The Fairphone 5 achieves an ideal 10 for repairability from iFixit

Fairphone’s Android handsets are recognized for his or her sustainability and repairability, and it’s no completely different with the newest mannequin. The Fairphone 5, which debuted in August this 12 months, achieved an ideal ten within the iFixit repairability rating. It’s the fourth straight mannequin to obtain a ten/10 within the agency’s repairability analysis.

The Fairphone 5 achieved a ten/10 repairability rating

The Fairphone 2 was the first-ever telephone to attain an ideal ten for repairability from iFixit. The corporate has since reiterated this successful method of “modularity paired with quick access to all main parts” for every new technology. The most recent mannequin retains the identical core design with some minor “quality of life improvements” that fixers would love.

The plastic again cowl nonetheless comes off fairly easily as Fairphone doesn’t glue it in place. You simply need to unclip it and you’re already in. Nevertheless, the corporate has redesigned the duvet and elevated the thickness of the nano coating for an IP55 score for mud and water resistance. The Fairphone 4 has an IP54 score, so the brand new mannequin has higher safety in opposition to water.

On the within, we’ve got a bigger battery (4200mAh as an alternative of 3905mAh) that takes up more room than earlier than however remains to be simply detachable. The primary quality-of-life enchancment is seen on the connector cowl of the highest module. Fairphone has connected it to the module itself moderately than holding it separate. This ensures that the small plastic piece doesn’t get misplaced or misplaced throughout the restore.

Elsewhere, changing the USB Sort-C charging port of the Fairphone 5 is less complicated due to the corporate utilizing a small steel lid. “No extra prodding utilizing a small cutout,” iFixit famous. The brand new telephone additionally switches to a motherboard and daughterboard design as an alternative of a single board that snakes across the casing. Fairphone made this modification to make room for the larger battery.

The corporate has color-coded the cables connecting the 2 boards and added stickers to indicate the proper place for every cable. “That’s what intuitive restore design is all about,” iFixit says. “It must be straightforward to do the suitable factor and complex to do the mistaken factor.” Changing different parts such because the cameras is pretty simple too. Like earlier than, you may replace each camera individually.

The longevity of Fairphone units enhances their repairability

Fairphone telephones aren’t all about repairability. The purpose is to make sustainable units that may run for years with an simply repairable design. The Fairphone 2 obtained updates for seven years after launch, one thing no different Android maker has carried out but. For the Fairphone 5, the corporate has promised 8-10 years of assist, together with 5 main Android OS upgrades.

Hopefully, its Qualcomm QCM6490 processor can deal with Android and its apps 5 years from now. The chip is purpose-built for industrial and business IoT functions and comes with longer assist than Qualcomm’s normal smartphone SoCs. The Fairphone 5 is obtainable in Europe however there isn’t a phrase but from the corporate for a US launch. The previous-gen mannequin arrived within the US almost two years after its European debut.