Fairphone

{{Infobox company

| name = Fairphone B.V.

| logo = Fairphone (2025).svg

| type = Privately held company

| industry = Telecommunications equipment

| founded = {{Start date and age|2013|1}}

| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Bas van Abel (Co-founder)|Miquel Ballester Salvà (Co-founder)|Raymond van Eck (CEO)}}

| hq_location_city = Amsterdam

| hq_location_country = Netherlands

| revenue = {{Increase}} €55 million (2023)

| area_served = Western and Central Europe except Malta and Cyprus

| products = Smartphones, headphones

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

Fairphone is a Dutch electronics manufacturer that designs and produces smartphones and headphones. It aims to minimise the ethical and environmental impact of its devices by using recycled, fairtrade and conflict-free materials, maintaining fair labor conditions throughout its workforce and suppliers, and enabling users to easily repair their devices through modular design and by providing replacement parts.{{cite journal |last1=Haucke |first1=Franziska Verena |title=Smartphone-enabled social change: Evidence from the Fairphone case? |journal=Journal of Cleaner Production |date=2018 |volume=197 |pages=1719–1730 |doi=10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.07.014|s2cid=157498710 }}

{{As of|2024|April}}, the company's most recent smartphone is the Fairphone 5, which it plans to provide with security updates and software support, including 5 OS updates, for 10 years.{{cite news |last1=Gibbs |first1=Samuel |title=Fairphone 5 review: could this be the first phone to last 10 years? |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/08/fairphone-5-review-could-this-be-the-first-phone-to-last-10-years |work=The Guardian |date=8 September 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Porter |first1=Jon |title=The Fairphone 5 is less about what comes in the box and more about what you get over the years |url=https://www.theverge.com/23895548/fairphone-5-review-price-features |website=The Verge |language=en |date=29 September 2023}}{{cite magazine |last1=Hill |first1=Simon |title=The Fairphone 5 Is a Smartphone for a More Ethical World |url=https://www.wired.com/review/fairphone-5/ |magazine=WIRED |date=22 September 2023}}

Fairphone has been dubbed the most ethical smartphone in the world, scoring 98 out of 100 possible points by the British magazine Ethical Consumer.{{cite news|title=Shopping guide: Mobile phone |url=https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/sites/default/files/flipbook/Issue211Preview/10/#zoom=true |date=25 October 2024 }}

History

File:Learning the process (27072280854).jpg miners at the New Bugurama Mining Company in Rwanda]]

File:Fairphone 2 reverse.JPG

Fairphone was founded by Bas van Abel, Tessa Wernink and Miquel Ballester{{Cite web |title=Fairphone: Calling for Change |author=Homerun.co |date=27 January 2017 |access-date=2 September 2019 |url=https://interviews.artofwork.co/fairphone-calling-for-change-e4a54db6d90c |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20180922164512/https://interviews.artofwork.co/fairphone-calling-for-change-e4a54db6d90c?gi=c96e28927ae |url-status=dead |archive-date=22 September 2018 }} as a social enterprise company in January 2013, having existed as a campaign for two and a half years.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

In April 2015 the company became a registered B Corporation.{{Cite web |title=Fairphone - Certified B Corporation - B Lab Global |url=https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/fairphone |access-date=2022-09-13 |website=www.bcorporation.net |language=en-us}}

Since version two, the Fairphone is produced in Suzhou, China, by Hi-P International Limited.{{cite web|url=https://www.fairphone.com/en/2015/02/19/the-path-to-finding-our-new-production-partner-hi-p/

|title=The path to finding our new production partner: Hi-P

|last=Hebert

|first=Olivier

|date=19 February 2015

|access-date=18 January 2021}}

In November 2021, the Fairphone 4 was made available.

As of February 2022, Fairphone had sold around 400,000 devices.{{Cite news |last=Schweiger |first=Francesca |date=22 February 2022 |title=The mobile phones you can take apart and repair yourself |website=BBC News |location=Berlin |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60374806}}

In 2023 a consortium of impact investors led by new shareholders Invest-NL, the ABN AMRO Sustainable Impact Fund, and existing shareholder Quadia, with its Regenero Impact Fund, invested €49 million in Fairphone.{{cite web |title=Impact investor consortium invests €49 million in Fairphone |url=https://www.fairphone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Impact-investor-consortium-invests-E49-million-in-Fairphone.pdf |website=Fairphone |access-date=30 August 2023}}

