Fairphone 4 test: the smartphone we should all buy

I admit: I was quite disappointed when I unpacked the Fairphone 4. I would have liked the sustainable smartphone to be a little more discreet. But, a week later, I started to find a certain charm at the waist, the weight, the finish and the choice of the materials.

Fairphone 4 test: an eco -friendly smartphone full of good intentions … spoiled by its slowness and its camera

Much better than its predecessors, the Fairphone 4 almost succeeds in putting itself at the level of certain competing smartphones. At 579 euros, we are nevertheless concerned about his ability to age well despite the fight against planned obsolescence of his creator.

01net’s opinion.com

• + Very easy to disassemble/repair
• + More successful than its predecessors

• – Calamitous camera
• – Too many slowness
• – Too little bright screen
• – Too high price
• – Will he age well ?

Writing note

Note published on 12/15/2021

Technical sheet

System	Android 11
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 750g
Size (diagonal)	6.3 “
Screen resolution	409 ppi

See the full file

Testing a smartphone like Fairphone 4 is not easy. On paper, the Dutch manufacturer is difficult to criticize. Its devices are modular (you can change most components without intervention by a repairer), the materials used have been purchased as part of fair trade and, in terms of updates, Fairphone promises a follow -up higher than that of Android competition. We die with want to see Fairphone succeed and, why not, develop the mentalities of other manufacturers.

Unfortunately, what we have learned with the previous Fairphone is that the reality is very often different. Equipped with often very average components, updated with great delay and not frankly worthy of their prices (we often have performance worthy of a mobile at 200 euros while the device costs the triple), the movables Fairphone have us often given the impression that the promise of the brand was not tenable on its small scale.
Marketed from 579 euros, the new Fairphone 4 wants us to lie by correcting a lot of faults that we had blamed for the previous iterations. Can we finally buy an ecological phone without regretting it ?

What you will find in this test

In this fairphone 4 test, we are not going to go into details on the concept of the product. If you want to know more about the components that can be changed or the characteristics of the device, we redirect you to our Fairphone 4 presentation article.

Here we have tested the device as we would test any other smartphone. Our goal is to know what is worth daily and compare it to competition. Of course, we will take into account its repairable and environmental aspect in our conclusion. No one buys a fairphone as he could buy an iPhone.

An improvement design

Again, criticizing Fairphone is not easy. Between the Fairphone 3 and the Fairphone 4, the brand has undeniably listened to criticism. The time of the big borders is over, the new version of the modular mobile passes to the “edge to edge” and to the notch. Unfortunately, Fairphone does not seem to have the same definition of the edge by edge as the other manufacturers. There is a border of 8 mm at the bottom and 5 to 10 mm at the top, depending on where we measure. Next to the 2-3 mm of the competition, it does not really be very modern. We will let you judge, this is for a very subjective point. Some will probably be satisfied with it.

Same observation in terms of thickness (1.08 cm) and the weight of the device (226 grams). Besides the competition, the Fairphone 4 has very large baby tunes. In hand, it is undoubtedly one of the least discreet devices on the market. On the other hand, one can only congratulate the manufacturer for the chosen materials. The rubber appearance of the back is very pleasant in hand and compensates for its overweight. The arrangement of the camera module, which reminds us a lot of the sublime Oppo Find X3 Pro, is also strangely pretty. Not renowned for its aesthetics, Fairphone has surpassed. The fingerprint sensor of the device, on its right edge, falls under the thumb (if you hold it with your right hand). It is also rather effective.

Finally, remember that the Fairphone 4 is a removable smartphone. When placed on his screen, bottom right, we notice a slight slit. By putting your nail in it and shooting it, you can somehow “tear down” the back of the smartphone. The whole thing is not very pleasant the first time (it feels like the back will crack), but is rather easily done once you have understood how to do. Only the battery, the micro SD card and the Nano SIM card can be removed without a screwdriver. The other changable components (the speaker, the call grid, the camera module, the front camera, the USB type-C port and the screen) require a Philips 00 screwdriver. All gives Fairphone 4 an excellent repairability index of 9.2/10. The back then clips ultra -acically.

