Introduction
Fairphone has a shiny new smartphone - meet the 3+. Time to throw out your current one and get upgrading! Scratch that. Fairphone wants you to do the opposite. Stick to the phone you already have. Keep it safe, use it, repair it, upgrade it, and make it as sustainable as possible.
If you haven't heard of the Dutch company, sustainability is at the core of their entire small, yet ambitious operation. Then, what gives launching a new phone just an year after the Fairphone 3? That's way better than the ludicrous turnover that the smartphone realm is currently experiencing, hardly being sustainable.
So Fairphone isn't really launching a new phone. It is merely launching an optional upgrade package for the Fairphone 3, to refresh its hardware and work towards that coveted sustainability goal.
If you already have a Fairphone 3, the company will happily sell you just the upgraded cameras that the 3 Plus comes with. You don't care about selfies? Well, grab just the main camera module. It's simple as that.
The Fairphone 3 utilizes a rather unique modular design. The phone contains 7 individual modules that can be easily replaced, repaired and even upgraded, which is exactly what is happening with this new launch. Not every bit of the internals of the Fairphone 3 can be freely-swapped, but Fairphone has arguably covered all of the crucial bits that get objectively outdated the quickest or at risk of wear and tear and outright damage.
Fairphone 3+
- Body: 158.0x71.8x9.9mm, 189g; plastic body; Colors: Black.
- Display: 5.65" IPS LCD, 1080x2160px resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio, 427ppi; Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SDM632 Snapdragon 632 (14 nm): Octa-core (4x1.8 GHz Kryo 250 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 250 Silver); Adreno 506.
- Memory: 64GB 4GB RAM; eMMC 5.1; microSDXC (dedicated slot).
- OS/Software: Android 10.
- Rear camera: 48 MP, f/1.79, 1/2.25", 0.8µm, PDAF; Dual-Tone LED flash, HDR, panorama.
- Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, 1/3.1".
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS.
- Battery: 3000mAh; 18W Qualcomm QuickCharge.
- Misc: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass; NFC.
Looking at the upgraded specs sheet for the Fairphone 3+, it might be a bit hard to spot the changes over the basic Fairphone 3. Here's the breakdown - Fairphone is launching a new Camera module and a new Top+ module. The former replaces the old 12MP main camera with a modern 48MP Quad Bayer module. The latter swaps the 8MP selfie for a 16MP one. That's the entire extent of the actual hardware launch. Well, aside from a new black back cover, now made from recycled plastics.
Existing Fairphone 3 users will be able to pick-up the optional upgrade package for a special price of €70, until the end of September and a regular price tag of €95, as of 1 October.
Starting August 27, new Fairphone buyers will be offered the Fairphone 3+, which is just the Fairphone 3 with the upgrade modules pre-installed, through the official website and partners, at a suggested retail price of €469. Devices are expected to start shipping on September 14. That price just adds a bit of a premium on top of the €450 retail of the vanilla Fairphone 3, but it remains to be seen how local taxes might affect it from market to market.
Unboxing
Straight off the bat here, buying a Fairphone product is never about getting a "great deal" or the best value for money, let alone the most budget device possible. There are plenty of Realme and Redmi phones in the world to have that more than handled.
Fairphone and its target audience care about sustainability, ethics and the environment and are willing to do certain sacrifices.
That starts to show through from the retail package itself. It's all about cutting down on e-waste and waste in general. The Fairphone 3+ ships in a plain, recyclable box, with just the phone inside. You get none of the standard essentials, like a USB cable or a wall charger.
The idea is that you might have a cable and charger combo already lying around and it would be hypocritical on Fairphone's end to automatically ship you another set. Like those odd napkins, made from proudly-advertised recycled paper, but then individually wrapped in plastic for your convenience. Fairphone is having none of that.
They offer plenty of resources on finding a compatible charger, which in the case of the Fairphone 3+ is simply an 18W Qualcomm QuickCharge 3 unit. Failing that, they do sell an official charger, along with a nice-quality Type-A to Type-C cable separately. There is also a nifty pair of modular earphones, if you are interested.
Fairphone modular earphones
What you do get in the Fairphone 3+ box is a small screwdriver since you are expected to eventually take that phone apart yourself. There is a solid right-to-repair undertone to the project, as well. It's not coincidental that iFixIt rates the phone with a 10/10 repairability score.
We also find a very nice and thick bumper protector in the box. One made from as high a percentage of recycled material as possible.
Special thanks to Box.co.uk for providing the review unit.
Design and handling
There's no point in beating around the bush here, the Fairphone 3+ looks extremely dated. It is basically the Fairphone 3 from last year. And that one wasn't exactly on the bleeding edge of design when it came out either.
Then again, you could alternatively choose to describe the design as "classic". In a world where the iPhone SE (2020) is selling like crazy, there is a fair argument to be made there.
At least with the Fairphone 3+ you don't have to worry about display notches and punch holes, sloping curved displays and misbehaving, still-developing tech, like in-display fingerprint readers and soon under-display selfie cameras. You get plenty of finger-resting room beneath the 5.7-inch display plus ample room above it to fit an earpiece and as chunky of a selfie camera module, as you desire.