Products

class="wikitable sortable" \|+ !rowspan=2\|Name !rowspan=2\|Release date !rowspan=2\|SoC !colspan=3\|CPU !colspan=2\|GPU !rowspan=2\|Memory (GB) !rowspan=2\|Storage (GB) !colspan=2\|Display !colspan=2\|Camera !rowspan=2\|Initial Android version !rowspan=2\|Battery capacity (mAh)
Type !Speed (GHz) !Cores !Type !Speed (MHz) !Size (inches) !PPI !Rear !Front
Fairphone 1 \|{{dts\|2013\|12\|abbr=on}} \|MediaTek MT6589 \|Cortex-A7 \|1.2 \|4 \|PowerVR SGX544MP \|286 \|1 \|16 +up to 64GB \|4.3 \|256 \|8MP \|1.3MP \|4.2.2 \|2000
Fairphone 2 \|{{dts\|2015\|12\|abbr=on}} \|Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 \|Krait 400 \|2.26 \|4 \|Adreno 330 \|578 \|2 \|32 +up to 2TB \|5 \|446 \|12MP \|5MP \|5.1 \|2420
Fairphone 3 \|{{dts\|2019\|09\|abbr=on}} \| rowspan="2" \|Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 \| rowspan="2" \|Kryo 250 Gold+Silver \| rowspan="2" \|1.8+1.8 \| rowspan="2" \|4+4 \| rowspan="2" \|Adreno 506 \| rowspan="2" \|600 \| rowspan="2" \|4 \| rowspan="2" \|64 +up to 2TB \| rowspan="2" \|5.65 \| rowspan="2" \|427 \|12MP \|8MP \|9 \| rowspan="2" \|3060
Fairphone 3+ \|{{dts\|2020\|09\|abbr=on}} \|48MP (12MP output) \|16MP \|10
Fairphone 4 \|{{dts\|2021\|09\|30\|format=dmy\|abbr=on}} \|Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G \|Kryo 570 Gold+Silver \|2.2+1.8 \|2+6 \|Adreno 619 \|950 \|6/8 \|128/256 +up to 2TB \|6.3 \|409 \|48MP OIS, 48 MP Ultrawide, (ToF + Color) sensor \|25MP \|11 \|3905
Fairphone 5{{Cite web\|url=https://www.androidpolice.com/fairphone-5-announcement-sleekest-repairable-phone/\|title=The Fairphone 5 is here, and it's the sleekest repairable phone yet\|last=Vonau\|first=Manuel\|editor-last=Vonau\|editor-first=Manuel\|date=2023-08-30\|website=www.androidpolice.com\|location=Berlin, Germany\|accessdate=2023-08-30}} \|{{dts\|2023\|08\|30\|format=dmy\|abbr=on}} \|Qualcomm Snapdragon QCM6490{{Citation\|url=https://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/qcs-qcm6490-soc-product-brief_87-28733-1-b.pdf\|title=Qualcomm® QCM6490/Qualcomm® QCS6490 SoCs\|date=2021\|accessdate=2023-08-30}} \|Kryo 670 Prime+Gold+Silver \|2.7+2.4+1.9 \|1+3+4 \|Adreno 643 \|812 \|6/8 \|128/256 +up to 2TB \|6.46 \|{{#expr:(1224^2+2700^2)^.5/6.46 round0}} \|50MP OIS, 50 MP Ultrawide, (ToF + Color) sensor \|50MP \|13 \|4200
Fairphone 6 \|25 Jun 2025{{Cite web \|title=Fairphone 6 wordt 25 juni 2025 aangekondigd \|url=https://www.nieuwemobiel.nl/061607/25004/Fairphone-6-wordt-25-juni-2025-aangekondigd.html \|access-date=2025-06-04 \|website=NieuweMobiel.NL \|language=nl}} \| \| \| \| \| \| \| \| \| \| \| \| \| \|

class="wikitable sortable"

!rowspan=2|Name

!rowspan=2|Release
date

!rowspan=2|SoC

!colspan=3|CPU

!colspan=2|GPU

!rowspan=2|Memory
(GB)

!rowspan=2|Storage
(GB)

!colspan=2|Display

!colspan=2|Camera

!rowspan=2|Initial
Android
version

!rowspan=2|Battery
capacity
(mAh)

Type

!Speed
(GHz)

!Cores

!Type

!Speed
(MHz)

!Size
(inches)

