that the battery, though detachable, blocks the SIM and microSD ports. You’ll have to take away it to entry them.
As for the disassembly, it’s a pretty simple and, above all, fast matter. It may be a bit anxious to have to make use of a little bit of power to unclip sure components, and I used to be afraid of breaking the smartphone. Fortunately, all went effectively in the long run. There was no information loss or malfunctions after reassembly.
Fairphone additionally locations nice emphasis on the eco-responsible and moral dimension of the Fairphone 5’s design. At the very least 70% of the smartphone’s 14 key elements have been constituted of both recycled or ethically sourced supplies. I am going to give attention to Fairphone’s commitments in a devoted article later.
Display
The Fairphone 5 incorporates a 6.46-inch pOLED show with a decision of 1224 x 2770 pixels, a refresh fee of 90 Hz, and a most peak brightness of 800 nits.
Execs:
- No curved edges.
- The 90 Hz is moderately ample for easy scrolling.
Cons:
- Barely low brightness, forcing you to push the slider to 100%.
- No variable refresh fee (LTPO).
- Bezels are too thick.
I didn’t discover any main defects within the high quality of the Fairphone 5’s display screen. Colorimetry appeared a bit too chilly in Pure mode, so I opted for the Vivid mode.
The refresh fee is just not variable with out LTPO expertise. You possibly can select between 60 and 90 Hz, that is all.
The utmost peak brightness of 800 nits does not break any depth information both. When open air with automated brightness, I used to be all the time at 100%. I believe the producer would profit from optimizing all this to protect the smartphone’s battery life.
Personally, I discovered the bezels to be too thick for my desire. The chin and brow segments appeared to be significantly distinguished. I do, nonetheless, respect the truth that the display screen is flat.
In brief, it is not the very best of the very best, however I did not discover my person expertise to be diminished in any method.
Interface/OS
The Fairphone 5 runs on inventory Android 13. There is no such thing as a bloatware, however you do get a solitary Fairphone app and an important replace coverage.
Execs:
- 5 main Android updates + 8 years of safety updates!
- Inventory Android with zero bloatware.
- Fairphone app is beneficial for understanding smartphone disassembly.
Cons:
The Fairphone 5’s software program is probably the most streamlined and least attention-grabbing a part of the smartphone. It is inventory Android 13, that is all.
You get all the identical menus, the identical Android options because the Google Pixel 7 or some other inventory Android smartphone. I actually don’t have anything extra so as to add on.
There may be an official Fairphone app that gives info in your machine’s well being, video tutorials for disassembly, guides to understanding the varied modules contained in the smartphone, and a assist web page in case there are any technical issues.
Other than this utility, there isn’t any bloatware to report in regards to the Fairphone 5. You’ll not get the likes of Reserving.com, TikTok, cellular video games on this—nothing! Simply the Google Suite, as on any Android smartphone.
The Fairphone 5 helps NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, and eSIM connectivity. Nevertheless, the Fairphone 5’s greatest software program asset is its replace coverage. Fairphone guarantees that the Fairphone 5 will obtain 5 main Android updates and eight years of safety updates.
I do not know the way useful the Fairphone 5 will stay 5 years from now, given its moderately modest SoC. However then once more, that is the very best replace coverage available on the market. Fairphone additionally has partnerships like Murena to increase assist for its smartphones.
Efficiency
The Fairphone 5 does not function the most recent Snapdragon SoC, as I am positive you’ve got come to count on. In truth, it does not carry a Snapdragon SoC in any respect, however a moderately particular chip known as QCM6490. Efficiency is similar to that of the Snapdragon 778, with glorious stability and no overheating points.
Execs:
- Very steady efficiency.
- No overheating points.
Cons:
- Gaming at 60 FPS is just not all the time potential.
- Undecided the chip might be aggressive in 5 years’ time.
The 6 nm SoC options an octa-core CPU with a 1 + 3 + 4 configuration and an Adreno 643 GPU clocked at 812 MHz. The processor options 1 Cortex-A78 core at 2.7 GHz, 3 Cortex-A78 cores at 2.2 GHz, and 4 Cortex-A55 cores at 1.9 GHz.
By way of uncooked efficiency, the Fairphone 5 carried out like a Nothing Telephone (1) (assessment) or any Android smartphone geared up with one of many numerous variations of the Snapdragon 778 SoC.
Fairphone 5 QCM6490 |
Nothing Telephone (1) Snapdragon 778G+ |
Poco X5 Professional |
|
---|---|---|---|
3DMark Wild Life | 3094 | 2809 | 2457 |
3DMark Wild Life Stress Take a look at |
Finest loop: 3,082 Worst loop: 3,052 |
Finest loop: 2,832 Worst loop: 2,816 |
Finest loop: 2,459 Worst loop: 2,438 |
Geekbench 5/6 | Geekbench 6: Single: 1,132 Multi: 2,955 |
Geekbench 5: Single: 796 Multi: 2,889 |
Geekbench 5: Single: 768 Multi: 2,685 |
Clearly, efficiency is not the very best, particularly when put next with equally priced smartphones. On the plus aspect, efficiency stability is superb. It exceeds 99% on the Fairphone 5. There isn’t any overheating, and thermal throttling is sort of imperceptible.
In an precise use case situation, Name of Obligation Cellular set my graphics to the very best degree and my framerate to the median by default. I anticipated worse, to be trustworthy.
By way of sturdiness, I ponder if this SoC might be environment friendly sufficient in 5 years’ time, which is the smartphone’s guarantee interval. What about efficiency in eight years’ time, throughout which the Fairphone 5 is meant to be stored updated?
