Fairphone 5 5G (GSM Unlocked, International Version) 256GB + 8GB RAM - Dual SIM (Nano-SIM + eSIM) Android 13 Smartphone (Transparent Edition)

Love the modularity. Performance is good, but not flagship fast. Being able to remove the battery is amazing. Microsd card slot is super useful! Being able to remove any or all of the 3 cameras is kind of cool for privacy. I dont use a case, only a screen protector and its held up to many drops with some slight dings in the frame. The phone is rather heavy and thick as a result of its build design, but I dont mind. I would buy it again.

If you want a cellular phone that gives you the convenience of ones from the 2010s, than this one is the perfect one for you! It has the removable back to remove your battery, Micro SD Card and SIM Card. Best of all you can repair it yourself if you need parts for it such as the USB-C ports, camera etc. As of 9/12/2023, the price on it is a little steep than what it's worth. Also, if you are planning to expose it in humid environments, you might want to look elsewhere.

I like the phone so far. I love that I can pop a SIM in and out so easily. i have it working with a T-Mobile eSIM and a ting physical SIM in the US. Both are working in tandem. I tried to stay with AT&T (my original carrier) but was never successful getting their physical or eSIM to work with it. I'm happy with the phone and love how easy it is to change batteries and other components. The phone sounds pretty good too. Unusual for phones these days.

Pros - 5 year warranty, 5G capable, fully compatible with US based GMS providers, built to be repaired or upgraded rather than scrapped, but recyclable if you manage to damage it beyond repair. Cons - Smooth body, resolved with a 6$ case (multiple models available everywhere). 1 issue at initial boot regarding apps, quickly identified and corrected by customer service. An excellent example of sustainable tech for the 21st century.

Love the phone and the ethos behind it. For me, this phone did not work with AT&T or Verizon but did work for T-Mobile and Mint Mobile.

I was really worried about buying this phone because of all the negative reviews, but I figured that I could always just return it. After a few initial hiccups because I was moving from iPhone and not used to Android generally, I have found that I love this phone and that it does all that I need with a large beautiful screen and great battery life for my purposes. I thought the fingerprint sensor was slow initially, but I now realise that the trick is to see it as a sensor and not a button that you need to press down at the same time. if you just touch it, it should unlock the phone or the app you are using. The camera is good enough for holiday pics, family pics, selfies, etc. If you zoom in, the pics can be grainy, but that is because you are zooming in - for all normal purposes like showing the pics to other people or on a bigger screen, the quality is good enough! I also think the transparent cover is cool and I find the fact that the battery is replaceable to be reassuring. If your company has a Bring Your Own Device policy, one thing to check is whether your company supports Fairphone as sometimes they just support the major players.

Die Reparaturfreundlichkeit besticht. Der Support ist ausgezeichnet.

By far the best phone I have ever owned. Feels quality. Not bloated with crap like the mainstream phones. Unlockable bootloader so I can run any software on it that I want (I have run LinageOS and e-OS on it so far, works perfectly). But it will not work with Telstra or anyone else who uses Telstra network. This seems to be a problem with Telstra after the 3G network closes (end of this month). I wrote to them about it and they said my phone is not compatible with VoLTE (which is wrong). I fixed this by changing to optus, works perfectly. Further update added 9th of November 2024: phone still working perfectly and using VoLTE with optus. Edit: since 10/03/2026 Optus have also ban it. Now vodaphone is the only remaining network that it works on, and as far as I can tell it only works on vodaphone reliably when a VPN is used (odd I know, but seems to be the case).

Ich nutze dieses Smartphone seit über 10 Monaten. Wenn es nach den Versprechen des Herstellers geht, kann ich dieses noch mindestens sechs weitere Jahre nutzen (und bekomme auch noch meine Security-Updates). Dass hier eine "kleinere" CPU ausgewählt wurde (im Vergleich zu anderen Herstellern), ist dem Gerät nicht anzumerken.

I recently encountered my 5th FairPhone-5 bug. And, after 2.5 months of contact with the support team, the issue has yet to be resolved. Is this what FairPhone meant when they said “reliable” and “5 years of support”? …consistent bugs and months of frustration? As in alignment with the company’s ethos as I am, I seem to have been deceived by the company’s promises. I looked back, over my 1.5 years of FairPhone Ownership: • 24 Sept 2023: I bought my FairPhone 5. • 28 Sept 2023: I noticed that my FairPhone 5 could not be used with a wired headset (using the FairPhone-branded USB-C to Mini Audio Jack Adapter). • 05 Oct 2023: My FairPhone’s screen began dimming bellow normal brightness levels, necessitating a restart to resume normal functioning. • 05 Oct 2023: My FairPhone began powering itself off for no apparent reason (with a power level over 50%). • 19 Oct 2023: My FairPhone was replaced under warranty in an attempt to resolve the first three bugs. • 31 Dec 2024: My FairPhone began failing to recognize my e-sim, rendering me unreachable under my work phone number. • 17 Feb 2025: My FairPhone has begun restarting when connecting it to a USB-C charing cable. Similarly, I experienced issues with many of the FairPhone accessories I bought for my FairPhone 5: the USB-C to Mini Audio Jack Adapter, the FairPhone 5 Soft Case, the FairPhone 5 Privacy Screen Protector, and the USB-C 3.2 Long Life Cable. It’s worth mentioning that, during my FairPhone ownership, one of my friends bought a FairPhone 5 on my recommendation of the company. Unfortunately, his experience has been much the same as mine. Recently, he shared that he regrets the purchase and wishes that he’d bought a more reliable device. Having heard that, I cannot in good faith recommend the FairPhone to anyone else. Since purchasing my FairPhone 5, FairPhone has dropped phone support, limited live chat support, and significantly increased their response times. If the company really is as overburdened with support requests as they’ve let on, I have to wonder if they’re not experiencing more serious problems. It’s a shame that FairPhone has not been able to deliver on their promises of reliability and support. The company’s mission of enabling right-to-repair and increasing sustainability is noble. However, I think its execution needs work…