The Fair Phone 2: A Modular Masterpiece with a Twist

This year, we've heard a lot about modular phones, and one device that's taken this trend seriously is the LG G5. However, the Fair Phone 2 takes modularity to a whole new level. This phone's design allows it to be easily disassembled, and we'll show you how it works.

The first step in disassembling the Fair Phone 2 is to remove the plastic rear cover. Simply pull it off like so, and you'll be left with the battery and other components exposed. The battery is one of the main reasons people discard their smartphones when they're dead and can't be replaced. However, on the Fair Phone 2, the battery is removable, allowing users to replace it without having to send their phone in for repairs. This feature alone makes the Fair Phone 2 a standout in terms of its modular design.

But that's not all - the Fair Phone 2 also has a removable screen. Yes, you read that right - this phone comes with a screen that can be easily replaced by the user themselves. No need to send it off to anyone or pay exorbitant repair prices. To replace the screen, simply grip the phone, slide it down, and voilà! You have two separate pieces of phone that you can dispose of responsibly, reducing electronic waste.

The Fair Phone 2's modularity doesn't stop there, however. The blue highlighted screws on the device indicate where the modules can be taken out, allowing users to upgrade or repair individual components as needed. For example, the camera module is easily removable, and a more advanced camera unit could be swapped in to improve the phone's photography capabilities. This level of customizability is unprecedented in the smartphone market.

Another benefit of the Fair Phone 2's modular design is that it makes repairs much easier. If something breaks on the phone, users can simply replace the affected component without having to send it off for repair. This not only saves money but also extends the life of the device, making it a more sustainable option for consumers.

However, this level of modularity comes with some trade-offs. The Fair Phone 2's design makes it quite thick, which may be a drawback for some users. Additionally, the phone's power button is located at the top, and the volume up and down keys are on the side - not exactly the most ergonomic placement.

Despite these drawbacks, the Fair Phone 2 is still a solid device with a few notable features. The operating system is Android 5.1, which may seem outdated in comparison to newer versions of the OS, but it's still a clean and user-friendly interface. One annoying feature, however, is the "phone" app menu that appears when you swipe from the side - this can be easily accessed by mistake, leading to frustration.

The Fair Phone 2 is powered by a Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera on the back, and a 2-megapixel selfie camera on the front. While these specs may not be cutting-edge, they're still respectable for a phone in this price range.

One last thing to note is that the Fair Phone 2 is available online, but it comes with a hefty price tag of €530 (approximately $600 USD). This may seem steep, especially considering that some smartphones with similar specs can be found for significantly less. However, as we all know, responsible and ethical manufacturing practices often come at a premium.

