The most ecological 5G smartphone is coming

Fairphone is preparing to launch its fourth model: it's a 5G smartphone, with Qualcomm chips and the usual attention to environmental impact.

The phone that "respects people and the environment" is coming back, in a 5G version. We are talking about the Fairphone 4, the first model of this series in the spirit of eco, fair and solidarity that integrates a modem to connect to the fast data network.

The Fariphone 4 was in fact spotted by the German online newspaper WinFuture among those awaiting certification to the Wi-Fi Alliance, the consortium that manages the development of new Wi-Fi protocols and certifies the full compatibility of devices with radio transmission standards. From some technical details included in the certification request we can guess the only two features at the moment almost certain: Fairphone 4 will be 5G and will have a Qualcomm processor. Secondo WinFuture, poi, uscirà di fabbrica con Android 11 preinstallato. Non è chiaro, però, se questo smartphone riuscirà ad arrivare sul mercato prima del lancio di Android 12, previsto per fine estate.

Lo smartphone “eco"

Le caratteristiche degli smartphone prodotti dall’ex startup Fairphone vanno tutte nella direzione di creare un dispositivo col minor impatto ambientale e sociale. Quanto meno minore della maggior parte dei telefoni oggi in vendita.

I Fairphone, ad esempio, sono tutti dotati di batteria removibile: ciò permette a chi li compra di farli durare molto di più, sostituendo la batteria quando è troppo “stanca“.

Il litio usato nelle batterie, poi, ha varie certificazioni di sostenibilità e molti dei materiali usati sono riciclati.

The company, then, makes available to its customers all the spare parts needed for repairs and guarantees a fair compensation to the workers who produce its products.

Fairphone 4: how much will it cost

Since there is no official data sheet of Fairfone 4 yet, there is no official price either.

It must be said, however, that sustainability always has a cost, including economic. Last year's current Fairphone 3+, for example, at a less-than-top-of-the-line spec sheet (Qualcomm Snapdragon 632, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of ROM and a single 48 MP rear camera), still costs quite a bit a year after launch: €634.