I was excited to upgrade from the Fairphone 3+ but in all honesty, it wasn't an upgrade but a downgrade.Let's start with the physical differences:1) the cover on the 4 damages easily and is already scuffed and stained and unlike the 3, you don't get a protective cover for the edge of the phone as standard which is so useful.2) can only take one SIM at a time.3) feel cheaper4) the UX for editing photos is ridiculous. Why do I need to hit apply when I choose my edit. Fairphone 3 was much simpler to use.5) no earphone jack, which is sneaky and forces you to buy wireless headphones..what happened to reducing consumption and waste? Feels very Apple -like.6) a horrible lag when taking photos, my system is upto date but the screen feels like it's ... MoreI was excited to upgrade from the Fairphone 3+ but in all honesty, it wasn't an upgrade but a downgrade.Let's start with the physical differences:1) the cover on the 4 damages easily and is already scuffed and stained and unlike the 3, you don't get a protective cover for the edge of the phone as standard which is so useful.2) can only take one SIM at a time.3) feel cheaper4) the UX for editing photos is ridiculous. Why do I need to hit apply when I choose my edit. Fairphone 3 was much simpler to use.5) no earphone jack, which is sneaky and forces you to buy wireless headphones..what happened to reducing consumption and waste? Feels very Apple -like.6) a horrible lag when taking photos, my system is upto date but the screen feels like it's struggling.Overall, the 4 is a disappointment and whoever developed it as an upgrade missed an opportunity to keep what was good from.the Fairphone 3. I'm currently waiting for an item to be in stock to repair my 3 and I shall return to that.If it's not broken, don't fix it comes to mind.

I am very disappointed and am on the verge of asking for my money back and returning the phone. Here’s why:When I installed my simcard and went through the set up at home it appeared to work fine. I could make voice calls, send and receive texts, whatsapps and use the internet. However, when I went out for the first time the internet functions stopped and I could not receive texts. All I had was voice calls and sending texts. After much searching of settings by me, my daughter and her partner we eventually found that the setup had half set the simcard network to the correct one and half set it to Vodaphone which was wrong. We had to manually enter all the correct settings.Voice calls are really difficult.The phone is heavy so holding it to my ear is a nuisance. ... MoreI am very disappointed and am on the verge of asking for my money back and returning the phone. Here’s why:When I installed my simcard and went through the set up at home it appeared to work fine. I could make voice calls, send and receive texts, whatsapps and use the internet. However, when I went out for the first time the internet functions stopped and I could not receive texts. All I had was voice calls and sending texts. After much searching of settings by me, my daughter and her partner we eventually found that the setup had half set the simcard network to the correct one and half set it to Vodaphone which was wrong. We had to manually enter all the correct settings.Voice calls are really difficult.The phone is heavy so holding it to my ear is a nuisance. Also when making calls I have dropped them, accidentally muted or started sending keypad numbers. These are all because the screen is live and apparenetly too sensitive when taking a normal voice call and my ear is touching the screen. So, wouldn’t it be good to have a decent microphone and wired earpieces – but there is no 3.5mm jack.The blue tooth earpieces supplied have a very poor microphone which is useless when there is any background noise. I can hear the other caller but they cannot hear me over even the slightest background noise.So I cannot use the phone for voice calls in anything other than a near silent environment.In addition, why do I need to use blue tooth earpieces when I have a perfectly good set of wired earpieces – including noise cancellation – which work beautifully on my old phone. The point of Fairphone is about sustainability, but without a 3.5mm jack I am forced to use blue tooth which means they have manufactured new earpieces which include batteries. Also batteries need charging and charging is inefficient – and 50% of the energy is lost in charging small batteries.Finally, wear glasses all the time. The screen is a bit bigger than my old phone, and therefore the phone is heavy and really too big to fit in my pocket but it is not big enough to read easily or look at websites.What a shame as the principle is good.