I perceive that this defect is just not Fairphone’s fault. The producer relies upon to a really giant extent on the assist supplied by the chip provider. Such lengthy assist is mostly not supplied for the highest-end chips, for profitability causes.
I do assume this stays one of many blind spots in Fairphone’s coverage. Time will inform.
Picture high quality
The Fairphone 5 incorporates a twin rear digital camera module. It includes a predominant lens and an ultra-wide angle lens, every at 50 MP. The selfie digital camera additionally affords a 50 MP decision. Picture high quality is definitely
THE space the place Fairphone made probably the most progress.
Execs:
- The primary lens is efficient for each day and evening pictures.
- Good colorimetry and wide-angle element.
- Very efficient daytime selfie lens.
Cons:
- Extremely-wide angle pictures are too uneven by day and poor by evening.
- Restricted digital zoom.
Picture high quality was vastly missing within the Fairphone 4, in my view. The producer has put lots of effort into this, and I’ve observed a marked enchancment.
General colorimetry is far more pure and fewer chilly. The extent of element can be fairly acceptable with the primary lens, which relies on a Sony IMX800 sensor. You don’t get a telephoto lens, however the 2x zoom obtained from the primary lens does the trick. Do not count on to get a lot past that (20x most).
As for the ultra-wide angle lens, I used to be disillusioned. Throughout the day, distortion on the edges of the picture lowered the extent of element. At evening, digital smoothing carried out to cut back noise erased each final hint of sharpness.
I discovered the selfie lens to be very efficient in the course of the day and really poor at evening. The evening mode did not actually impress me, both. It typically added artifacts to the picture that weren’t current with out evening mode. Reflections, flare results, and so forth. At the very least, this was the case with the handbook evening mode. In automated mode, the outcomes from the primary lens have been sufficient, however nothing extra.
As for video, the Fairphone 5 can document in 4K at 30 FPS with all lenses, each entrance and rear.
Battery life & recharging
The Fairphone 5 is supplied with a detachable 4,200 mAh battery. This battery accepts customary 30W wired charging, however doesn’t assist wi-fi charging.
Execs:
- Detachable battery, cheap to switch.
Cons:
- Disappointing battery life.
- No charger or cable included.
- No wi-fi charging supported.
The Fairphone 5 does not have probably the most power-hungry AMOLED display screen or SoC available on the market. I anticipated the 4,200 mAh battery to carry up very effectively.
Nevertheless, in our PC Mark benchmark, the Fairphone solely lasted a mere 8.20 hours earlier than dropping to under 20% battery life. That is a extremely low rating.
In precise use, I managed to get by a day’s use with out too many issues. There have been occasions once I needed to recharge it within the night once I acquired house from work. On this value vary, that is actually disappointing.
The Fairphone 5’s battery prices €39.95 if you wish to purchase a spare. Within the worst case situation, you may carry round a spare battery and swap it as quickly as you run out of juice, paying homage to the nice previous days when Nokia dominated the roost. Clearly, I am joking, and I believe the Fairphone 5’s battery life is the smartphone’s greatest flaw.
As for charging it, the usual 30W wired charging course of is nothing to put in writing house about. After quarter-hour of charging, I used to be at 36% and after half-hour, I reached 75%. It took me just below an hour to achieve 100%.
Contemplating how Fairphone does not embrace a charger or cable, you need to ensure you use suitable equipment that assist the USB PD 3.0 customary. I do not assume this must be an issue as we speak, however your charging pace mileage could differ relying on what you use.
Technical specs
Fairphone 5 – Technical specs | |
---|---|
Picture | |
Display | pOLED 6.46″ | 1224 x 2770 p | 90 Hz |
Dimensions & weight | 161.60 x 75.83 x 9.6 mm | 212 g |
Colours | Black, Blue, Clear |
SoC | Qualcomm QCM6490 |
Reminiscence | 8 GB RAM 256 GB storage (expandable as much as 2 TB) |
OS | Android 13 Inventory |
microSD | ✔️ |
Twin SIM | ❌ |
eSIM | ✔️ |
Digicam module | Primary lens: 50 MP | f/1.88 | OIS Extremely-wide angle lens: 50 MP | f/2.2 | FOV 117° |
Selfie lens | 50 MP | f/2.45 |
Video | 4K at 30 FPS | 1080p at 60 FPS |
Audio | 2 stereo audio system No 3.5 mm jack |
Battery | 4,200 mAh |
Charging | Wired: 30 W | No wi-fi charging |
IP certification | IP55 |
Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi Direct | Bluetooth 5.2 | NFC |
Conclusion
I’d have given the Fairphone 5 a 4.5/5 score if its battery had been higher. The enhancements over the Fairphone 4 are plain. The display screen is best. The digital camera module has been improved. Efficiency has elevated, and the modularity is even higher now.
Solely its weak battery life triggered it to shed some factors, as does the uncertainty about its SoC’s means to stay aggressive 8 years down the highway. Regardless of this, I will use it very severely as a every day driver, and I am additionally contemplating putting in Murena’s /e/OS for some time, simply to push the Zadist 3.0 delirium to the restrict.
I actually wish to see if my person expertise might be severely undermined by a “limited” spec sheet for a $700 smartphone or not. Sure, I agree that the Fairphone 5 is not price its price ticket by way of sheer specifications-to-price ratio.
However I additionally really feel that the producer more and more understands the fragile stability it must strike to transform extra customers. Fairphone’s technical specs are progressively turning into extra aggressive.
By the way in which, for those who discover it too costly for what it affords, wait a yr or two. In the event you’re loopy, wait 8 years and the smartphone will price subsequent to nothing, however it would nonetheless be up to date with the most recent Android OS!
Fairphone 5
To machine database