The Fairphone 2 Sticks with Ethics & Upgrades to Modular


Fairphone2ModularSmartphoneWe all live busy lives, and sometimes it’s easy to forget that everything we buy comes from somewhere; someone’s hands made those shoes, someone’s son or daughter gathered the materials for that desk you’re typing on. Even some pieces of the devices we talk and play on came from across the planet. Fairphone, after first unveiling its ethically-sourced smartphone brand back in 2013, is back with another fairly-made gadget. Hoping to turn heads with its modular, Android-run Fairphone 2, whose biggest appeal has got to be the care that is put into it. Besides focusing on where its parts come from, Fairphone cares whether the workers involved were paid fair wages, kept safe, and legally dealt (this means no child workers or illegal armies). Fairphone’s mission to expand on this premise is necessary. There aren’t nearly enough smartphone manufacturers that put ethics at the top of their to-do list (at least not enough that make headlines). Luckily, there is a growing number of customers willing to support the cause.

The fact that Fairphone runs Android is merely an added benefit to everything the device stands for. Android devices have been growing tremendously in numbers, and their similarly priced and specced features make distinguishing one from another more and more difficult. Fairphone hopes to turn some heads by providing something different. Ethics aside, the new Fairphone 2 is said to be the first completely modular smartphone out there, meaning all of its parts are assembled and replaced by the user (fans of desktop PC building will enjoy this). Not only does it make your smartphone customizable, but completely changes the upgrade game, meaning no more upgrading to a new phone every year. If you need something swapped out or new, no need to pay for an entirely new phone.

Fairphone2ModularSmartphone1The Fairphone 2 is a mid-tier device priced around $580, and although it’s modular, it might not come with your favorite hardware. Thanks to Ars Technica, we do know it sports a 5-inch Full HD LCD display covered with Gorilla Glass 3, comes with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of onboard storage (expandable via microSD), is powered using a Snapdragon 801 SoC, has a 2,420mAh battery, comes with dual micro SIM cards, and an 8MP rear-facing camera. The average smartphone user may not be ecstatic about this particular device, but most consumers that buy with their hearts, and not based too much on luxury and popularity, will find plenty of use in the Fairphone 2, whose modularity gives it a life of “a full five years”. The Fairphone 2 will be available for purchase in the U.S. starting November, but other countries will have to wait until 2016.

Topics: Technology News Gadgets & Peripherals Inventions & Innovations Smartphones & Mobile Devices Tech Reviews

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