!PPI

!Rear

!Front

Fairphone 1

|{{dts|2013|12|abbr=on}}

|MediaTek MT6589

|Cortex-A7

|1.2

|PowerVR SGX544MP

|286

|16
+up to 64GB

|4.3

|256

|8MP

|1.3MP

|4.2.2

|2000

Fairphone 2

|{{dts|2015|12|abbr=on}}

|Qualcomm Snapdragon 801

|Krait 400

|2.26

|Adreno 330

|578

|32
+up to 2TB

|446

|12MP

|5MP

|5.1

|2420

Fairphone 3

|{{dts|2019|09|abbr=on}}

| rowspan="2" |Qualcomm Snapdragon 632

| rowspan="2" |Kryo 250
Gold+Silver

| rowspan="2" |1.8+1.8

| rowspan="2" |4+4

| rowspan="2" |Adreno 506

| rowspan="2" |600

| rowspan="2" |4

| rowspan="2" |64
+up to 2TB

| rowspan="2" |5.65

| rowspan="2" |427

|12MP

|8MP

| rowspan="2" |3060

Fairphone 3+

|{{dts|2020|09|abbr=on}}

|48MP (12MP output)

|16MP

|10

Fairphone 4

|{{dts|2021|09|30|format=dmy|abbr=on}}

|Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G

|Kryo 570
Gold+Silver

|2.2+1.8

|2+6

|Adreno 619

|950

|6/8

|128/256
+up to 2TB

|6.3

|409

|48MP OIS,
48 MP Ultrawide,
(ToF + Color) sensor

|25MP

|11

|3905

Fairphone 5{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidpolice.com/fairphone-5-announcement-sleekest-repairable-phone/|title=The Fairphone 5 is here, and it's the sleekest repairable phone yet|last=Vonau|first=Manuel|editor-last=Vonau|editor-first=Manuel|date=2023-08-30|website=www.androidpolice.com|location=Berlin, Germany|accessdate=2023-08-30}}

|{{dts|2023|08|30|format=dmy|abbr=on}}

|Qualcomm Snapdragon QCM6490{{Citation|url=https://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/qcs-qcm6490-soc-product-brief_87-28733-1-b.pdf|title=Qualcomm® QCM6490/Qualcomm® QCS6490 SoCs|date=2021|accessdate=2023-08-30}}

|Kryo 670
Prime+Gold+Silver

|2.7+2.4+1.9

|1+3+4

|Adreno 643

|812

|6/8

|128/256
+up to 2TB

|6.46

|{{#expr:(1224^2+2700^2)^.5/6.46 round0}}

|50MP OIS,
50 MP Ultrawide,
(ToF + Color) sensor

|50MP

|13

|4200

Fairphone 6

|25 Jun 2025{{Cite web |title=Fairphone 6 wordt 25 juni 2025 aangekondigd |url=https://www.nieuwemobiel.nl/061607/25004/Fairphone-6-wordt-25-juni-2025-aangekondigd.html |access-date=2025-06-04 |website=NieuweMobiel.NL |language=nl}}

Social impact and competitors

The phone is modular, which makes it easily repairable and customisable by the user, in keeping with right to repair principles. According to the company, increasing the lifespan of a phone by two years reduces CO₂ emissions by 30%.

The gold and silver in Fairphone 4 has the Fairtrade label, also metals used are said to come from conflict-free mines.{{Cite news |last=Gibbs |first=Samuel |date=2021-10-15 |title=Fairphone 4 review: ethical repairable phone gets big upgrade |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/15/fairphone-4-review-ethical-repairable-phone-gets-big-upgrade |access-date=2023-04-19 |issn=0261-3077 |quote=It includes fair trade gold and silver, ethically sourced aluminium and tungsten, plus recycled tin, copper, rare earth metals and plastic.}} The company promises a 5-year warranty period and long-term support for software updating and spare parts.{{Cite web |date=30 September 2021 |title=Fairphone's latest sustainable smartphone comes with a five-year warranty |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/30/22700014/fairphone-4-release-date-news-features-warranty-price-sustainable |access-date=2023-04-19 |website=www.theverge.com}} In 2017, Fairphone's founder Bas van Abel acknowledged that it was currently impossible to produce a 100% fair phone, suggesting it was more accurate to call his company's phones "fairer".

{{cite web |author=Douglas Rushkoff |author-link=Douglas Rushkoff |date=24 July 2018 |title=How tech's richest plan to save themselves after the apocalypse |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/23/tech-industry-wealth-futurism-transhumanism-singularity |accessdate=13 March 2020 |work=The Guardian}}

[https://teamhuman.fm/episodes/ep-30-bas-van-abel-fingerprints-on-the-touchscreen/ Bas van Abel 'Fingerprints on the Touchscreen'], March 2017

In an interview with Will Georgi, Fairphone founder Tessa Vernink mentions:

“There might be a misconception that as a social enterprise, we don’t operate like a ‘normal’ business, but that’s not true. In many ways, most of our choices are the same — we still need to make money and sell phones — but the outcome and the goals are different. Our focus is investing in social innovation, instead of purely technical innovation. When other phone companies design a new phone, they research new technology — we research supply chain improvement.”

