Fairphone 5 Review

Repairability is the whole review, so start there. The back pops off by hand, the 4200 mAh battery lifts out, and ten modules including the screen, the USB-C port, the cameras and the loudspeaker come out with a standard Phillips screwdriver and go back in the same way; iFixit gave it 10 out of 10, the fourth Fairphone to get one. Fairphone sells every part and gives a five-year warranty, and the software promise is the longest in the industry: five Android upgrades guaranteed and support to 2031, with a stated aim of 2033.

It can promise that because the chip is a Qualcomm QCM6490, an industrial part with a long support life rather than a phone chip on a three-year clock. That chip is also the compromise: it is about a Snapdragon 778G, quick enough for everything but games, and slow for 699 euros. The 6.46-inch 90Hz OLED is a real step up from the Fairphone 4's LCD, bright and sharp. The 50 megapixel IMX800 main camera with stabilisation takes decent daylight photographs with slow processing and a shutter lag you feel; the 50 megapixel ultrawide is soft.

Battery life is a plain day, charging is 30W with no charger in the box, the rating is IP55, and there is no headphone jack. It shipped on Android 13, nearly stock, and Fairphone's version upgrades arrive later than Google's. Sold from September 2023 at 699 euros for 8GB and 256GB, about $760 converted, with no official US release.