The Fairphone 5 is a modular mid-range phone from Fairphone, the Dutch social enterprise. It was announced on August 30, 2023, and started shipping in Europe on September 14, 2023. In Europe, it launched at €699 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. The phone is now discontinued: Fairphone stopped sales and production on January 12, 2026.
Design and display
The phone has a 6.46-inch OLED screen with a 2700 x 1224 resolution and a 90 Hz refresh rate. Fairphone rates its peak brightness at 880 nits. Gorilla Glass 5 covers the display. The body uses an aluminum frame and a removable plastic back cover.
It measures 161.6 x 75.83 x 9.6 mm and weighs 212 grams. The phone is rated IP55 for dust and water jets. Fairphone also states a MIL-STD-810H drop rating from 1.5 meters. It came in Matte Black, Sky Blue and a Transparent Edition. In 2024, Fairphone added a Moss Green Community Edition.
The design is built for repairs. Ten modules, such as the battery, display, USB-C port and cameras, can be replaced with a standard screwdriver.
Performance
Inside is the Qualcomm QCM6490, a 6 nm chip made for long product lifecycles. Its eight cores reach up to 2.7 GHz, and the Adreno 643 GPU handles graphics. The launch model paired it with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of UFS 2.2 storage. In 2024, a 6 GB and 128 GB version was added. A microSD slot accepts cards of up to 2 TB.
Cameras
The rear has a 50 MP main camera with a Sony IMX800 sensor, an f/1.88 lens and optical stabilization. A 50 MP Sony IMX858 ultrawide camera with autofocus sits next to it. A time-of-flight sensor helps with focus. The front camera also uses a 50 MP sensor. Both sides record video at up to 4K and 30 fps.
Battery and charging
The removable battery holds 4,200 mAh. It supports 30W wired charging, and Fairphone says it reaches 50% in about 20 minutes. There is no wireless charging. The box does not include a charger or cable.
Software and updates
The phone launched with Android 13. Fairphone promised five major Android upgrades and eight years of security updates. After the end of sales, Fairphone confirmed that software updates continue until 2031 at the earliest. Spare parts stay available until at least 2031. The phone also has a five-year warranty after registration.
Should you buy the Fairphone 5?
The Fairphone 5 suits buyers who value repairs, long software support and fairly sourced materials. It also offers a microSD slot and a replaceable battery, which few phones still have. However, it has no headphone jack, no wireless charging and only IP55 protection. It is no longer produced, so new units are left only at some European retailers. Its successor is the Fairphone (Gen. 6).
