Faisal Ghaffar The Fairphone 5 is not supposed to be a spec-heavy, powerful phone with outstanding cameras. The device has been designed to last for a long time, with it getting software support for at least eight years and the components of the phone have been designed to last just as long or be replaceable or repairable.
Design and build
The design of the Fairphone 5 is similar to that of the predecessor, but there are some changes. The phone is plain, with curved edges and corners and the 9.6mm body feels thick. You can get it in a transparent version, or go with blue or opaque black models. It weights 212g, so it is quite heavy and it has been designed in a way that you can take it apart and then put it back together yourself.
The packaging is recyclable and there is no charging cable, or screwdriver available, as it has to be purchased separately. It is easy to disassemble the phone and put it together. It is also available with a five-year warranty, which is another advantage.
Screen
It is the first time that Fairphone has used an OLED display in their phone. With a resolution of 1224 x 2770 and a refresh rate of 90Hz, it is sharp, bright and smooth. The settings give you a lot of customizable options, such as color modes and you also get a blue light filter.
Specs and performance
The Qualcomm Snapdragon QCM6490 chipset is used to power the Fairphone 5, which is not usually used in smartphones. The company has opted for it because it believes it is more suited to getting software updates for eight years. It also comes with 5G support. Unfortunately, the performance is not that impressive, as the phone lags and stutters frequently.
There is dual-SIM support available, one physical and the other eSIM. There is no headphone jack, but you can use Bluetooth 5.2 LE and there is Wi-Fi 6E and NFC support offered as well.
Camera and video
The cameras used in the Fairphone 5 are good, but nothing outstanding. Three 50Mp sensors have been used for the main, selfie and ultrawide cameras, but they all have different hardware. The Sony IMX800 is used for the main, producing crisp pictures and Optical Image stabilization (OIS) is also offered. Ultrawide shots are acceptable, but cannot offer a lot of detail. The selfie camera is perfectly acceptable for video calls and group photos.
Battery life
The good thing about the Fairphone 5’s battery is that you can take it out without any tools. It will remind you of the good old days where you could just take out the battery from your Nokia 3310 and put in a new one. Spare batteries are sold by Fairphone and you can swap it when you like. The 4,200mAh battery is nothing exceptional and barely lasts a full day.
The Verdict
Anyone looking for a phone for long-term use will like the Fairphone 5, but its processor underperforms and there is room for improvement in battery as well.