Performances: it’s better, but always slow

Under the hood of the Fairphone 4, we find the Snapdragon 750g processor of Qualcomm compatible 5G. It is a completely honorable SoC found in smartphones like the northern OnePlus or the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, products sold around 300 and 400 euros, against 579 euros for the Fairphone 4. Ecology has a cost, and the latter is approximately 200 euros.

In use, the fairphone 4 is not as bad as this predecessors. The least demanding users and users should easily be satisfied with it, provided they have not tasted better before. However, the experience offered by Fairphone is not at all worthy of the sale price of this device. Some devices at 200 euros, such as the Redmi Note 10, seem better optimized than the Fairphone 4.
Tactile monitoring sometimes has latency, some applications can sometimes take time to open (special mention to the camera, we will talk about it later), animations often create slowdowns and settings of the device are quite confused (we think in particular of the “5gbasic” and certain display parameters which, according to our research, are normally reserved for TCL products, which questions us about their presence).
Sometimes it has the impression that Fairphone is a bit overwhelmed by events, that he tried to hack an experience without having the capacities of a new technologies giant. At the same time, how to compete with a Samsung or an Oppo when you are a start-up ? One wonders how the fairphone 4 will age when the applications are increasingly delicious in resources. In view of its current slowness, we would not bet on a positive outcome.

Let’s talk about the promises of fairphone updates so quickly. Delivered Android 11, the Fairphone 4 should go to Android 15 according to the promises of the brand which, even when Qualcomm stops supporting its chip, undertakes to do it itself. Very sincerely, we believe Fairphone.
The brand may take a lot of time to update its products, it really seems to mobilize on the subject to do things right. On the other hand, what we cannot know is the state of a fairphone 4 on Android 15 in six to seven years. Will it be slower than today where we are already at the limit compared to competition ? The more the applications will evolve, the more resource they are.

A screen unworthy of 2021

If the performance of the Fairphone 4 are average without being bad, the same cannot be said about the smartphone screen. At 579 euros, there is no other smartphone without an OLED screen (the iPhone SE, Apple, does not cost less). The Dutch brand uses LCD and therefore sacrifices absolute black for a contrast rate of 1581: 1, frankly disappointing to watch video content.
Even more worrying, the brightness of the device is abnormally low. Our laboratory noted a maximum luminance of 411 CD/m 2, which is extremely far from the 1000 CD/m 2 of the best apparatus on the market. Outside, it’s often too little. The Fairphone 4 screen is not designed for use on the beach or by the pool. This is another point on which the ecological smartphone makes too big sacrifices.

A rather satisfactory autonomy

According to the 01net laboratory.com, the fairphone 4 is not a very enduring smartphone. The device resisted our versatile autonomy test 12:00, 11:22 in video streaming and 26:39 in communication, which is rather in the low average. These results are all the more disappointing since the smartphone is not very bright and its refresh rate of 60 Hz is not supposed to be energetic. Of course, its 3,905 mAh battery is removable, which means that you can walk with a rescue battery if you wish. An advantage over competition !

However, do not always trust the laboratory results. In very basic use, that is to say with calls, messaging and social networks, which we imagine that the person who will buy a fairphone will do the most, the eco-responsible smartphone has proven to be rather enduring. We recharge him at night, he holds the day. Just do not expect to make it a portable game console. Fairphone 4 is not made for.

Photo: Record slowness

Let’s talk about Fairphone 4 cameras. We actually have this test before the promised arrival of a big update at the end of November. According to the company, many faults will have to be corrected. It is therefore possible that the criticisms that we are going to make in the next lines are no longer relevant in the future. In any case, we hope.

