It’s safe to say that nowadays, everyone needs – or will end up needing – a Smartphone, one way or another. That’s simply because of how connected the world has become, as more and more businesses look to turn their operations into fully-digital business models that are ran completely virtually. Now, this sort of “digital transformation” isn’t a new concept for most companies; and has instead simply been brought into a more clear view for worldwide consumers. Prior to the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic, many companies already faced the paradigm of shifting their business models towards digitization. Then, with the pandemic taking place, those companies were urgently forced to face that same choice: go digital, or go bust. And so, both during the start of the pandemic as well as after it, people started using their Smartphones more than ever before, not only to access information and continue with their jobs online, but also to use different types of services, such as food delivery services. Nevertheless, as more and more people need Smartphones, more pollution is made to manufacture these everyday-devices. That’s why it is so important to go with a Smartphone that’s designed to last you a reasonably long time before requiring to swap it for a new one. For that, nothing matches the Fairphone 4.
The Fairphone 4 is a 5G Smartphone sustainably made of recycled materials that features a 6.3″ Full HD+ LCD Touchscreen, an IP54 Dust- and Water-Resistance Rating, a Dual Rear 48 MP OIS and Ultra-Wide Cameras, as well as a 25 MP Front Camera, a 128GB or 256GB of Storage along with 6GB or 8GB RAM, 5G Connectivity, and up to 13 hours of battery life.
Designed with the environment in mind and a big focus in sustainability, each Fairphone 4 is manufactured to be electronic waste neutral, meaning that for each Fairphone 4 that the company sells, they also responsibly recycle or give one old phone a second life.
Now, let’s have a more detailed look at it and check out everything that the Fairphone 4 has to offer you.
DESIGN & SPECS
Starting with the phone’s size, the Fairphone 4 comes at just a slightly bigger size than some of the most modern 5G Smartphones, measuring 6.37 inches long by 2.97 inches wide by 0.41 inches tall / thick (162 x 75.5 x 10.5 mm). Despite its “somewhat large” size, the phone is still reasonably lightweight, as the phone weighs just 7.93 oz. (225 g).
Then, for its design, this 5G Smartphone features a modular design, which means that each and every single one of the phone’s internal parts are easily accessible, and more importantly, easily replaceable (in terms of cost / affordability, that is).
The phone features a simple and stylish design, and overall, a fairly modern look, as its construction is mainly focused on sustainability.
On that note, know that the phone’s inner body frame is machined from aluminium that’s only purchase from ASI (Aluminium Stewardship Initiative – a special Performance Standard) certified vendors, while its back cover is made of 100% recycled plastic.
And still following the whole idea of sustainability, it’s also worth mentioning that the phone’s internal components which are made of gold are made solely from Fairtrade gold, which the company greatly prides itself on. Note that Fairtrade Gold is sourced exclusively from small-scale mines which meet the Fairtrade Gold Standard; an internationally recognized certification of best-practice for workers’ rights and environmental protection. Last but not least, the phone’s internal battery was designed to only integrate fairer cobalt and lithium, for which both materials are also sourced responsibly and with care for the environment.
The phone’s Eco-friendly construction is also certified by Blue Angel for sustainability, has also won an EcoVadis Platinum award for its outstanding sustainability-responsible design, and is also certified by B Corp for following an Eco-concious manufacturing process that carefully addresses the environmental issues of the large-scale manufacturing of nowadays Smartphone industry. Additionally, its Eco-friendly construction is also TCO Certified, which is a leading sustainability certification for IT products.
More importantly, the phone itself is also rated to have a fairly durable construction, with its body being drop tested according to MIL810G test standards. On top of that, the phone is also rated to have an IP54 Dust- and Water-Resistance Rating.
Moving on to the Smartphone’s different components. Starting with the phone’s display screen, the Fairphone 4 comes equipped with a 6.3″ Full HD+ LCD (IPS) Touchscreen with Pixelworks Technology, which is protected by a highly-durable layer of fully-laminated 0.7mm Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
The phone’s 6.3″ Full HD+ LCD Touchscreen boasts a 1080p Resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels) with a 19.5:9 Aspect Ratio (around 410 ppi density).
Then, for the phone’s remaining Hardware Specs, know that the Fairphone 4 can be purchased either with 128GB of Storage Space and 6GB of RAM, or alternatively, with 256GB of Storage Space and 8GB of RAM.
Regarding the Smartphone’s performance, this phone utilizes a powerful 8 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (SM7225) as its chipset, which boasts a 64-bit Octa-Core processor (with processor speeds going up to 2.2GHz), along with a Qualcomm Adreno 619 GPU.
Lastly, for the phone’s Operative System, everything runs smoothly on Android 11.
CAMERAS
Moving on to the phone’s two Camera setups. Starting at the back-side of the phone, we have a Dual Rear 48 MP Camera System, which is composed by a 48 MP OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) Camera-Lens and a 48 MP Ultra-Wide Camera Lens (which boasts a 120° viewing angle), along with a powerful Dual-LED Flash.