A survey conducted by Franziska Verna Haucke in the Journal of Cleaner Production found:

A sustainable lifestyle represents the dominant factor explaining the involvement with the Fairphone. Surprisingly, the findings show that alternative consumption seems to negatively influence the involvement with the Fairphone and social commitment seems to play a minor role in the model. These aspects point to the Fairphone as a technical artifact, centered on a choice for a sustainable lifestyle.

Shiftphone is another small mobile telephone manufacturer with a focus on sustainability, and also developed a modular smartphone. The founder of Shiftphone considers that the two companies working in collaboration could have more influence on bigger competitors.

Recognition and certifications

file:Tech5 - TNW Conference 2015 - Day 3 (17255228955) (cropped).jpg Conference 2015]]

In 2016, Fairphone's founder and first CEO Bas van Abel was one of the three recipients of the German Environmental Award.{{cite web|first1=Charlotta|last1=Lomas|title=Fairphone creator: Success is a signal to industry|url=http://www.dw.com/en/fairphone-creator-success-is-a-signal-to-industry/a-36174183|website=Deutsche Welle|accessdate=28 October 2016}}

The Fairphone 4 was one of the first TCO Certified smartphones, receiving its designation in 2021.{{cite web |title=New Fairphone 4 5G meets tough sustainability criteria in TCO Certified |url=https://tcocertified.com/news/new-fairphone-4-5g-meets-tough-sustainability-criteria-in-tco-certified//a-36174183 |website=TCO Certified |date=5 October 2021 |access-date=9 January 2025}} However, the company had previously suggested its phones exceeded the TCO Certified criteria; indeed, a 2015 side-by-side comparison conducted by Südwind Association, the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, and the GoodElectronics Network, found the Fairphone 1 to exceed industry standards on more sustainability and social criteria than even the TCO Certified label.{{cite web |title=‘Fair’ smartphones compared – Fairphone scores better than TCO-certified smartphones |url=https://goodelectronics.org/fair-smartphones-compared-fairphone-scores-better-than-tco-certified-smartphones/ |website=GoodElectronics |date=20 July 2015 |access-date=9 January 2025}}

Fairphone has also received three consecutive annual Platinum ratings from EcoVadis,{{cite web |first=Christine |last=Hall |title=EcoVadis Awards Fairphone for Being Good for the Environment and Labor |url=https://fossforce.com/2023/12/ecovadis-awards-fairphone-for-being-good-for-the-environment-and-labor/ |website=FossForce |date=15 December 2023 |access-date=9 January 2025}} scoring as high as 88/100 in a rating system that covers four different categories measuring environmental and social metrics. This score placed Fairphone among the top 1% of businesses rated by EcoVadis worldwide.

Operating systems

Fairphones can run several operating systems, including CalyxOS, DivestOS, /e/, iodeOS, LineageOS, Ubuntu Touch, and more.{{Cite web |date=2022-06-06 |title=✏ Operating Systems for Fairphones |url=https://forum.fairphone.com/t/operating-systems-for-fairphones/11425 |access-date=2022-06-29 |website=Fairphone Community Forum |language=en}} Murena, the company associated with the /e/ foundation, also sells Fairphones with /e/ pre-installed and offers a warranty for them.{{Cite web |title=Smartphones |url=https://murena.com/smartphones/ |access-date=2025-02-09|website=Murena - deGoogled phones and services |language=en-GB}} As of February 2025 the official /e/ support for FP3, FP4 and FP5 is based on Android 13.{{Cite web|title=/e/OS Smartphone Selector|access-date=2025-02-09|website=/e/OS documentation|language=en-GB|url=https://doc.e.foundation/devices}}

References

External links

{{Official website}}
[https://forum.fairphone.com/ Official community forum]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ycIop9nrJk Ubuntu Summit 2023 - Open Source for Sustainable and Long lasting Phones] (presentation by Luca Weiss about Fairphone)

Category:Technology companies established in 2013

Category:Manufacturing companies established in 2013

Category:Dutch companies established in 2013

Category:Fair trade brands

Category:Modular smartphones

Category:Mobile phone manufacturers

Category:Manufacturing companies based in Amsterdam

Category:Dutch brands

Category:Social enterprises

Category:Right to repair