The next step in our journey towards fairer electronics is a colorful one. Pre-orders for the relaunched Fairphone 2 are now open and we want to celebrate! We’ve given the phone a refresh, and we redesigned the back cover—there are now four brand new colors to pick from. Be part of the first batch of pre-orders to get your phone by 16 December.

*Updated delivery date: Orders beginning 10 November will be delivered by 6 January.

Fairphone’s next chapter: customization

We’re really excited about our bright new covers, not just because they look great, but because they mark the beginning of an important chapter in the Fairphone story. When the Fairphone 2 first entered the market in December 2015 as the world’s first modular phone, it was with a vision to use modular design as a means to create long-lasting phones and work towards a fairer supply chain. In addition to putting transparency at the heart of the company, one of our key missions—to bring you closer to your product —is achieved through our design.

We wanted to build a phone that would break the rapid phone replacement cycle that dominated the industry, a phone that would go beyond the standard lifespan of two years. So we focused on repairability. The Fairphone 2 is easy to open and the most commonly damaged component—the screen—can be replaced in under a minute with no tools needed. Other components are easily repaired with just a screwdriver.

As a result, iFixit gave the Fairphone 2 its first ever perfect score—a 10 out of 10—for repairability. Not only is this modular system affordable and long lasting, but it also gives you ownership of your device: you can keep your phone in good working order with some simple DIY.

With the launch of the new cover design, we are exploring another advantage of modularity that puts you in the driving seat: customization. Our updated, colorful cases are slimmer and, thanks to a new two-piece construction, very easy to put on and remove. Now you have the freedom to personalize your device with a range of different, fresh looks without buying a new phone, which means you can enjoy it for as long as possible.

A modular phone to decrease our environmental footprint

This next step in our modular product development works towards our aim to increase longevity and decrease the environmental footprint of producing smartphones. By giving customers the opportunity to update the look of their phone, rather than needing to buy an entirely new phone, our production creates substantially less CO2 emissions.

I’m happy to say that the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the Fairphone 2, recently completed by the Fraunhofer Institute, shows that, together, we are moving in the right direction. The report showed that Fairphone owners have already completed hundreds of successful DIY repairs to keep their phones in good working order. According to a repair scenario based on five years of use, CO2 emissions would be reduced by about 30%*. The study also revealed that the modular construction did not significantly increase the phone’s environmental impact over its full lifespan. Keep an eye out for the complete life cycle assessment report, which will be published in the coming weeks.

Pre-order today, delivery before 16 December

You can pre-order the Fairphone 2 now with a new case design for delivery before 16 December*.

*Updated delivery date: Orders beginning 10 November will be delivered by 6 January.

Why do you have to wait? While our new cases are being produced, we took the opportunity from September to optimize the production, and phase in some improvements based on the learnings of the last couple of months of production, to further improve on yields.

For that purpose we temporarily stopped the assembly lines, in order to cleanly optimize the processes and the line design. We also engaged with suppliers to adjust their own processes and materials.

Thank you to our growing community

Fairphone has come a long way since it was founded. We are very proud to have had our efforts recognized recently with a number of awards including the German Environmental Award, and the Lovie Award for the Best of the European Internet.

With your help, we’ve been able to develop projects that create positive social and environmental impact, expand our organization and invest in a new case design that takes our ambitions even further. We’re making headway but there’s still plenty to do to make electronics fairer to the environment, everyone involved in the supply chain and the final consumers. We’re just getting started. Thank you for showing your support and taking part in the journey!

*The environmental benefit of extending the lifetime of Fairphone 2 can be quantified with a Life Cycle Assessment. The reduction of 30% of the emissions becomes apparent when comparing the total emissions per year of the baseline scenario of an average of 3 years of use (average for smartphones in Europe is often around 2 years) and the repair scenario, enabled by the modularity of Fairphone 2 of five years (including the replacement of modules).