The Fairphone 4 is a sturdy and bulky smartphone that is less damaging to the environment than an average phone today. The idea behind the smartphone line still remains noble, even if you have to take into account obvious limitations in the experience. But that turns out to be no problem in many cases, but not all.
Fairphone 4
Price from € 579,-
Colour Gray and (speckled) green
OS Android 11
Screen 6.3 inch LCD (1,080 by 2,340 pixels)
Processor Snapdragon 750
RAM 6 to 8 GB
Storage 128 to 256GB
Battery 3,905 mAh
Camera 48+48 megapixels (rear), 25 megapixels (front)
Connectivity 4G, 5G, Bluetooth 5.1, WiFi, GPS, NFC
Format 162 x 75.5 x 10.5mm
Weight 225 grams
Other dualsim, fingerprint scanner, micro sd card slot
Website www.fairphone.nl 8 Score 80 
- Pros
- Better for the environment
- Future proof
- Easy to replace parts
- android
- Negatives
- design
- Charging takes a long time
- Image quality
Somehow it feels a bit strange that the company that releases environmentally friendly smartphones is launching a new phone with better specifications. Admittedly, the manufacturer releases fewer smartphones than many other smartphone manufacturers, so when a new version appears, it is usually worth an upgrade. This is also apparent from the changes the company made to the Fairphone 4, which makes the device more future-proof than ever.
Environmental friendliness is not only about the materials that a manufacturer uses. For the Fairphone 4, the plastic back this time consists of one hundred percent recycled material. The aluminum frame is also Fairtrade certified and the cobalt and lithium will be processed sustainably in the future. Those are great messages, but they lose their value when you buy a smartphone every year. That is why a long user life is at least as important as the components of such a telephone and Fairphone has understood that too.
And let’s not forget that you can easily swap out the parts of the phone itself when something needs to be replaced. Then think of the battery or the camera.
Good for the environment
Compared to 2020, when the Fairphone 3+ came out, a number of things have changed. At 6.3 inches, the screen is much larger than on its predecessor. The device itself is also bigger, better, thicker and heavier. Not everyone will like that. It’s great that such a screen is larger, but small is also nice. Especially for people with shallower pockets. The device does not only look bulky, it also feels that way. Which is a shame, because this could get in the way when someone is considering the Fairphone 4. The eye also wants something, of course, although that is by no means the most important. Certainly not for a sustainable model.
In terms of specs, upgrades have also been made, so that you will probably last longer with this device than the Fairphone 3+. There are now configurations with 6 GB of ram and 128 GB of storage and 8 GB of ram and 256 GB of storage. It is also good to see that there is still room for a micro SD card. The battery has more power (now 3,905 mAh), so that the device lasts longer on a full charge. From our experience you can easily spend a day and a half there and if you don’t get too excited, you can also make it to the second evening.
Those are great things, but the biggest addition is the support for 5g. Although that network has not yet been fully rolled out in the Netherlands, 5G phones are disproportionately large. The fact that Fairphone is now also joining the fray with the Fairphone 4 is good news. Because now you have an environmentally friendly option that radiates sustainability on two fronts: in the components and in the duration of use. If you think it’s important to last a long time with a device and still want to use the latest network technology, then this is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.
Furthermore, Fairphone reinforces its sustainable statement by guaranteeing a five-year warranty and two Android upgrades. By default, you get a bare-bones version of Android 11, with only one app from Fairphone itself. Within that app you can read more about the company and receive a digital user manual. Those kinds of apps are fairly harmless and take up little space. Plus: the digital manual on your phone not only saves paper, but also always gives you a handy reference when you run into something or want to arrange something.
Limitations as a compromise
Then we arrive at a limitation: the processor. This is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750. Certainly not the newest, but also not the least processor. It is a chipset intended for midrange smartphones. The hardware isn’t terribly fast, but it works fine. As long as you don’t expect too much or play a lot, you won’t notice that this is an old processor. The same goes for the type of working and storage memory: there are faster options, but these kinds of limitations are simply the compromise. Charging via USB-C is quite slow, but that is good for the battery in the long run.
In addition, the screen is not very bright and the refresh rate does not exceed 60 Hertz. That sometimes results in a bit of a shocking image while scrolling. And games don’t run as smoothly as you’d like either. Fortunately, these kinds of things are manageable and probably not important for the target group that has this device in mind. Colors look fine and true to nature. The sharpness is also good, thanks to the pixel density of 409 pixels per inch. Technically, this is of less quality than the 3+ (at 427 ppi), but the difference is not visible to the naked eye. Audio doesn’t sound great, but audio messages and videos are perfectly trackable.
On the back is also a dual camera of 48 megapixels (wide-angle and ultra-wide-angle lens), with support for HDR. At the front we find a selfie camera of 25 megapixels. The photos and videos are sharp and show colors very naturally. The depth effect also comes out nicely, despite the lack of extra lenses. However, the images do not jump off your screen, because all kinds of image optimizations are missing. But if you get rid of a previous version of the Fairphone, then this is definitely a big improvement. Again: the restrictions that exist are concessions that you make in the context of the environment. It could all be much worse.
Fairphone 4: bring it home
Leaving aside concessions and limitations, we are pleased that companies like fairphone to be. If only to create awareness for the fact that we all buy and throw away smartphones so often. Fortunately, a lot has changed compared to the previous model, making the device more future-proof than ever before. In addition, it remains nice that certain parts, such as the screen and the speakers, are easy to replace and that there is a bare Android version.
You have to keep in mind that the processor is somewhat old, the memory is not too fast and the screen delivers the very best quality. The cameras are also not your-of-the-art, charging takes a long time (but that’s also a plus) and the design is really disappointing. Technical concessions are less of a problem than such a dated design, and that may play tricks on the device. We are referring in particular to the dimensions and weight. If you can get over that, then you have little to complain about this device and you save the environment by purchasing it.
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