First of all, credit to Fairphone for making the effort to produce a phone that's fairly ethical, through using materials that are recycled where possible, and sourcing parts through supply chains and mining practices which pay a fair wage, avoid child labour, and are conflict-free. It's more than any other consumer electronics manufacturer is doing at the moment. But ultimately my reasons for buying were a bit more selfish.The main reason I bought the Fairphone 4 is that I have a bad habit of irreparably dropping my phone around once every 1.5 - 2 years, which meant that I've ended up accumulating several phones that need recycling in the last few years - way before they were showing their age performance-wise. I've tried to replace phone screens several times, ... MoreFirst of all, credit to Fairphone for making the effort to produce a phone that's fairly ethical, through using materials that are recycled where possible, and sourcing parts through supply chains and mining practices which pay a fair wage, avoid child labour, and are conflict-free. It's more than any other consumer electronics manufacturer is doing at the moment. But ultimately my reasons for buying were a bit more selfish.The main reason I bought the Fairphone 4 is that I have a bad habit of irreparably dropping my phone around once every 1.5 - 2 years, which meant that I've ended up accumulating several phones that need recycling in the last few years - way before they were showing their age performance-wise. I've tried to replace phone screens several times, but most manufacturers don't make the process easy and I've never successfully pulled off a phone repair myself. In my experience even taking a broken phone to a repair shop rarely results in the phone working quite as well as it did before. Replacement screens often don't work or end up loose at the edges and back panels don't close again properly, because many phones aren't designed for repair and need to be pried apart, unstuck, re-soldered, and glued back together these days.I was very keen to buy into the Fairphone ecosystem, because it allows and encourages you to repair and upgrade the phone yourself, and provides you the parts and tools to do it easily. I haven't needed to repair it yet, but when you open up the back of a Fairphone, you can see all of the different modules clearly labelled with screwheads and connectors visible - the exact opposite of most other phones - so I have confidence that I would be able to replace parts myself if needed: battery, screen, USB port, cameras, speakers, etc are all available to replace, and the main aluminium chassis feels very strong and sturdy.Now, the Fairphone 4 at £500-570 is about double what I'd normally spend on a phone due to my track record of clumsiness, but due to the reparability I feel confident that I'd save money in the long run. Fairphone include a 5 year warranty, 6 years of guaranteed Android updates, and even longer hardware support - they still sell spares for the Fairphone 2 which was released in 2015 - 7 years ago now.You can get the Fairphone 4 on 24 month contracts from several major UK mobile networks which softens the initial cost but in the long run will cost around £100 more than buying outright and using a SIM-only plan.The phone's features and specs are pretty much what you'd expect for a phone of its price point but nothing more. There aren't any folding screens, super high-spec mobile gaming worthy graphics capabilities, or anything like that here. But it's a very solid phone whose specs could reasonably see it being useful beyond the 5 year warranty - the base model comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage which is plenty for most people, and the top end model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage may be a little more future-proof for more resource intensive usage.It's an investment more than a flashy purchase, but that's not to say it doesn't look and feel nice - the grey and green options look very sleek, and the optional green speckled back plate is a unique look that I haven't seen on other phones. It would be nice to see a return of the translucent back cover that was available on previous models - even as an optional extra on the spare parts store. The phone feels very solid in the hand - it's a tiny bit thicker and heavier than most competitors, but it's what you get from being held together with screws rather than glue! The screen size is about average and it doesn't feel cumbersome.The camera quality is good, which you'd expect at this price, but as with previous Fairphone models there is likely to be an upgrade option available a couple of years into the phone's life cycle. The battery life is also plenty good enough to last all day between overnight charges - and if it degrades during the life of the phone, at least a new battery can be bought for just £25 and fitted in two minutes. The storage is also about what you'd expect and likely to be plenty for most people, but if you're using the phone to take lots of video you can expand up to 1TB more using the MicroSD card slot - not every phone maker gives you this option and it's another feature which should help to lengthen the lifespan of the device.The only problems I have with the Fairphone are minor - the fingerprint sensor is well placed on the side of the phone for righthanders, but the official protective case makes it a little difficult to scan your fingerprint using the left hand, and the rounded corners of the screen make the alignment of the notification icons look a little awkward. Small issues, but considering the price point and attention to detail that has clearly gone into every other aspect of the design, manufacture, and supply chain of this phone, it's worth mentioning.On the whole I think the Fairphone 4 is a good investment for anyone who values longevity and reparability, and an absolute must-buy for anyone who cares about the ethics of consumer electronics, once their current phone wears out. I just wish they could find a way to make it £100 or so cheaper without compromising their principles.

