Our phones have lamentably short lives.
Its an insidious model and one thatFairphoneis upending.
The Dutch startup this week released a handset that sets new standards for sustainability: the Fairphone 5.
Laudably, the company envisions the equipment functioning for 10 years.
The modular machine is built for repairability.
To change them, just grab a screwdriver and follow the video guide.
As a further commitment to durability, the Fairphone 5 ships with a five-year warranty.
On the software side, the protection is even longer.
Fairphone provides at least eight years of OS support but aims for an entire decade.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
But were quite sure that well be able to stretch it to 10 years.
Its a target thats unrivalled among Android devices.
To set the benchmark, Fairphone chose a chipsetthats built for industrial applications: the Qualcomm QCM6490.
But the biggest benefits go to the planet.
Fairphones approach tosustainabilitystarts with the materials that make our phones and the people that extract them.
The social enterprise began life as a campaign against conflict minerals, which are common in smartphones.
Armed groups will often use forced labour to mine these minerals.
In 2013, Fairphone progressed from campaigning to producing handsets.
The company now tries to source materials that are both conflict-free and sustainable.
To maximise the social impact, Fairphone identified 14 materials that have high potential for supply chain improvement.
In the Fairphone 5, over 70% of these materials are fair-mined or recycled.
Ballester is particularly proud of the battery supply chain.
Thelithium inside comes from a single mine in Chile thats certified by IRMA theleading global standard for industrial mining.
We are pretty sure this is the most fair and sustainable battery in the world, Ballester said.
The benefits of sustainability extend to the consumer.
According to Fairphone, the battery will hold its capacity through over 1,000 full charging cycles.
Further features of the Fairphone 5 include a 6.46-inch OLED screen and atriple 50-megapixel camera system.
Altogether, the rig has the specs to rival mid-rangesmartphonesmade by the market leaders.
ButBallester is more focused on inspiring the giants than competing with them.
The mission of Fairphone is to change the industry from within, he said.
Everything that we do, we publish.
Thus far, the industry response has been mixed.
As long as that remains the case, Fairphone will stand out in the market.
Ultimately, consumers still need to push the industry to change.
And with every extra phone sold, we can have more impact.
The Fairphone 5 is now available for preorder in Europe.
Prices start at 699 in the eurozone or 619 in the UK.
Shipping starts on September 14.
Story byThomas Macaulay
Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he e(show all)Thomas is the managing editor of TNW.
He leads our coverage of European tech and oversees our talented team of writers.
Away from work, he enjoys playing chess (badly) and the guitar (even worse).
