Environmental Impact and Sustainability
Addressing environmental impact seems like an odd way to start a review of a smartphone, and yet with the Fairphone 4, it's the obvious place to start. That's because, with this device (and all of Fairphone's other phones), the focus is on being a greener option. This is achieved through a few key changes, but most importantly through the modular design.
While most brands these days completely lock down the back of their smartphones, Fairphone gives you complete access. Not only that, it even encourages you to dig around in there by offering a screwdriver in the box to pull out parts.
That means you can replace the battery, the rear and front cameras, the earpiece, the speaker, the display, and, well... pretty much every single part of the phone. Fairphone also offers all of these parts on its website (for a price, of course). The device is also covered by a five-year warranty.
Fairphone 4: Design
The Fairphone 4 joins the mid-range with everything it has - alongside Samsung's latest A-series devices, OnePlus' Nord devices, or the Poco F3. The back of the Fairphone 4 is made of 100 percent recycled plastic. This makes the device feel sturdy and able to withstand a few bumps here and there, while still providing a good grip without the fear of the phone slipping out of your hand.
Over time, I actually really liked the plastic feel. While it doesn't offer the same high-end luxury as the glass backs commonly used on smartphones these days, it has taken away the constant anxiety that makes me want to slam a case on a smartphone as soon as I have it.
Combined with the metal frame, the phone feels like a durable device, but it's also a decent chunk thicker and heavier (225g to be exact). While it's not uncomfortable, this could be off-putting for those with smaller hands. You won't be surprised to hear that, like most new smartphones, there is no 3.55m headphone jack. Instead, the USB-C port can also be used as a charging and headphone port with an adapter.
Fairphone 4: Display
The display of the Fairphone 4 is another sign that this is a mid-range device. At 6.3 inches, it is a good size and has a resolution of 1080 x 2340 - which is about what you get on most devices on the market, except for a few top-end devices. Unlike most smartphones currently on the market, the Fairphone 4 has fairly large bezels and a tear-drop camera instead of the hole that Samsung opted for. Also, the refresh rate is limited to 60 Hz, as opposed to the usual 90 or 120 Hz we see these days.
This affects how quickly the screen can respond to your actions, so scrolls and animations appear smoother the higher the value. We didn't notice this as much on the Fairphone, and it's not much of an issue on most phones with 60 Hz refresh rates.
Unlike many other phones in this price range, the Fairphone 4 relies on an LCD display (as opposed to the usual brighter OLED displays), which is usually only the case with budget smartphones. This means that the colors are not quite as vibrant as you would expect from the premium competition. However, the display was easy to see even in bright sunlight, the brightness just had to be set a bit higher most of the time, even in the gloomy weather in England.
Fairphone 4: Power
Comparing it to the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (one of the best performing smartphones around) with a score of 3,068, we can see that it occupies a pretty comfortable position for the price.
Overall, the performance of the Fairphone 4 was consistently good. Load times for most everyday apps were short, with an occasional delay when opening slightly more intensive apps. In terms of gaming, there were absolutely no issues while I dominated the world on 8-Ball Pool. When I switched to Asphalt 9, there was a noticeable lag.... obviously the reason why my winning streak didn't continue.
Fairphone 4: Features
We have been impressed with the features of the Fairphone 4. As for the battery, I was able to get a full day of intensive use with just one overnight charge. With a 3,905 mAh battery, this is not a big surprise. It's also good to know that you can easily replace the battery yourself if it does start to weaken. When you unbox the phone, you will notice that there is no charging cable or block included. In order to reduce e-waste, Fairphone has omitted these features, assuming that most customers will already have such a cable.
This is not a surprise at all, especially given Fairphone's eco-friendly approach. It's also just a step up from Apple and Samsung, which no longer include plugs with their phones.
The Fairphone 4 does offer fast charging, but it forgoes wireless charging - a feature usually only found on higher-end phones.
The speakers were absolutely fine, but by no means impressive. There was a slightly tinny sound that had me reaching for the headphones when watching a show or a long video. It's worth noting, however, that many other reviewers reported no major issues with the speakers.
Fairphone 4: Cameras
The biggest disappointment of the Fairphone 4 is probably the cameras. On paper, the specs look solid. It has a 48 MP main camera with an f/1.6 aperture and a second ultra-wide-angle lens, also 48 MP, but with an f/2.2 aperture. But whether it was sunny, raining, or in a brightly lit room, most of the photos I took were dull and lacked color. The actual quality was good out in the wide world, but indoors, shots were occasionally blurry.
Another criticism of the camera was the switch to the 25MP selfie lens at f/2.2. The photos I took of myself often had a smudged background, especially around my hair. I even got a few friends to take some selfies with it as well to make sure it wasn't just genetics and not being photogenic that was getting in the way.
0 Comments