The application Camera Pose in itself problem. One wonders if Fairphone has developed it internally or if it has recovered an open source project somewhere, without any optimization work. There are quite unnecessary filters, modes worthy of a compact camera from the 2000s (fireworks, beach, snow, face, action, landscape, theater, sports, party, candle …) typography errors ( “Video” with a capital but “photo” without) and navigation is not at all pleasant. Going from one sensor to another is not intuitive, just like digital zoom.

All this is all the more annoying since the quality of the photos poses in itself big problems. Despite the use of two 48 Mpix sensors (Grand Angle and Ultra Grand-Angle), we have almost never succeeded in a beautiful photo with the Fairphone 4. Everything is blurred and ultra -grown, the faces are smoothed, light management misses … all that makes no sense, it looks like painting.

It is all the more ridiculous since it takes about two to three seconds on the phone to take a day photo (we talk about the time between the moment when we touch the screen and its reaction) and until Eight seconds at night, which we have never seen in any competitor. No need to tell yourself that in such a long time, what you were intended to photograph have had time to move.

Before buying a fairphone, we strongly encourage you to think about the importance of photos in your life. This is by far the most important negative point of the device. In our opinion, it is impossible to properly immortalize our vacation with such a smartphone.

A product not “upgradable”

Before concluding this test, we wanted to explain to you what is not going well, in our opinion, in the concept of fairphone. If we particularly appreciate the possibility of changing the components of your phone yourself, we cannot help but ask ourselves if one of the limits of this concept is not the impossibility of replacing a component with a better version. A number of people who have asked us questions about the Fairphone 4 seems convinced that this is a modular smartphone. However, it is not. It is an easy to repair smartphone, which must during all its existence use the same components.

In an industry that evolves as quickly as that of the smartphone, it seems complicated to think that replacing a five -year -old camera with another elderly, also five years will solve the slightest problem, the same thing for the chip that is for the impossible to change. We thought it is important that you understand this aspect before possibly ordering the device. Your Fairphone 4, even with new components, will always remain the same. Otherwise, Fairphone would not have to launch a new product every year.

Technical sheet

System	Android 11
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 750g
Size (diagonal)	6.3 “
Screen resolution	409 ppi

See the full file

• + Very easy to disassemble/repair
• + More successful than its predecessors

• – Calamitous camera
• – Too many slowness
• – Too little bright screen
• – Too high price
• – Will he age well ?

The verdict of the test

What to think of fairphone 4 ? After ten days of using this device, it seems obvious to us that it comes far behind the competition on almost all levels. Its design is worthy of the entry level, its slowness is very surprising in view of the chip it uses and, above all, its camera is one of the worst on the market not to say the worst. If another brand had released such a device, at 579 or 200 euros, we would not have spared it.

However, we want to be kind to Fairphone. It seems obvious to us that the intentions of the Dutch company are good and that all of its attempts in recent years have the aim of improving the planet, to change our way of consuming. How not to want to salute this initiative ? After all, it is true that no smartphone is repaired so easily.

We will only recommend fairphone 4 to people with very limited technology needs, those looking for a smartphone to stay in touch with their family. Nothing else. For the others, it seems very important to not encourage you to take a fairphone to finally replace it with another device a few months later, which would go backwards from the brand’s ecological struggle. If your needs are a little more demanding, Apple and Google efforts against obsolescence (updates for more than five years, possible repairs to a specialist) make us want to recommend you iPhone and Pixel.

Note
writing

Fairphone 4 Test

The question you are asking yourself is certainly: the fairphone 4 is reserved for vegan hipsters who defend the planet and eat organic? Not at all, because compared to Fairphone 3, the Danish company has developed a really beautiful and well -designed smartphone. However, it will be necessary to make concessions on the technical sheet.

Fairphone 4 pre -order

With its recommended sale price of 579 euros, the fairphone is technically more comparable to smartphones at less than 400 euros. But if you are interested in sustainability, repairability and fair working conditions, that will not bother you. However, I see a possible future problem in the rather low technical sheet. Because even if Android 15 arrives one day on the Fairphone 4 one day, the power of the SoC could then be simply insufficient.

