Manufacturers are in a constant battle to create the fastest, sleekest, and most beautiful phones. This race to the top makes other things fall by the wayside, like fair resource sourcing and living working conditions for everyone involved in the supply chain. This is the niche Fairphone has always been striving to hit, and today, after 18 months of development, the company is releasing its latest product: The Fairphone 4, which the manufacturer calls “probably the most sustainable phone in the world.”

Specs

SoC

Snapdragon 750G

RAM & Storage

6GB+128GB / 8GB+256GB

Display

6.3-inch, 1080x2350, LCD, 19.5:9

Battery

3905mAh (QuickCharge 4, 50% charge in 30 min)

Rear cameras

48MP wide (OIS, laser AF), 48MP ultra-wide/macro

Front camera

25MP

Software

Android 11

Connectivity

Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi ac, USB-C

Bands

5G: n1/n3/n5/n7/n8/n20/n28/n38/n41/n71/n77/ n78 LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/18/19/20/28/32/38/40/41/71

Miscellaneous

IP54, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Dual SIM (eSIM), microSD support (up to 2TB), free 5-year warranty

Measurements

162 x 75.5 x 10.5 mm, 225g

Price

6GB+128GB: €579, £499 8GB+256GB: €649, £569

Compared to its predecessor, the new phone is a huge step forward. Thanks to its new aluminum frame it looks much more high-quality. The upgraded 6.3-inch Full HD LCD display has also been finally updated to look semi-recent with its notch and comparatively small bezels — we presume this is the best the industry can currently do if the screen is supposed to be easily replaceable.

The back makes for the most intriguing look — gone is the semi-transparent design, making way for an understated soft-plastic back coming in green, gray, or speckled-green. As an extra benefit, the back cover is made from 100% recycled plastic. Then there’s the camera bump, consisting of two 48MP cameras (wide and ultra-wide) and a time-of-flight sensor, which comes with a particularly unique design thanks to its triangle shape. We haven’t seen anything like it on other phones.

FP4-Grey-Screen-Kera

True to Fairphone’s mission, the back is easily pried off using only your hands, revealing the easily removable battery as well as the SIM and SD card slots. All other modules are also accessible thanks to an included screwdriver, and spare parts will be available on Fairphone’s website. The company managed to break out its modules into even smaller parts, allowing owners to switch out only the component that's really broken. Despite all this, Fairphone still managed to get an IP54 certification for the device, meaning it’s splash-proof.

FP4-Green-Exploded

The only thing the company couldn’t include any longer is a headphone jack. Given that almost all smartphone components have grown in size in recent years, like the battery, the screen, and the cameras, there simply wasn’t enough space inside the phone to include it, at least not without compromising on other components.

On the software side, Fairphone promises support for up to six years, with updates to Android 12 and 13 all but set in stone. The company says it’s doing its best to go all the way up to Android 14 and even 15, though things might be more difficult with these updates due to Qualcomm usually not maintaining its processors for such a long time. If previous products are anything to judge by, Fairphone will manage to do this just fine, though. The Fairphone 4 will also be getting monthly security updates for the first two years, which is great to hear.

Fairphone ups these promises even further with a 5-year warranty, giving customers some peace of mind that their phone will not fail due to any pre-existing hardware defects. Only the battery isn’t included, being that it’s a component doomed to fail before then due to physics.

Fairphone has also worked on improving its supply chain. The company is investing in sustainable, fair lines where it can make the most impact, working with a select few mines and companies in Congo and Uganda for those resources that aren’t feasible to be used recycled. In addition to these, the Fairphone 4 consists of as many recycled components as possible, and it's the first phone to be e-waste neutral, meaning that Fairphone recycles the total amount of products it sells. In addition to this, the company is also investing in improving working conditions for Fairphone’s suppliers, wanting to give them safe work environments and fair wages.

The Fairphone 4 is available for pre-order from today, September 30. The 128+6GB version will cost you €579/£499 while the 256+8GB variant goes for €649/£569. As always, Fairphone is marketing and building the device for the European market, so be sure to check if the bands listed in the spec sheet above work with your carrier if you want to import it.

Fairphone has also announced a set of true wireless earbuds going for €99.95, created using the same fair standards its phones are known for.