Four months ago, I upgraded from Fairphone 4 to Fairphone 5. I was hesitant initially since my phone was in working order, but boredom won, and I ordered the new one.
Initially, I wanted to write a detailed article about the differences since I was searching for it before buying it and could not find it anywhere. Unfortunately, life happens, and I did not have time for that. I sold my old one, but I still have some notes written, so here are the things I noticed after the upgrade:
- Fairphone 5 looks identical to Fairphone 4, but it's thinner. Fairphone 5, with the case, is as thick as Fairphone 4 without the case.
- The OEM case for Fairphone 5 is poorly designed and has issues that the previous generation did not have:
- It makes the fingerprint sensor hard to reach (the cut is not big enough)
- It doesn't protect the screen at all.
- It became loose after a few weeks.
- Camera2 API probe shows no access to the wide-angle camera (on 4, you have access, even after the Android 13 update). Some say the GCam mods still work, but I haven't tried that yet because... (see next point)
- The camera on the Fairphone 5 is better than the Fairphone 4. I think it's due mainly to more processing power and software, but the photos are better:
- HDR works better during the day
- It can shoot video with the wide angle lens (which was not possible on Fairphone 4)
- You can get almost decent results when shooting in low light.
- The new screen is darker than the old one, so you might be better with the previous generation in bright daylight. It is more likable in the dark.
- The vibration motor uses less rare-earth minerals, and it's so weak it's almost useless (I missed a lot of calls and notifications because I could not feel the vibration while in my pocket - I never had issues like this in the last 14 years of using smartphones)
- The Bluetooth chipset (or antenna) also uses less rare-earth materials, and the range decreased slightly. I could only notice it when running with a particular pair of earphones when it would randomly disconnect when I placed my arm in a certain way. Again, this is something I did not have before with any other phone.
- The NFC antenna is part of the battery now (it used to be on the back cover of the Fairphone 4), which has a few drawbacks:
- It is close to the center of weight (center of the phone), so if you want to place a metal plate for a magnetic phone holder, you'll block the NFC.
- Sometimes, it is awkward to pay at POS because you have to tap with the middle of the phone (where the antenna is) and not with the top.
- It has a nice feature that I want to see in every phone/device: the possibility to limit the charge to 80% of the battery to prevent battery wear.
Overall, it is a nice refresh for Fairphone. The upgrade is not significant enough to justify upgrading from Fairphone 4, but that's a personal decision. I upgraded because when I bought the Fairphone 4, it was already towards the end of the lifecycle. I plan to use the Fairphone 5 for more than 1.5 years.
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