Dutch mobile developers Fairphone is coming out with a new sustainable mobile phone named Fairphone3+.
If you don’t know, Fairphone is a dutch social enterprise company that aims to develop smartphones that are designed and produced with minimal environmental impact. This company was launched in 2013 by Bas van Abel.
So as they claim about the phones being produced by minimal environmental impact, Fairphone aims to build devices whose some internals can be replaced by newer components.
The Fairphone3+ is a successor to Fairphone 3. So what is new in this 3+. The newer component is the camera. Fairphone 3+ gets an update to both cameras on the front and back. Out with the older rear 12MP Sony IMX363 sensor and in with a new 48MP Isocell GM1 image sensor, while the front-facing camera jumps from an 8MP shooter to a 16MP sensor.
Talking about the overalls of this mobile, it is made up of a clear plastic body, recycled plastic body to be precise. A total of 40% of the body is made up of recycled plastic.
The screen is a 5.65 inch LCD with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. You will get the Snapdragon 632 SoC in this mobile. This phone comes with 4 Gigs of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage.
Talking about the battery, it has a 3000 mAh battery.
What’s interesting
The interesting part is, people who own the Fairphone 3 don’t need to buy the whole new device if they want an upgrade. All they need to do is purchase the new camera module and replace it with the module on their phone. They cost around €70, a price that runs until the end of September.
This is quite innovative. You can give your old camera modules for recycling. The Fairphone 3+ will feature a modular design that will let buyers easily replace faulty components with the included screwdriver
Fairphone CEO Eva Gouwens said
“We believe that we must make the most of the materials used in consumer electronics. We’re moving one step closer to a circular economy by encouraging the reuse and repair of our phones, plus making it easier for users to keep their devices for longer.”
I think the major brands too should start thinking more about the environment. If a Dutch company that is not even global yet can make devices where you can replace a single module, why can’t the tech giants do it?.
Buying just the upgraded part makes more sense rather than spending 10times more money and buying a new phone which will give you just a single upgrade. If there are various upgrades, definitely buy a new mobile. But, for just a single upgrade, replacing is a far better option.