Is The Fairphone Legit? (Fairphone 3 Plus Review)

Fairphone is the leader in modular cellphone technology, something that very few other companies have managed to do successfully, but is it worth buying?

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The Patreon Family Who Made This Video Possible!
Lucas Herrera
Jeff On
Joanne Iskander
Chin-yen Liang
Delenn Kershaw
Johnny and Dayna
Octavianus Marcel
Daniel Sykes
Blito
Kaan Williams
Anthony Gregorczyk
Josh Medeski
Monica Hudson
Uma Dobia
Corrina Holcomb
Cat Wagg
Jacklyn Allen
Don Gain
Armando Villa-Ignacio
Levi Williams
Camilo Gomez
Itoji Kawasaki
Rebecca Yim
Rachel McCormick
Ryan Goodin
Rosalba Ortiz

[LeahandLevi]

Forgot to mention that they are a registered B-Corporation too! There’s a lot of stuff that I could have mentioned but hopefully this is a good start to get you interested in this company! Thanks for making this happen team!

[OurChangingClimate]

Literally writing a script about Fairphone right now!

[dontmindme]

I go by what Fairphone themselves have stated (at least a few years back): That if you have a good working phone, then use that instead of buying a new one. If I ever need to upgrade, then the Fairphone is a great option, but until then I'll get as much life out of my current phone as possible.

[KevinTheVegan]

For the time being, buying a second hand phone/refurbished phone is probably the most cost effective, ethical way to get a good quality phone. That being said, supporting the fair phone is necessary to spark future development in the company and market in order to create better products. It's a bit like supporting Tesla to kickstart the development of battery and electric car technology.

[Shelbizleee]

This is v helpful Levi! I am bummed Fairphone isn't in the US (yet?) but I just found out about another phone that does focus on repairability and is only $200 (called Teracube)! But it uses Android's OS too which so far has not been fun for me in my testing LOL

[quel]

Last year my phone died and I had to decide between getting a another one secondhand or investing in a Fairphone 3+ (I live in Portugal, for context). And I decided to support this brand that's actually paving the way towards a more sustainable tech industry! I've had it since October 2020 and honestly it's great for my everyday use. I also work in a B Corp and my boss was inspired by me using it, and also decided to get one for herself. Everyone is very curious when they look a my phone because they don't recogniz the brand, and that has been a good turning point to discuss sustainability with my friends and family and raise awareness. Thank you for including them in your channel Levi, and thank you Fairphone for all that you are doing! It truly feels like change is in our hands.

[sileigh]

I love the quality of my Samsung but I was so upset when we could no longer remove the battery from our phones. I found my phone lasted years longer by being able to replace the battery and troubleshoot issues myself. I can't wait till Fairphone comes to Canada!

[tychobotter]

After all these years, The Netherlands still finds it's way into Levi's video's. Love it. Groetjes

[Lord_Mad_Dog]

I really want a fairphone. The only thing is that their us band acceptance is terrible. But if you're in the uk, I definitely recommend getting one

[jaredtatz]

I've been waiting for this video. Very excited!!!

[musicalkid]

I was actually kind of impressed by the side by side....I think if I need a new phone, I'm going to go fairphone.

[sebastianosterbrink]

As a comment about the video quality: This was the fairphone 3+ which has a slightly better camera than the 10% cheaper 3. But you can replace the camera module and go from 3 to 3+ as a friend of mine did. I still have the plain 3 and for simple photos that's good enough. But it is possible that at some point in the future they will release another camera module update to buy for people who have higher expectations. And you can replace the camera module by yourself with only the little screwdriver that is provided with the phone.

[tallie]

Being Canadian in a nutshell. "Ohh this is cool!" -- "Ahhh nuts, not available in Canada..."

[miyounova]

I've been looking at buying this phone for years. I haven't because I haven't bought a new phone in 8 years (and several years before that). My current phone is my partner's old phone, which I plan on using for a few more years, even though the screen is damaged.
I unfortunately can't support you on patreon, as I don't have the means, but I love your content and appreciate your work and your time, thank you Levi :)

[stuartwgermain]

I have been looking forward to this one! Another interesting video Levi. The repairability part is so important for electronics and most other products.

[lucydonnelly]

Insightful as always! And special interviews is definitely a kind of perk that would make me contribute to Patreon :) Maybe one day!

[TheRedmondEthan]

I know you make a lot of content with your phone but I feel like with you being a content creator in this space, leading by example would probably be the best way of really showing your support for the product. Like I've purchased (and not purchased) many products off your recommendation and use. Idk, I guess you could try doing a short run with it on your ig and TikTok and see how it goes? Great video though! learned a lot more about Fairphone then I was expecting.

[Lumcoin]

GCam port for pictures and Open Camera for videos make a huge positive difference in quality compared to the stock camera app

[philipp]

That phone is probably what we need but companies add so much into the news phone and make us believe we need all that but in reality we only use phone to watch YouTube and scroll on Instagram.

[VicvicW]

I upgraded to a Fairphone 3 last year. And here is how I find them:

Pros:
-modularity, obviously. It's nice to know that if I wanted to upgrade my camera I could, without buying a new phone.
-Screen. The screen is actually pretty good, with one issue.
-durability. This phone is like a TANK. Mine came with a plastic bumper, and there is nothing that could break it lol.
-The fingerprint sensor is pretty good.
-2 sim slots! This is kinda rare on western phones, nice to have.
-expandable memory
-obviously the social concerns.

Cons:
- I find the buttons too easy to click, so it's easy to accidentally click them.
-I have been having charging issues. The charging cable I bought from them kinda stopped working, so I ended up having to buy a new one. It's a shame. (The "Charging Slowly Issue" is a decently common one amongst Fairphone users.)
-The OS is a little unstable? There's a weird thing with the power button and camera that can freeze the screen when you open the phone? Weird but not bad.
-i have also been having phonecall issues recently where I cannot hear or be heard by someone I am phoning. I've found some fixes, but I don't think this should happen.
-My screen used to be really unresponsive? I am using the blue light screen protector. It's not an issue anymore, but it was slightly annoying when it was.

That said, literally just the modularity and social concerns are enough for me to reccomend the phone.