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Fairphone is a unique smartphone brand. The devices are made of materials from ethical sources, constructed against the principles of planned aging and respecting the environment. Their biggest advantage is the modular structure, so you can replace individual components. This greatly facilitates repair and extends the life of Fairphones.
How does it look in practice? iFixit confirmed that the design is well thought out. The creators of the Fairphone 3 smartphone coped well with the design of this device. The specification exchanges the 5.65 inch (1080 × 2160) IPS screen, SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 632, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB for data, 12-megapixel camera on the back and 8-megapixel on the front, 3060 mAh battery, fingerprint reader , headphone jack and USB-C connector. Fairphone 3 has dimensions of 158 × 71.8 × 9.89 mm and weighs 189 g.
Fairphone 3 – not a single glue!
While the largest smartphone manufacturers are on their heads to make it difficult to repair their smartphones, dismantling the Fairphone 3 model is very easy. There is not any glue here. Everything holds thanks to the screws and latches. As in the good old days, just remove the back cover to replace the battery. No tools are needed.
To remove the screen, all you need is an easily accessible Philips # 00 screwdriver. Modules can be detached with a regular service opener. Each module has been clearly signed so that it is easier to assemble the puzzle. Each module can be dismantled using a Torx T5 opener and screwdriver. Only a few parts have been soldered, most can be replaced without special effort.
What's more, the manufacturer's website has all the instructions necessary to repair any smartphone fault. The question remains whether this luxury is worth as much as 450 euros. Fairphone 2 also cost too much and this is unlikely to change.
Fairphone 3 – a role model
Fairphone 3 got the highest rating for easy repair – iFixit awarded it 10 out of 10 points. There is no other producer that iFixit would rate equally highly. iPhones usually get 6 points, Samsung and Huawei get 4 points or less.
I hope that mainstream manufacturers will model Fairphone. The struggle for self-repairing devices continues and I hope that consumers will succeed in it. Apple has already taken the first step, facilitating repairs on external services and providing updates to several years of iPhone. However, we still have a long way to go before we stop generating thoughtless tons of electro-waste.