Fairphone will therefore have to provide upgrades that will allow the smartphone to remain usable in the long term. Thanks to modularity, upgrades can be installed by yourself, but in the long term, this will make user use. However, being honest and admitting that the withdrawal of smartphones boxes better soothes our consciences, we must face the facts: the Fairphone 4 is the smartphone that we should all buy in this period of climate change. However, it must be recognized that it is much more interesting to have the latest technologies, even if it means paying more. Sorry the environment!

Design and screen: to your screwdrivers!

Measuring 15.6 x 7.5 x 1.1 cm, Fairphone 4 is not a compact smartphone. For once, it is not due to a huge screen, but to the modular case. The smartphone can be disassembled so that the components can be easily repaired and upgraded. The manufacturing quality is better than ever, and the smartphone gives off a certain charm.

I loved

• Manufacturing quality
• Modularity
• The pleasant vibration engine

I did not like

• Thick screen edges with the drop of water -shaped
• The smartphone is bulky
• Rather functional speakers

I admit: I was quite disappointed when I unpacked the Fairphone 4. I would have liked the sustainable smartphone to be a little more discreet. But, a week later, I started to find a certain charm at the waist, the weight, the finish and the choice of the materials.

The non -slip back and the case securely screwed in particular, give off the impression of a robust smartphone. In addition, the vibration engine is powerful and precise, which further emphasizes the presence of the smartphone. With a Gorilla Glass 5 glass screen, the smartphone is also fairly well protected against shocks. I never panicked when he fell.

However, the screen is one of the greatest criticisms of the Fairphone 4. In 2021, the thick borders and the notch of water -shaped was as off -putting as a product nestlé at the organic market! The LCD screen with its low refreshment rate of 60 Hz, however, is caught up in terms of vision and brightness angles. The resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels is also excellent.

Finally, a few words about modularity. It is possible to completely dismantle the Fairphone 4 with the Ifixit provided screwdriver. We will record a video on this subject, but thanks to labels and markings, disassembly is quite simple. As soon as Fairphone offers an upgrade of the speaker, I will replace it. It is enough for calls, but not for music.

A camera full of surprises

Fairphone has a double photo module which is accompanied by a TOF sensor. The wide angle and ultra -wide angle cameras are both 48 Mp while the selfie camera is 25 mp.

At the time of this test, the installed camera application was still a test version.

I loved

• Photo quality
• Efficient HDR mode
• Selfies

I did not like

• The results not always consistent
• White balance often deactivated
• The absence of portrait mode

Fairphone is also in the mid -range with regard to the camera. However, the manufacturer takes place of additional pseudo-objectives for the macro or the information on the depth, but provides instead, a double photo module with a TOF sensor. The latter allows you to have autofocus and can, in theory, provide information on depth for digital bokeh applications and RA. However, this potential is currently unused on the Fairphone 4.

You will not find portrait mode in the preinstalled camera application. Since it was available in the previous model, I guess Fairphone will offer it later. Here are 4 points that I would like to mention about Fairphone 4:

1. The camera sometimes takes very beautiful photos with good HDR

The variable quality of the image can also be due to the camera application not yet finalized. In some cases, the Fairphone 4 produces beautiful photos that are not softened by excessive HDR or noise reduction. You can see here a fine example:

If you also activate HDR mode, the dynamic range of the Fairphone 4 camera increases. For my taste, the manufacturer manages to find a good balance between the effective expansion of the dynamic range and artificiality.

2 The software is too often wrong

However, I must criticize Fairphone for the fact that the software does not always properly assess the conditions necessary to take the photo. In this case, the colors are completely false or the exposure is not optimal.

In fact, the camera application is also very imperfect. It lacks a portrait mode, the ergonomics are bad and some pimples are not really labeled in an understandable way. For example, zoom command shows both a panoramic image and a label with a “1.0x “. When you press on it, however, it does not activate Panorama mode, which is also present, but the ultra -wide angle camera.

