Fairphone 4 review: I tried out the cheapest repairable smartphone (2024)

Had enough of smartphones that don't last and cost loads to fix? So are we! That's what sets Dutch brand Fairphone apart from most of the best Android phones, like the Google Pixel 8 and the Nothing Phone (2).

Fairphone produces more repairable handsets that are built to last and largely made from recycled materials – a winning combo for anyone looking to be more eco-conscious in their shopping habits and who doesn't want to buy one of the best refurbished phones.

It's no secret that most phone manufacturers want you to buy a new device every year or two, so they regularly launch upgraded handsets with small tweaks to the specs and features rather than massive overhauls each time. The majority also tend to stop updating older models with new software after three to five years.

Some brands are taking steps in the right direction, like Google and Samsung. Their latest devices feature recycled aluminium, glass and plastic, and an accompanying pledge for seven years of Android updates. But Fairphone's repairable devices are still in an entirely different ballpark.

The Fairphone 4 was launched in 2021 and is now succeeded by the Fairphone 5. But is it still worth buying? The short answer is yes, if you're on a tight budget it's a more affordable option. Right now to celebrate Global Recycling Day, Fairphone is selling the handset for only £403 when you buy it through Vodafone. This deal ends on April 4, 2024.

I've been testing out the Fairphone 4 over the last week. Naturally, I haven't been able to put the phone's longevity under a microscope but I've been putting it through its paces in every other way focusing on its design, camera, performance and display.

Before I go into my time with the handset, it's worth pointing out this isn't the latest model. The Fairphone 5 was launched in 2023 and is the most up-to-date version. But if you're on a tight budget, 2021's Fairphone 4 is about £200 cheaper at the time of writing.

The Fairphone 4 is more basic than the Fairphone 5. It has a slightly smaller screen (6.3 inches as opposed to 6.5 inches) and uses less advanced LCD technology instead of OLED. The battery is also weaker and the design is bulkier.

You'll also get fewer software updates too. The Fairphone 4 will be updated until 2028 at the latest, whereas the Fairphone 5 could still get updates until 2031, although nothing is set in stone in either case.

One of the biggest selling points of the Fairphone 4 is its modular design. The phone is made up of several building blocks, or modules, which are easy to swap out when they need repairing or refreshing. For instance, if the screen breaks, you could take the old one off and put a new one in. The battery, camera lenses, speakers, ports and casing are all replaceable.

Related: Best refurbished phones you can buy in 2024

Fairphone sells spare parts on its website – a new screen costs £70, a battery is £26 and a set of rear camera lenses is £70. Fixing the Fairphone 4 yourself is far cheaper than paying someone to mend any other smartphone.

During my time testing the phone, it didn't break so I didn't need to replace any of the components. But I still had to look at what was going on inside. The back of the handset easily snaps off revealing the different parts underneath, and you know exactly what you're looking at because each section is clearly labelled.

More broadly, the Fairphone 4 has quite a simple design with a lot of grey plastic. The camera lenses are laid out in a triangular shape. On the front, the selfie camera is housed in a notch at the top of the display.

Around the frame, there's a volume rocker, a power button that doubles up as a fingerprint sensor and a USB-C port. I was surprised to find that there's no headphone jack, limiting you to battery-powered Bluetooth headphones. There's also quite a thick bezel around the 6.3-inch screen.

Measuring 16.2 x 7.55 x 1.05cm and weighing 225g, the Fairphone 4 is a chunky piece of kit. If you have smaller hands, that could mean you won't be able to reach both edges of the display with your thumb so you'll need to use it two-handed.

What's great is the Fairphone 4 feels durable enough to resist knocks and bumps. It's IP54 rated which means it'll be protected against splashes of water and dust. It's not fully waterproof though, it won't survive being dropped in a body of water and even heavy downpours could pose a problem. Not ideal in unpredictable British weather.

The Fairphone 4 has two lenses on the back – a 48MP main camera and a 48MP ultrawide camera. On the front, you'll find a 25MP selfie camera. Plus there's 8x digital zoom on the main lens, and you can capture video in resolutions up to 4K.

Generally speaking, the camera takes clear photos whether you're up close and personal with the subject or you're shooting a landscape or cityscape. On a bright sunny day, you'll easily get good-looking shots that are easy on the eye.