The phone’s Dual Rear 48 MP Cameras can shoot high-definition photos and 4K UHD video at 30fps, or 1080p video at 30 or 60fps, as well as Slow-Motion Video at 120fps and 240fps, supporting up to 8x Digital Zoom and also featuring support to HDR.
Then, at the front-side of the phone, we have a 25 MP Punch-Hole Front Camera that’s discretely integrated at the top-center of the phone’s 6.3″ Full HD+ LCD Touchscreen .
Via the phone’s 25 MP Front Camera, users can shoot high-definition photos and 1080p video at 30 fps, and this also comes with support for up to 8x Digital Zoom as well as support to HDR.
INTERFACE
For the phone’s interface, since the Fairphone 4 is designed as just about any other modern 5G Smartphone, we also have a fairly simple interface.
Starting on the inside of the phone’s modular design, it’s worth noting that the Fairphone 4 is Dual SIM-enabled, meaning that it features a slot for a Nano-SIM Card and a second slot for an eSIM Card (for which both are 5G-enabled, mind you).
In addition, there’s also a microSDXC Card Slot next to its Dual SIM tray.
Not only that, but the phone also features a Side-Mounted Fingerprint Sensor / Fingerprint Scanner that can be enabled for a user’s extra security when looking to unlock the phone.
Last but not least, we also have the phone’s typical Power Button and its Volume Control Switch, along with a Dual SPK External Speaker that can boast up to 98dB in audio volume, as well as a USB-C 3.0 port (with OTG) at the bottom-side of the phone, which also features Display Port Support.
CONNECTIVITY
Moving on to the phone’s Connectivity specifications. This phone features Bluetooth 5.1 Connectivity, Wi-Fi Connectivity (with support to the most common wireless standards – 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac – as well as support to WiFi Direct), and also support to NFC (for card payments).
Obviously, since this in fact a 5G Smartphone, the Fairphone 4 also features 5G Connectivity.
On top of that, this phone also boasts GPS Connectivity, and also integrates multiple sensors, including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, an E-Compass, and a proximity sensor.
BATTERY & BATTERY LIFE
For its power, the Fairphone 4 comes equipped with a 3905 mAh (15.03Wh / 3.85V) removable Lithium-Ion Battery that’s capable of offering you up to 13 hours of battery life (for phone calls and such), or up to 200 hours whilst idle.
Note that the phone’s battery is certified by the company itself to keep around 90% of its original capacity after being charged 547 times (meaning full cycles).
Last of all, it’s also worth pointing out that this 5G Smartphone also features support to USB-C Fast Charging, meaning that its internal battery can be charged from 0% power back to 50% power in just 30 minutes of time (you’ll need at least a 20W Charger for this).
WHAT’S IN THE BOX?
Inside each package, users will find: their Fairphone 4, along with a Quick-Start guide.
Just like the phone itself, the phone’s packaging is also crafted to be completely Eco-friendly.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Fairphone 4 is a 5G Smartphone sustainably made of recycled materials that features a 6.3″ Full HD+ LCD Touchscreen, an IP54 Dust- and Water-Resistance Rating, a Dual Rear 48 MP OIS and Ultra-Wide Cameras, as well as a 25 MP Front Camera, a 128GB or 256GB of Storage along with 6GB or 8GB RAM, 5G Connectivity, and up to 13 hours of battery life.
Designed with the environment in mind and a big focus in sustainability, each Fairphone 4 is manufactured to be electronic waste neutral, meaning that for each Fairphone 4 that the company sells, they also responsibly recycle or give one old phone a second life.
To put it simply, the Eco-friendly design behind this unique sustainably-made 5G Smartphone ultimately makes it a great choice of modern phone for any Eco-conscious person out there.
The Fairphone 4 is currently available in three (x3) different stylish color models: Grey (for the 128GB Storage / 6GB of RAM model), and either Green or Speckled Green (for the 256GB Storage / 8GB of RAM model).
If you’re interested in buying it, know that prices start at €579 (around $638) for the 128GB Storage and 6GB of RAM model, while the 256GB Storage / 8GB of RAM version goes for €649 (around $716). You can order yours online right now, directly from Fairphone’s official shopping page.
ADDITIONAL ACCESSORIES (OPTIONAL)
For an even better user-experience with this sustainably-made 5G Smartphone, the company recommends that users buy their currently available Smartphone accessories, which include:
- a USB-C to USB-C Cable 2.0 – for charging and data transfers,
- a Dual-port 30W Charger (EU-connector) – for charging,
- a USB-C to Mini Audio Jack Adapter (3.5mm) – for music listening.
Note that since this phone doesn’t come neither with a USB-C Fast Charging Cable nor with a USB-C Fast Charger (20W or higher), it’s definitely worth that users consider purchasing the company’s dedicated USB-C to USB-C Cable 2.0 and Dual-port 30W Charger, especially if the ones you might already own aren’t compatible with this latest generation of the Fairphone (meaning the Fairphone 4).
