It’s good that they mention the refurbished option. The most eco-friendly phone is the one you have, the second most eco-friendly phone is one someone else is getting rid of. Of course, the repairability promise of phones like the Fairphone is exciting and might make them a good bet longer-term.

I plan on using my current phone into the ground but I’m not sure what I will do when it finally dies. I think if there is a Fairphone 5 with modern specs by then, I would strongly consider it. I know constant new releases kind of goes against Fairphone’s philosophy so there might not be a 5 for a while, but with the Fairphone 4’s specs I would worry about how long it will remain useful. If there is not an improved Fairphone out by then, I would still consider a Fairphone 4 or would likely buy a refurbished Pixel.

Thanks for this post, it sent me off on an one hour journey researching sustainable phones, OS options and more. And now I’m thinking of getting a Fairphone or Shift phone. It’s great to see manufacturers not trying to make repairing and rooting your phone as complicated as possible.

While options like Fairphone exist, the most sustainable phone is to just use your current one longer - with the state of smartphones nowadays they really shouldn’t have much of a problem lasting 4-5 years. The next sustainable thing is to buy used for an upgrade :)