When there isn't much natural light, the camera's ability suffers. In murky or low lighting, the results are bland and the colours lack vibrancy. Some shots do come out looking quite nice because of this, as if you'd put a filter over the top. But for the most part, it means scenes lack energy and depth. The selfie camera isn't much better, producing flat, heavily processed photos.

When you blow the photos up on a bigger screen, they aren't as sharp as you would get elsewhere. This won't be a phone for shooting print-worthy photography but if you only intend to view your pictures on the device or post them on Instagram, that won't be so much of an issue.

It's a similar story when it comes to the video footage. In the right lighting, clips look fine with a good level of detail. However, in darker conditions, you lose out a lot on quality and if you move around the footage is jolty.

The Fairphone 4 won't be able to snap professional-looking photography like one of the top players from Apple or Samsung but it's fine for basic shots. If you're not willing to compromise on the camera or price, we'd recommend taking a look at the Google Pixel 7a instead – right now, it's the best camera phone under £500.

To see some examples of unedited snaps taken on the Fairphone 4, take a look at the gallery below.

What's great about the Fairphone 4 is that if the battery starts faltering, you can replace it. However, during our testing, the battery life turned out to be a little disappointing.

The phone needed to be plugged in once or twice during the day, and it only lasted about nine hours of video playback which is a long way off the 20 hours or more some handsets can manage. The Fairphone 5 does a much better job of this if a long-lasting battery is a must-have for you.

It took just over 90 minutes to charge the handset from 0 to 100% using a 20W charger.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor powers the device, alongside a choice of 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB of storage space – you can also expand it using a microSD card.

The performance was good enough for what I tend to use my phone for, like scrolling Instagram, online shopping and firing off a few messages. But it's way behind today's expectations, even among budget devices like Nothing's £319 Phone (2a).

If you plan to use it for anything more advanced like intense mobile gaming or detailed photo editing, the system will lag and you may be faced with slow loading times. Even in more casual use, I noticed a short delay between tapping an app and it opening.

The Fairphone 4 has a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display. It's bright with vibrant colours, but the glossy screen is also quite reflective which makes it hard to see under bright sunlight.

Because the screen is an LCD (not OLED) you won't get as much detail as on some pricier handsets, the display isn't as sharp and the contrast suffers somewhat. The difference will be most noticeable when you're zooming into photos or streaming particularly dark videos.

These LCD panels were already outdated when the Fairphone 4 came out in 2021, and they're now far behind the quality available from most smartphones on the market. If you've never used an OLED, you may not notice the difference. But once you've tried one, you won't want to go back to this ageing screen tech.

Yes, it's fine for streaming short YouTube videos, scrolling through social media and composing a few shots on the camera. But for those hooked on Spielberg's Masters of the Air series, you can get a much better display.

Given how affordable the Fairphone 4 is, it'll come as no surprise to find out that there are some sacrifices. What you pay for is a phone that is eco-conscious, long-lasting and repairable. You'll be able to update it for quite a few more years and you can fix it yourself if it breaks.

Because it's an older model, the update years are starting to run out. You should still get somewhere between two and four years of software updates if you buy it in 2024 but that is something to consider if you want a phone that will last beyond that.

Elsewhere, you'll need to accept that the handset is bulkier than most, that it runs more slowly and that the camera doesn't match up to a lot of similarly priced competition.

Not everyone wants a flagship smartphone jammed full of power and the latest hardware.

If your top priority is a handset that can make calls, browse the web and send messages, the Fairphone 4 ticks all of those basic boxes. What makes it more convincing is that you won't need to replace it for a long time. If it breaks, you can fix it without needing to spend hundreds on a phone repair service.

On the flip side, while the modular concept is fantastic, the Fairphone 4 is far from perfect. It's bulky and the plastic casing won't protect the insides from water or dust. To add to that, it won't be able to handle more demanding mobile tasks and the camera is only good for basic photography, with inconsistent results.

If you like the concept but you want something a little more accomplished, the Fairphone 5 is by far the better buy. But if you're trying to save as many pennies as possible, the Fairphone 4 is the cheapest option the brand offers.