Hardware gives the feeling of a sustainable product. Intermittently non understandable voice quality (but gets normal when switching to hands-free). Software gives the impression of being not well maintained. Bad upgrade policy, still on Android 11, last security updates were 09/22 and 11/22.Company has reluctant communication behaviour, there's almost no communication regarding security updates or system upgrades (android). This part of the product is disappointing.It's a very promising idea to have a sustainable phone, but except the production conditions the Fairphone 4 and the Fairphone company don't give you the feeling of an enduring / well maintained product that that will be kept alive (and regularily provided with updates/upgrades) the next 5 years.After ... MoreHardware gives the feeling of a sustainable product. Intermittently non understandable voice quality (but gets normal when switching to hands-free). Software gives the impression of being not well maintained. Bad upgrade policy, still on Android 11, last security updates were 09/22 and 11/22.Company has reluctant communication behaviour, there's almost no communication regarding security updates or system upgrades (android). This part of the product is disappointing.It's a very promising idea to have a sustainable phone, but except the production conditions the Fairphone 4 and the Fairphone company don't give you the feeling of an enduring / well maintained product that that will be kept alive (and regularily provided with updates/upgrades) the next 5 years.After about 6 weeks of use the conclusion is that I probably wouldn't buy it again.

A worthy successor to replace my old Sony Xperia Z C6603 Yuga, which finally after nine years of loyal service gave up, and even a battery replacement couldn't save it.Just like the phone it replaced, I bought it outright, so it's network unlocked, and should hopefully last just as long. The stock Android 11 is very minimal. Much like when I flashed LineageOS onto my old Yuga, leaving a very responsive phone, and there are many instructions online regarding how to flash the FP4 with a third party ROM, at such point when Android updates stop being supported.The phone is very easy to get into. No tools are needed to replace the battery, and most of the remaining components are secured only by PH0 screws. At no point are the manufacturers trying to stop you ... MoreA worthy successor to replace my old Sony Xperia Z C6603 Yuga, which finally after nine years of loyal service gave up, and even a battery replacement couldn't save it.Just like the phone it replaced, I bought it outright, so it's network unlocked, and should hopefully last just as long. The stock Android 11 is very minimal. Much like when I flashed LineageOS onto my old Yuga, leaving a very responsive phone, and there are many instructions online regarding how to flash the FP4 with a third party ROM, at such point when Android updates stop being supported.The phone is very easy to get into. No tools are needed to replace the battery, and most of the remaining components are secured only by PH0 screws. At no point are the manufacturers trying to stop you accessing the components, instead the screws are only there to hold the device together during regular use.My only gripe is the screen. I don't know if this is due to the screen protector, but it can be very difficult to unlock the screen. If my holding hand is cupped around the rear of the chassis even slightly too much, then it will make contact with the screen, making the swipe up to unlockaction impossible, since as soon as you lift your swiping hand, the tiny part of your holding hand (probably a finger) that's making contact with the tiniest part of the edge of the screen, is interpreted as a swipe down. Meaning I actually have to think about my grip when accessing the lock screen password. This has never been an issue with previous phones.I bought directly from fairphone firstly to avoid marketing from telco's trying to get me to take out a contract with them. Secondly because those same companies were only prepared to offer grey in 6 GB and green in 8 GB. Buying direct allowed access to both colours in either memory capacity, in addition to an exclusive speckled green in the 8 GB.

Good product but suffers from a few annoying quirks - like a weird screen tactile response and a version of Android that is not customizable enough. For example, it's impossible to remove the Google search bar from the home screen. For people like me that like clean simple interfaces, it's not a good user experience. It gets triggered all the time too. I also *feel* like they let google really take all the data they can from us. It's a real struggle to turn off all the privacy sucking settings off, all the "google discovery" BS etc... A FairPhone optimized version of Android wouldn't be a luxury at one point in time - but I understand if Faiphone's means are limited an they can't afford that - yet. Otherwise phone is ok - it's not bad at anything, but not great at ... MoreGood product but suffers from a few annoying quirks - like a weird screen tactile response and a version of Android that is not customizable enough. For example, it's impossible to remove the Google search bar from the home screen. For people like me that like clean simple interfaces, it's not a good user experience. It gets triggered all the time too. I also *feel* like they let google really take all the data they can from us. It's a real struggle to turn off all the privacy sucking settings off, all the "google discovery" BS etc... A FairPhone optimized version of Android wouldn't be a luxury at one point in time - but I understand if Faiphone's means are limited an they can't afford that - yet. Otherwise phone is ok - it's not bad at anything, but not great at anything either. But it's a better business model for the planet, so come aboard. The quirks are a small price to pay.