In fact, that's one thing worth taking into consideration here - the limitations of modular design. Regionalizing components into separate modules and designing easy interconnects and convenient mounting and spacing for all of them is extremely space-inefficient. That's one way to justify to boxy and bulky form factor, also the small 3,040 mAh battery.
On the flip side, the battery pack is removable, which is practically extinct on smartphones at this point. It's all a matter of priorities and perspective.
Since we already mentioned the display on the Fairphone 3+, it's nothing particularly fancy, but also not as dated as the rest of the design might suggest. The 18:9 aspect ratio might be on the more conservative side of the ongoing vertical expansion, but it is still one better than 16:9.
The 1080x2160 pixel resolution looks perfectly sharp on that diagonal. It is an IPS unit, so you don't get those punchy AMOLED colors. Though, there is an argument to be made that OLED theoretically lasts less than an LCD and is prone to more longevity issues. Since Fairphone ideally wants you to keep your phone for five years between upgrades, it might be a viable consideration.
Gorilla Glass 5 protection is a nice touch. It's far from the best the industry currently has to offer, but perfectly reasonable for most users. Plus, getting a good quality, cheap tempered glass protector for the Fairphone 3+ should be easy.
The back side of the Fairphone 3+ snaps off. A real trip down memory lane for us here.
That reveals a trio of slots, conveniently hidden away out of sight - the nanoSIM ones and a dedicated microSD expansion. That's one benefit of the old approach to phone construction - you don't need to worry about fancy tray solutions. The battery pack can come straight out and getting to the rest of the phone's guts is as easy as undoing a few screws. Quite a few, but that's not a bad thing.
Well, easy might be a bit of an overstatement, since the procedure does require working with the very delicate and numerous screws, then carefully and strategically "popping" the display away from the frame, without breaking it. The process can be a bit fiddly the first time around and does take a good 10 minutes. Even so, it is still, comparatively, among the easiest disassembly jobs we have ever experienced on a modern smartphone.
The back panel itself is not translucent on the Fairphone 3+ like it was on the original Fairphone 3. This might be partly due to a change of material, implemented for the new model. While the pair obviously share all of their basic molds and the production line, the new version has proudly moved to a 40% recycled build material up from the 9% on the Fairphone 3. We're guessing that's probably attributed to the new back panel.
Construction-wise we would say that the Fairphone 3+ feels very solid. The three-piece construction paradigm works well here. The middle is made of rigid plastic, just like the rest of the body. It still manages to provide great structural integrity and also feels good to the touch on the outside.
Buttons on the Fairphone 3+ feel nice and "clicky", with pleasant tactile feedback. However, they are oddly positioned on the left side of the phone. That takes some getting used to and might be a dealbreaker for some of you.
In another rather weird move, the single speaker on the Fairphone 3+ fires out of holes also positioned on the lift frame of the device. This was likely necessitated by internal design constraints since the speaker is housed in its own separate module too. On the plus side, this makes it hard to cover for right-hand users. Not so much for lefties, though. Our initial impressions of the speaker quality are that it's satisfactory, but nothing more than that.
There is a 3.5mm audio jack on the Fairphone 3+ and it's positioned on the top bezel. This looks to be another case of engineering around or in conjuncture with the internal module layout. The audio output is actually part of what Fairphone calls the "Top module". It also houses the selfie camera and is one of the things Fairphone has upgraded going from the vanilla Fairphone 3 to the Fairphone 3+. We don't think any changes have been made to audio output, though.
Just like the 3.5mm jack shares module space, so does the Type-C port on the bottom of the phone. The vibration motor, along with other smaller things, alongside the port, are all part of the "Bottom module". The port has a simple USB 2.0 connection behind it, and in case you were wondering, it does support USB OTG functionality.
There is a classic capacitive fingerprint reader on the back of the Fairphone 3+. Our initial impressions of it are that it's quick and reliable. It is interesting to note that due to the way the phone is designed, the fingerprint module actually sticks out from a hole in the back panel.
For even more interesting details on the unique way the Fairphone 3+ is designed, as well as detailed guides on how to take it apart yourself and replace modules, you can check out Fairphone's YouTube channel.
Finishing the tour off, a few extra words on connectivity - the Fairphone 3+ has dual 4G LTE support. Local connections are handled by dual Band Wi-Fi ac, alongside Bluetooth 5.0, with LE support. You also get an NFC module.
Vanilla Android 10
The Fairphone 3+ runs on what is essentially a stock Android 10 ROM. AOSP fans will surely appreciate the clean out-of-the-box experience.
Fairphone UI
Android 10 is on the announcement list for this new Fairphone 3+ model, as well. It comes preinstalled for new users and their Fairphone 3+ users, but will also be made available to existing Fairphone 3 owners, starting September.
After all, prolonged customer and software support are a key part of the Fairphone sustainability plan. One that seems to be well on track, with the 2015 Fairphone 2 still actively supported and support for the original Fairphone 1 from 2013 ending as late as 2017.
