thoughtportal:
The user-repairable Fairphone 4 is finally coming to the US
There are two configurations available: one with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $599 and another with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $679. The storage of both models can be expanded via microSD, and the phone features a modular design that can be easily disassembled using a standard Phillips #00 screwdriver to replace broken components. It also has an IP54 rating, meaning the device is protected against dust and water sprays.
The Murena Fairphone 4 will ship to US customers with 5G and dual SIM support, a removable 3905mAh battery, a 48-megapixel main camera, a 48-megapixel ultrawide, and a 25-megapixel selfie camera. The phones will be available to order exclusively from Murena’s webstore starting today.
I’ve been looking at getting one of these to replace my current phone. It’ll break my habit of always passing my old phone to a relative, but I can live with that if it means I can fix the damned thing myself. Comparable price to a mid-range/lower high-end phone. It is, as far as I can see, the only smartphone that has ever achieved a 10/10 score for repairability in iFixit. Most don’t get more than a 4 or 5, and only Nokias consistently get more than a 7. You can replace the cameras, the screen, the battery, the motherboard, the USB port, the speakers, the microphone, the case. All of it. If you want to upgrade, or if any one of those parts breaks? You don’t have to buy a whole new phone. You just buy a replacement part, grab your little screwdriver, and swap the bits out. All without soldering skills, all without specialist technical knowledge.
They also make over-ear headphones that are similarly modular. Any one piece in it breaks, you can just fix it yourself. They used to do earbuds, but due to the size they’re not self-repairable. But they still sell single earbuds for the folks who bought them, so they don’t have to buy a whole new set to replace one lost or broken bud. They support the outdated hardware for quite a while. They’re still selling replacement cables for the wired earbuds they stopped making years ago.
The operating system it uses for the US is /e/OS - it’s a fork of Android, it just has all the Google stuff removed by default. Meaning you can download those apps if you want, or stay out of the Google ecosystem. (If you want a totally open-source free app library, look into F-Droid).
And if you need a laptop, there’s the Framework. Same philosophy as the Fairphone. 10/10 repairability score on iFixit. You want to upgrade the CPU? Just replace one part of the modular mainboard unit. WiFi busted? Replace the card. RAM too low? Buy a new stick. Hinge busted? Grab a new one. Just about every individual component you might want to replace, whether for repair or upgrade, is replaceable using standard, easily available T5 and PH0 screwdrivers.