Looks, works & feels really good.Installed e/Os on it with no problems super easy.Things I don't like after testing it for weeks:- No headphone port- Device edges/corners too slippery- No Sailfish Os (maybe later)- Front camera display notch (if there are too many items in the top status barit just shows a dot indicating too many items for the available space...left & right of thecamera so ducking annoying, who ever thought that was a good idea is useless.- Display size is way to big to navigate it comfortably with one hand & at the same havinga good grip on the device, so I have dropped it multiple times already trying to reach thecorners with my thumb without activating things with your palm by mistake.Who ever tested it must have paws of a ... MoreLooks, works & feels really good.Installed e/Os on it with no problems super easy.Things I don't like after testing it for weeks:- No headphone port- Device edges/corners too slippery- No Sailfish Os (maybe later)- Front camera display notch (if there are too many items in the top status barit just shows a dot indicating too many items for the available space...left & right of thecamera so ducking annoying, who ever thought that was a good idea is useless.- Display size is way to big to navigate it comfortably with one hand & at the same havinga good grip on the device, so I have dropped it multiple times already trying to reach thecorners with my thumb without activating things with your palm by mistake.Who ever tested it must have paws of a Yeti.Seriously 5'' is perfect.Screen size is definitely a reason to look for something smaller, can't afford to haveboth hands occupied with the phone while moving from A to B.Just make the same thing with a 5'' screen !!!

I'm really Happy with the product and its aestethic, i chose green and really like the tone.I chose this phone for all the incredible qualities of the company and its vision.I am still testing the phone but have to say that although some online reviews have commented the camera issue as the only drawback, I found It of good quality and you can install camera apps to make them better but overall i'm satisfied with the camera.I am a little worried about the battery life but i'm still testing it out. Also, it's a little bit more bulky and heavy than your normal phone but nothing excessive, just maybe something to consider when deciding which cover to buy.The price can be a drawback but i think the evaluation has to also consider the extra years of life expectancy ... MoreI'm really Happy with the product and its aestethic, i chose green and really like the tone.I chose this phone for all the incredible qualities of the company and its vision.I am still testing the phone but have to say that although some online reviews have commented the camera issue as the only drawback, I found It of good quality and you can install camera apps to make them better but overall i'm satisfied with the camera.I am a little worried about the battery life but i'm still testing it out. Also, it's a little bit more bulky and heavy than your normal phone but nothing excessive, just maybe something to consider when deciding which cover to buy.The price can be a drawback but i think the evaluation has to also consider the extra years of life expectancy and the fact that you can upgrade some components without changing the phone, so we'll see. Fairphone also publishes a cost breakdown infographic so the price is explained in details which is something i really appreciated, it would be useful to have a comparison with mid/high range smartphones to have a more complete view.Overall I think this phone is a no-brainer, i'm very happy with the product and I hope more people can get to know of these super interesting start ups that are reshaping the industry.

Less gimmicks but more thoughtful.Compared to other mainstream brands, there are some nice to have things missing.I personally miss how my old phone didn't dimm and turn off the screen while I was looking at it.I am not sure why, but the touchscreen sometimes doesn't seem to register a tap from me...And to be perfectly honest, compared to my old phone (Honor View 10, roughly the same price back then), the picture quality is somehow rather bad.Maybe there is some setting I gotta adjust, but it just seems like it can't take proper sharp pics...Now then.Anyone who buys this should be well aware that you are obviously not spending the money for state of the art tech.The value isn't through that, but rather the fact that there is an insanely easy way to ... MoreLess gimmicks but more thoughtful.Compared to other mainstream brands, there are some nice to have things missing.I personally miss how my old phone didn't dimm and turn off the screen while I was looking at it.I am not sure why, but the touchscreen sometimes doesn't seem to register a tap from me...And to be perfectly honest, compared to my old phone (Honor View 10, roughly the same price back then), the picture quality is somehow rather bad.Maybe there is some setting I gotta adjust, but it just seems like it can't take proper sharp pics...Now then.Anyone who buys this should be well aware that you are obviously not spending the money for state of the art tech.The value isn't through that, but rather the fact that there is an insanely easy way to replace almost all parts. As far as I know, the workers also get a better salary from fairphone + the resources for it are fairtrade.(I think at least)So, if you wanna send a bit of a sign and you value the thought of this Phone, go ahead and buy it.If however you value better tech and more gimmicks, you will likely be better of with the classics.