Benchmarks
With just a Snapdragon 632 at its disposal, the Fairphone 3+ is hardly a powerhouse. That's kind of a given. This particular Qualcomm chip has been superseded by more modern solutions. A few generations of those, in fact.
GeekBench 5.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- OnePlus Nord
1953 - Realme 6
1726 - Google Pixel 4a
1626 - Realme 6i
1349 - Xiaomi Redmi 9
1325 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9
1292 - Fairphone 3+
1240 - Samsung Galaxy A21s
1100
GeekBench 5.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- OnePlus Nord
610 - Google Pixel 4a
553 - Realme 6
548 - Realme 6i
388 - Xiaomi Redmi 9
362 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9
361 - Fairphone 3+
272 - Samsung Galaxy A21s
184
Even so, the 14nm part is modern-enough to be still competent, where it matters. Its overall connectivity support is competent, and the 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 250 Gold & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 250 Silver CPU, plus Adreno 506 GPU combo are still well capable of delivering a smooth everyday experience.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
- OnePlus Nord
312794 - Realme 6
288931 - Google Pixel 4a
268714 - Realme 6i
202275 - Xiaomi Redmi 9
201829 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 9
200414 - Fairphone 3+
143378 - Samsung Galaxy A21s
107157
Of course, you can't expect it to keep up with some of the more demanding modern games out there. The Adreno 506 wasn't a particularly impressive performer when it came out, and modern mobile graphics have outpaced it since. Even so, casual games are well within reach. Most game engines on Android are optimized to the point where even significantly older hardware can deliver an adequate experience.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus Nord
38 - Realme 6
31 - Google Pixel 4a
30 - Realme 6i
16 - Samsung Galaxy A21s
9.4 - Fairphone 3+
7 - Motorola Moto G7
6.9 - Xiaomi Redmi 7
6.9
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- OnePlus Nord
34 - Realme 6i
31 - Google Pixel 4a
27 - Realme 6
27 - Samsung Galaxy A21s
19 - Xiaomi Redmi 7
14 - Fairphone 3+
6.6 - Motorola Moto G7
6.4
The vanilla Android ROM is definitely helping the Fairphone 3+ remain snappy and responsive in day to day operations. We never noticed a slowdown or other hiccup in our initial hands-on experience with it.
The reality is that even with its older hardware, the Fairphone 3+ likely has more than enough performance for most of its target users. Plus, it's not like anyone expects ultimate value performance out of a brand that has very clear and straightforward priorities set out in a whole different direction.
Camera
In a market constantly pushing boundaries with camera performance and numbers, having a single snapper is a bit of a handicap. That's the position the Fairphone 3+ finds itself in. Even after its camera upgrade, you still get just a single 48MP snapper on the back and a 16MP one on the front.
That being said, devices like the Google Pixel have proven that with the right kind of software magic, anything is possible. Hardly what we can expect here but let's not scratch the Fairphone 3+ based on camera numbers alone.
On a hardware level, the new camera is using a S5KGM1SP03-FGX9 48MP main sensor here, behind an f/1.79 lens. This is a Quad Bayer sensor so it natively produces images in 12MP.
During our initial hands-on session with the Fairphone 3+, we did manage to take a few quick shots.
Main camera samples
We didn't neglect the selfie camera either. This one captures stills in the full, advertised 16MP resolution.
Selfie camera samples
Feel free to pixel-peep and judge the quality for yourself.
Remember, there is a potentially unique upgrade decision to be made here for any existing Fairphone 3 users.
Final thoughts
Fairphone's products are so uniquely positioned that buying one is a decision oddly-separated from the phone's charasteristics itself. It just can't be judged by the same standards that we use for the other phones that we review here.
If you share Fairphone's mission of treating fair everyone involved in the manufacturing and our environment as a whole, the Fairphone 3+ might make all the sense in the world for you.
There are certain elevated costs associated with running a sustainable and ecological business of any variety. Fairphone also has to tackle the realities of research and development for a unique product and low-volume, responsible manufacturing and distribution. There is also the matter of costly long-term support, which is a cornerstone to the whole business. Technical support, no less. As far as expensive endeavors go, this one is pretty high up there.
That reality, in itself, makes what Fairphone is doing admirable. The company's latest Fairphone 3+ launch is perfectly in keeping with its core values.
Even with the latest hardware upgrade, the Fairphone 3+ hardly makes the Fairphone 3+ more universally desirable. It remains a niche product and that's perfectly fine since it's not the point.
Fairphone has its sight set a lot higher, aiming at goals like fair compensation for workers in China, fair-trade gold, fair cobalt and conflict-free tin and tungsten. Recycling and sustainability. Above all else, Fairphone's key immediate ambition is to convince as many users as possible to keep their devices for as long as five to seven years at a time, reducing its carbon footprint by as much as 28 to 42%. Regardless of whether those are its own products, specifically crafted to aid the process or any other piece of tech, headed to an inevitable landfill. If you share the same goals and believe in them deeply enough, the Fairphones look like a great means to an end.
Special thanks to Box.co.uk for providing the review unit.
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