The Fairphone 2 is a touchscreen-based, dual-SIM smartphone designed to be easily repaired by the user. First released in December 2015, it was the first modular smartphone available for purchase and has since received both hardware improvements and major software updates, initially shipping with Android 5 “Lollipop” and running Android 10 as of November 2021.
It is the second phone from the social enterprise Fairphone and the first one completely designed by it. The phone is ethically sourced, using conflict-free minerals, Fairtrade gold and recycled materials. It was assembled in audited factories with good working conditions.
The phone is designed to have a higher life expectancy (five years) than other phones.
The main challenge with the Fairphone 1 was a system on a chip (SoC) Mediatek MT6589 that was not widely used and thus did not receive long-term software support from its manufacturer. For the Fairphone 2, Fairphone chose the widely used Snapdragon 801 platform (a high-end, early 2014 platform); the popularity of this SoC should help maintain the LTS of Fairphone 2.
Fairphone deliberately did not include recent innovations like wireless charging or USB-C ports, ensuring a lower price and fewer compatibility issues. However, the phone’s modular design allows the Fairphone team to develop newer modules with updated components. Newer versions of the modular design contain cameras.
Also, the back of the Fairphone 2 is equipped with a USB pin-out and charging input, allowing aftermarket back covers with extended capabilities.
The phone is designed to have a lower environmental impact than comparable mass-market smartphones, with an expected lifespan of five years. The modular design allows components to be replaced individually.
The Fairphone 2 is the first modular smartphone available to the general public. The modular, repairable design is designed to increase longevity, with an additional focus on increasing the product’s recyclability. The phone components are designed to be replaceable, with the end user only needing to use a screwdriver to replace components of the phone. In addition, it is possible to replace individual components within each module.
The phone received a 10 out of 10 score for smartphone repairability from iFixit, the highest score ever given to a phone.
The phone consists of seven removable parts:
- the main chassis
- the battery
- the display assembly
- the rear camera module
- the top module (selfie camera, headphones, speaker, sensors)
- the bottom module (loudspeaker, vibration, microphone and charging port)
- the back protective cover.
Software
One of its best features was the unlocked bootloader, which allowed the user to pick from a variety of operating system, either official, or community driven, which makes it one of the best
- 22 Oct 2015 — Sailfish OS port underway With input from Fairphone developers.
- 21 Dec 2015 — Launch. Android 5.1 “Lollipop”
(Two variants of Android are available – the default Android installation, which includes Google Mobile Services (GMS), and the Fairphone Open Source OS, which does not include GMS, but can easily be rooted. Unlike most Android manufacturers, Fairphone is committed to regularly releasing security patches and other updates.) Apr 2017 Android 6.0 “Marshmallow” Free for all customers. - 8 Feb 2017 — Ubuntu Touch port
- 20 May 2017 — LineageOS 14.1 community release (First time an Android 7.1 “Nougat”-based operating system runs on the phone.)
- 13 Nov 2018 — Android 7.0 “Nougat” official update (First and so far only phone running on Snapdragon 801 to have this upgrade.)
- 16 Jun 2020 — Android 9.0 “Pie” beta (Fairphone in cooperation with the LineageOS team. Making it so far the only phone running on Snapdragon 801 to have an Android 9.0 “Pie” update)
- Mar 2021 — Android 9.0 “Pie” stable
- Nov 2021 — Android 10 release
- Mar 2023 — Android 10 update (Final Fairphone 2 software update for Android 10)
In conclusion, this is a really nice phone, but it feels like a hobby more than a serious phone. While it’s solid and nice, it sometimes feel a bit flimsy and prone to breaking. One of the units I have works just fine, but the other sometimes just won’t start. Guess I’ll keep it for spares.
If you want to see a table with the technical data, go and check the Fairphone 2 Page.
