Fairphone announces new modular smartphone the Fairphone 3

Dutch social enterprise shines a light on murky practices in the electronics supply chain

The Dutch social enterprise Fairphone has announced its latest model, the Fairphone 3 which will be available in September.

Like the previous model, 2015's Fairphone 2, the smartphone features a modular design, allowing users to swap out individual modules such as the cameras without having to go to a repair shop. The idea is to prolong the life of the phone thus reducing its environmental and social impact.

Since 2013, Fairphone has been experimenting with new approaches to the electronics supply chain, including sourcing materials such as cobalt and Fair Trade gold from mines and suppliers with audit trails in place showing they are not funding conflicts in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, and also working with manufacturers in China to ensure fair wages and conditions for the workforce assembling the phones.

At a live-streamed press event, a Fairphone spokesperson said that the company had made several deals with NGOs and the Dutch government and was also working with electronics manufacturer Philips, helping it to source materials such as gold in a more sustainable way.

"Of course it doesn't happen overnight, but we're creating awareness of a lot of topics that no-one knew about, like gold in your phone," she said.

The Fairphone 2 sold 110,000 units, so it's a minnow in a lake populated by big fish like Samsung and Apple, but the purpose, the company says, is to show where the murky electronics supply chain can be cleaned up and to shine a light on problematic materials and practices. At the same time, the modular design should allow users to keep their phones for five years, reducing the CO₂ footprint by 30 per cent, according to a lifecycle impact assessment performed by the company. Fairphone 2 users will continue to receive software updates.

The Fairphone 3 features seven replaceable modules including cameras, speakers, display and top and bottom assemblies and battery. It includes a Qualcomm 632 processor, a 12 MP / 8MP cameras, 64GB of internal memory expandable to 256GB, a 3,000mAH battery and a 5.7-inch Full-HD Corning Gorilla Glass 5 display together with a protective ‘bumper' case. Connectivity is via USB-C and the phone comes with Android 9 installed, although a fully open-source operating system will likely be available later, as was the case with Fairphone 2. It will be available from September and goes on sale with a suggested price of €450.