The Fairphone: technology and sustainability combined

In times where bigger is better and newly bought smartphones are  obsolete after a few months, the dutch-made Fairphone offers a refreshing look at things. This phone puts social values first and targets a completely different group of buyers than traditional players like Samsung and HTC do. The people behind Fairphone believe a smartphone should stand the test of time and they want to change the mentality that electronics are disposable.

How does the Fairphone reach these goals…

By using durable materials and applying the cradle-to-cradle idea, a much more sustainable smartphone is made. Add conflict free tin & tantalum and attention for worker welfare and this smartphones beats all of its competitors when looking at social values. Even more, the company behind Fairphone made a commitment to keep improving their phone’s fairness. For instance, they want to be the first manufacturer who uses fair-trade gold and they hope to ban all plastic in future Fairphones.

… and what about its specifications?

Of course, the primary goal of the Fairphone is being a smartphone and this is something the makers didn’t forget. On their website we read: “We’re not just a bunch of do-gooders; we’re making a super cool, high-performance smartphone packed with features bound to impress”.  With Android 4.2 Jelly Bean wrapped around a dragontrail glass 4.3 qHD display, 16 GB of internal storage and an 8 MP rear camera, we only can agree with this statement. Naturally, the Fairphone can’t compete with the latest Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC one but with a price of 325 euro they don’t have to at all.

Wrap up

With the Fairphone focusing on durability and social responsibility, it fills a gap in the smartphone market no other manufacturer has set foot ashore. The phone offers decent specs and fits perfectly in the midrange segment. Now that you know our opinion, we want to know yours! Have a look at their website (http://www.fairphone.com) and tell us in the comment section what you think about this eco-friendly innovation.

                                                                                                      Alexandra, Ellen and Thomas