Fairphone 2 camera module out of stock

March 2020 update

Are you a Fairphone 2 owner with a broken camera? We have good news for you: we are making a limited supply of 8 MP rear camera modules available. Yes, it’s an older model and yes, the 12 MP camera for the Fairphone 2 remains out of stock – but if your broken camera module is getting you down, this is a great solution to keep your phone in use for longer.

To honor our commitment to device longevity, we’re selling this camera below cost price. And it cuts back on potential e-waste by making sure the cameras go to a good home! Our priority is to keep your Fairphone 2 running and useful for as long as possible, and we hope this helps you in that goal.

Main Camera:

• 8MP CMOS Sensor
• With flash Sensor Type Omnivision OV8865
• (Back Side Illuminated) Image sensor size 1/3.2 inch
• Pixel Size 1.4 μm x 1.4 μm F-number f 2.8

Head over to our webshop to order your 8MP Fairphone 2 camera today.

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We talk a lot about modular phones, repairable phones, and generally making phones last longer. Most people replace their phones every two years; our goal is for your Fairphone to last between three and five years. We’ve always encouraged you to open up your smartphone, get to know it, and fix hardware problems yourself for a longer-lasting phone. Of course, that extended lifespan requires a reliable supply of spare parts — which is easier said than done.

We’ve written about the challenges surrounding stock management before, and have sold out of particular spare parts in our webshop in the past. This is the situation we find ourselves in again today: the camera module for the Fairphone 2 is currently out of stock in our webshop. Cameras remain available for in-warranty Fairphone 2’s, but we are still exploring alternatives to meet demand from out-of-warranty phones.

What happened?

Earlier this year, we announced that we had completely sold out of the Fairphone 2, and that we had stockpiled spare parts with the aim of having them available for three more years. However, the camera module’s story started much earlier: in 2017, our supplier stopped manufacturing the Fairphone 2 cameras and gave us one last chance to order parts. Based on future sales and refurbishment projections – and keeping our environmental footprint in mind so as not to order too many modules, we stockpiled enough Fairphone 2 camera modules to meet our projected sales.

Since 2017, however, sales rates for the camera module have been higher than projected, while the amount of refurbished cameras we projected for reuse has been lower. As the camera is no longer produced by the original supplier, we cannot simply order more. Together with our partners, we are examining every option available to us — such as redesigning the camera — but unfortunately, we cannot promise we will have the camera modules available for sale again.
As we’re obliged to keep our remaining stock to service our in-warranty customers, we’ve had to stop selling the Fairphone 2 camera module in our webshop.

What does this mean for you?

If you are experiencing any camera issues, please contact our Customer Support team. Even if your phone is out of warranty, we’ll help you properly diagnose the problem — perhaps the issue can even be solved without needing a new camera. Or, if you want to buy a second-hand module, check out our Community Forum Market, where members post available spare parts. If you want to be sure you receive all product-related news, you can sign up by the ‘Notify me’ section on the Fairphone 2 camera module.

If you’ve been impacted by this stock shortage, we’d like to offer our sincere apologies. When you make the world’s first modular phone there’s no map to show the obstacles you’ll encounter. It’s not a smooth path, but it’s still one worth pursuing. We will continue to be open and transparent with you about our successes and our challenges, and we will always strive to learn and do better. Thank you for sticking with us throughout our journey towards a fairer electronics industry.