3. Night photos lose a lot of detail

Fairphone 4 also has a night mode, which is more discreet compared to that of other manufacturers. In other words, he does not excessively clear the subjects, but manages to maintain a realistic light atmosphere. However, the photos lose a lot of details when you look at them closely. It is the result of noise reduction, which tends to produce blurring and digital artifacts.

4 surprisingly successful selfies

Finally, the selfie camera has a very high resolution of 25 Mp. Unlike expectations, the results are clear and more reliable than with the main camera. So if you like to take selfies, the Fairphone 4 will be a good choice.

A range of 100% in 15 seconds

Fairphone 4 is one of the rare smartphones to still have a removable battery. What is supposed to guarantee more sustainability can just as easily be interpreted as the fastest rapid load in the world of smartphones. Because you can recharge the 3,905 mAh in less than 15 seconds with a little workout if you buy an additional battery.

I loved

• The removable battery
• Solid autonomy of 2 days

I did not like

• The lack of wireless recharge
• The fast load of only 20 W

In daily use, I easily reached 2 days of autonomy with the new Fairphone 4. I even trusted the battery that I led to the campaign for two days without charging cable and I had to trust the smartphone as a digital rental of rental car. If you have to stay for a long time without recharging as for example during festivals or car trips, the Fairphone 4 will be an excellent companion.

Because for 29.95 euros, you can buy a second battery on the online store of Fairphone. This is an advantage that many other manufacturers do not offer for waterproofing reasons and other. In return, you must do without wireless charging on the Fairphone 4, and the fast load offers maximum power of 20 W. This means that the battery takes care of half in just under 30 minutes. It’s good, but it’s far from being a record.

Sustainability

Unbeatable sustainability

It is impossible to test the Fairphone 4 without approaching the question of sustainability. Because this is the real argument for the sale of the smartphone. At a glance, here are the advantages offered by the Fairphone 4 compared to other smartphones:

• A 5 -year manufacturer’s warranty for any purchase before December 31, 2022
• Android updates scheduled until 2027 (up to Android 15)
• Neutrality with regard to electronic waste because Fairphone 100% compensates for the waste it produces
• Fair materials, in particular recycled plastic and rare minerals, as well as equitable certified supply chains for gold, tungsten and other materials
• The ease of repair thanks to the modularity that means that the battery, the photo module, storage and other components can be replaced using a screwdriver provided

Conclusion

Fairphone 4 is currently the best choice for users who favor sustainability. The compromises that must be made are mainly performance and design. While smartphones at 500 euros other manufacturers are equipped with high -performance SOCS and offer borderless screens, with Fairphone, you must be satisfied less.

On a daily basis, the Fairphone 4 has nevertheless revealed to be a suitable smartphone that masters all applications with sufficient quality. Yes, the cameras are less powerful than those the iPhone 13, yes the screen is much less good than that of the Xiaomi 11t Pro. But that’s not what matters to the Fairphone 4.

Because the purchase of these devices has many negative consequences which we do not realize at the beginning. According to manufacturers, the lifespan of so -called “powerful” smartphones is only a few years old and at the same time, the production of a smartphone generates an average of 89 kg of electronic waste. Greenwashing is a common practice and, in a way, it reassures us all when we buy a smartphone sold without charger.

By trying to minimize these consequences, at least for his own devices, Fairphone finds a happy medium in my opinion. Because it could certainly do better in terms of sustainability if the fairphone 4 cost more than 1,000 euros. But if you reduce your expectations a little and buy a smartphone that will be updated for 6 years to 579 euros, which can also be repaired in the event of damage, then it is not a bad deal at all! You may also be able to sleep a little better.

Fairphone 4 therefore obtains 4 out of 5 stars. However, it is necessary to consider that a star is green. This symbolizes the unique ecological advantages offered by the Fairphone 4. These elements raise the final note of a smartphone which cannot technically compete with other models. If sustainability is important to you, you should buy it!

