Have you seen the schematics for the Fairphone 5?

It’s been less than six months since we released the Fairphone 5. Which seems like a fairly short window for an electronics manufacturer to come out with full blueprints for their flagship device. 

Wait a minute. 

Are we the only ones releasing schematics at all?

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Well, there you have it. The sad reality is, not many companies would release their schematics. Official reasons cited usually include things like intellectual property protection and enhanced security. Unofficially, though, the most obvious reason we can make out seems to be the manufacturers’ insistence on gatekeeping repairs. Thankfully, we’re not like other brands. We have nothing to hide. Which is why we’re always extra proud to show the behind-the-scenes of our devices to the world. As far as we’re concerned, it’s the fair thing to do. 

For us, providing full schematics empowers our users to carry out repairs on their device, either by themselves or through someone they trust. If you think your neighborhood phone repair shop can do a better job than you, feel free to share these schematics with them. The way we see it, the more repairable your device, the longer it lasts. And the longer it lasts, the more sustainable it is. If we want to seriously tackle our electronic waste problem, the simplest solution is to hold on to our existing devices. 

The Fairphone 5 Disassembled

As a company that is constantly looking to innovate and experiment, releasing our schematics allows even more minds to not just take a peek inside our devices, but dive really, really deep. Thanks to our ever-vibrant community online, we have many a Fairphone enthusiast who help explore modifications, custom OSes, and app compatibility. They help figure out smarter ways to do things down the line. It goes one step further as well, that in educating future generations about the real-world applications of sustainable design. Our schematics allow today’s students to understand what we do and learn from it, improve it, and innovate at the highest levels when they become tomorrow’s engineers and designers. At its very core, releasing our product schematics shows our commitment to open standards, promoting compatibility with third-party components and extending device longevity in the long run. The more open and collaborative our tech can get, the longer our devices will last, and the easier our planet will breathe. 

So, while there may be some concerns related to intellectual property and maintaining that competitive edge, the advantages in terms of sustainability, customer satisfaction, and community engagement easily outweigh these considerations. We apologize for the long preamble, but these things REALLY matter to us. So without further ado, here are the schematics for the Fairphone 5. It’s time to go to town on it!