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The Fairphone 3 is just as modular and repairable as claimed

The Fairphone 3 is just as modular and repairable as claimed

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Ethical and honest

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Opening up the modular Fairphone 3.
Opening up the modular Fairphone 3.
Image: iFixit

The Fairphone 3 is that rare gadget that’s designed to last, not to be quickly replaced through a relentless cycle of planned obsolescence. What the €450 phone lacks in specs is made up for in value with a modular design that’s meant to be repairable, according to the company. It’s a claim that was put to the test with an iFixit teardown.

Unsurprisingly, the latest Fairphone scored a perfect 10 out of 10 for repairability, just as it did with the Fairphone 2 in 2016. Notably, the iFixit teardown doesn’t once mention the word “adhesive.” 

No glue in sight.
No glue in sight.
Image: iFixit

IFixit says the new enclosure is easy to open with repairability assisted by an even more modular design than previous Fairphones. “Reassembling this phone won’t be much of an issue, and we’re very confident it’ll still work,” says iFixit in the teardown, which is perhaps the highest praise possible from the right-to-repair movement.

Be sure to read the iFixit teardown in full if intelligent industrial design and silicon carnage is your thing.