Fairphone 4 test: What is the king of sustainable smartphones in terms of sustainable smartphones ?

Tests and measures of the Fnac lab have been carried out independently of trade or manufacturers since 1972. Test managers guarantee measures through their expertise, and the most specific measures. To find out more, see our charter. And to compare all the products, visit our comparator.

Fairphone 4 is a smartphone really not like the others. Its brand engages on ethics, in particular its production sites in China, and its reduced impact on the environment. For this, it is very easily repairable.

In summary

As we announced in the preamble, if we judged the Fairphone 4 as a standard smartphone, the record would be very average. Clearly, there is finer, faster, more autonomous, more gifted in photo … for much cheaper. But to choose this model is to get involved for the planet and are concerned with the future, with a more ethical and eco -friendly smartphone which gets the best index by far.

Technical note

Detail of sub -notes

Network and connectivity
This note reflects the overall quality of the screen
Contrast and progressiveness
Color loyalty
The higher the note, the more the smartphone will remain on without having to be recharged.
Performance and speed
A smartphone that performs all kinds of tasks as quickly as possible will get a 10/10
Simple use performance
Middle use performance
Complex use performance
Extreme use performance
This note reflects the overall quality of the smartphone audio system
In stock

Our detailed test

It’s been almost ten years now that the Dutch company Fairphone has been created with the aim of marketing ethical and sustainable smartphones. Unique products on the market in more ways than one. The fairphone 4 is therefore, and you will certainly understand it, the fourth generation of smartphone from the brand. It takes up the strong arguments of its elders, to which we will come back, in addition to a 5 -year warranty and a certain upmarket, since it now integrates 5G. The smartphone exists in two memory configurations, 6/128 GB and 8/256 GB, and in three colors: gray, green and speckled green.

Design, ergonomics and interface

To understand the Fairphone 4, you have to detach yourself a little from its purely technical qualities. Because no, he is not a champion of the price-price report. But this observation is assumed by the brand, which continues in its own path, more ethical and more sustainable than its competitors, a will which leads to certainly higher production costs, but that the buyer of a fairphone can only accept. The manufacture of Fairphone 4 is based on fair and controlled processes, rare metal extraction sites in Chinese factories. Working conditions and age of workers, for example, are verified.

The smartphone itself is planned to be robust and easily repairable, without too specific tools. This bias materializes on the rear part of the Fairphone 4, which consists of a plastic plate that can be released very easily. Once this one has been removed, the user has direct access to a certain number of components which simply require a classic screwdriver to be dismantled. He can in a few minutes change the battery, the speaker or the cameras of his mobile to repair them or possibly upgrade them.

The green plastic shell on our copy offers a pleasant and robust touch. The original design photo block barely exceeds, one plus for the protection of the three cameras. On the other side, we find a large 6.3 -inch screen which occupies about 80 % of the surface. The borders around the slab are therefore very present, with at the top a notch in a drop of water welcoming the front camera. The screen is protected by a glass in Gorilla Glass 5 glass window.

The flanks offer a safe and comfortable grip thanks to their round profile and their thickness, the Fairphone 4 being a rather thick model with its 10.5 mm thick. The power button naturally falls under the thumb. It incorporates the fingerprint reader which works very well. Above, the volume adjustment keys may seem a little high with small hands, especially that used to raise the sound. The smartphone takes place from the headphone jack, but, under the rear cover, you can slide a microSD card (you need to remove the battery).

The whole provides a real impression of robustness. As proof, it complies with the MIL-STD-810G standard. Small disappointment, it is not waterproof, but simply IP54: it can therefore simply withstand water projections and a dusty environment.

Regarding the software section, we have a version of Android 11 in front of us overlay developed by Fairphone. The Google operating system is simply embellished with a few specific applications such as My Fairphone, which will for example allow you to measure your C0 production₂, and camera. It may seem quite basic, but the job is made. The smartphone is rather stable.