Overall, the Fair Phone 2 is a groundbreaking device that sets a new standard for modularity in smartphones. While it may have its drawbacks, its ability to be easily disassembled, repaired, and upgraded makes it an attractive option for those looking for a more sustainable smartphone experience.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwho amongst us doesn't feel as who could be slightly more environmentally conscious whether it's recycling a bit more or going to the lengths such as buying this the fair phone 2 an environmentally friendly ethically produced smartphone many of the materials used in the construction of the device are recycled uh the minerals inside have come from ethically sourced places around the world and additionally because the phone is supposed to last you a lot longer than a regular smartphone of say 1 or 2 years if airphone say perhaps this will last you five if you treat it correctly the phone is modular now you'll have heard modular banded around quite a lot this year thanks to the LG G5 but this is truly modular not sort of slipin modules or anything like that this comes apart and we're going to show you a little bit of how that happens now this plastic rear cover you pull off like so these come in a few different translucent colors you don't have to have the clear one here they make it in blue and black as well we think it looks quite cool in in clear though you then remove the battery yes a removable battery so one of the main reasons you discard a smartphone is when the batter is dead and you can't replace it well in the fair phone it comes out and you can buy another one the other commonly re common reason you would discard a smartphone is because you break the screen well on a fair phone to you can replace the screen yourself you don't need to send it away to anybody uh and mess around with that and also you don't have to pay quite such high prices you can buy a replacement screen for the fair phone from fairphone and to replace it is as easy as this you uncp these two sections down here like that you grip the phone you slide it and the screen comes away and you have two pieces of phone that if it was broken you could then um dispose of responsibly I was going to say throw it away but that would probably be going against what fairphone stands for and clip on a new one but the modularity doesn't stop there all these blue highlighted screws here they show you where you can take these modules out so in theory in the future you could upgrade the 8 megapix camera on the phone to something more impressive um and that continues with things like the audio as well so again even if it does break really badly there's the chance for you to replace all the parts and get the phone working again that's quite unusual and it's the reason fairphone thinks that this will last you a lot longer than any other phone you try replacing the phone the the screen on your iPhone very quickly and it's probably not going to happen certainly not without some technical competence I have no technical competence and I just took the screen off on the fairphone so we put it back together sometimes this can be a bit of a pain because that rubber section around the phone refuses to clip back in properly no matter where you put it in without breaking your nails a few times but it's something we can forgive there we go as you can see the phone is pretty thick it's certainly not a great looking device you have your power on button at the top this is a quick launch button for the camera and you have a simple volume up and down key on the side there the phone runs Android but it is Android 5.1 so it's not the latest version by any stretch and in a way that goes against fairphone's idea that this will last you for 5 years in theory it shouldn't last you any because it's already out of date however it is pretty much stock and 5.1 which is a good thing there are very few extra apps on board however there is one main one that is a bit annoying which will show you once the phone starts up inside here is a Snapdragon 801 processor 2 GB of RAM it's an 8 megapixel camera on the back actually doesn't take bad pictures and a 2 megapixel selfie cam on the front so with the phone activated we'll show you on here the as you can see pretty much stand standard Android operating system and then the annoying part here is when you pull in from the side you have this menu system that's where you find the phone app it isn't anywhere else except for on here which is I mean why it can't be down the bottom I don't know but the worst part of it is you'll find when you swipe a home screen you just get into this section without really wanting to how many times I've opened the messaging app when I don't want to all I want to do is swipe to the side because I do it a little bit too early slightly annoying Fair phone and we really wish it wasn't there there are a few other bits that are easily turned off that one you can't turn off so that is the fair phone 2 now if you're wondering how you can get hold of one of these uh they are available online but you are going to have to pay quite a lot of money for one bearing in mind the specifications this is a € 530 phone that's nearly $600 a fair amount of money for a phone with this sort of specs but as we all know when you produce things responsibly and ethically they tend to cost a little bit more in the shops we have a full review of The Fair phone 2 on Digital Trends right nowwho amongst us doesn't feel as who could be slightly more environmentally conscious whether it's recycling a bit more or going to the lengths such as buying this the fair phone 2 an environmentally friendly ethically produced smartphone many of the materials used in the construction of the device are recycled uh the minerals inside have come from ethically sourced places around the world and additionally because the phone is supposed to last you a lot longer than a regular smartphone of say 1 or 2 years if airphone say perhaps this will last you five if you treat it correctly the phone is modular now you'll have heard modular banded around quite a lot this year thanks to the LG G5 but this is truly modular not sort of slipin modules or anything like that this comes apart and we're going to show you a little bit of how that happens now this plastic rear cover you pull off like so these come in a few different translucent colors you don't have to have the clear one here they make it in blue and black as well we think it looks quite cool in in clear though you then remove the battery yes a removable battery so one of the main reasons you discard a smartphone is when the batter is dead and you can't replace it well in the fair phone it comes out and you can buy another one the other commonly re common reason you would discard a smartphone is because you break the screen well on a fair phone to you can replace the screen yourself you don't need to send it away to anybody uh and mess around with that and also you don't have to pay quite such high prices you can buy a replacement screen for the fair phone from fairphone and to replace it is as easy as this you uncp these two sections down here like that you grip the phone you slide it and the screen comes away and you have two pieces of phone that if it was broken you could then um dispose of responsibly I was going to say throw it away but that would probably be going against what fairphone stands for and clip on a new one but the modularity doesn't stop there all these blue highlighted screws here they show you where you can take these modules out so in theory in the future you could upgrade the 8 megapix camera on the phone to something more impressive um and that continues with things like the audio as well so again even if it does break really badly there's the chance for you to replace all the parts and get the phone working again that's quite unusual and it's the reason fairphone thinks that this will last you a lot longer than any other phone you try replacing the phone the the screen on your iPhone very quickly and it's probably not going to happen certainly not without some technical competence I have no technical competence and I just took the screen off on the fairphone so we put it back together sometimes this can be a bit of a pain because that rubber section around the phone refuses to clip back in properly no matter where you put it in without breaking your nails a few times but it's something we can forgive there we go as you can see the phone is pretty thick it's certainly not a great looking device you have your power on button at the top this is a quick launch button for the camera and you have a simple volume up and down key on the side there the phone runs Android but it is Android 5.1 so it's not the latest version by any stretch and in a way that goes against fairphone's idea that this will last you for 5 years in theory it shouldn't last you any because it's already out of date however it is pretty much stock and 5.1 which is a good thing there are very few extra apps on board however there is one main one that is a bit annoying which will show you once the phone starts up inside here is a Snapdragon 801 processor 2 GB of RAM it's an 8 megapixel camera on the back actually doesn't take bad pictures and a 2 megapixel selfie cam on the front so with the phone activated we'll show you on here the as you can see pretty much stand standard Android operating system and then the annoying part here is when you pull in from the side you have this menu system that's where you find the phone app it isn't anywhere else except for on here which is I mean why it can't be down the bottom I don't know but the worst part of it is you'll find when you swipe a home screen you just get into this section without really wanting to how many times I've opened the messaging app when I don't want to all I want to do is swipe to the side because I do it a little bit too early slightly annoying Fair phone and we really wish it wasn't there there are a few other bits that are easily turned off that one you can't turn off so that is the fair phone 2 now if you're wondering how you can get hold of one of these uh they are available online but you are going to have to pay quite a lot of money for one bearing in mind the specifications this is a € 530 phone that's nearly $600 a fair amount of money for a phone with this sort of specs but as we all know when you produce things responsibly and ethically they tend to cost a little bit more in the shops we have a full review of The Fair phone 2 on Digital Trends right now\n"