Fairphone 5 smartphone comes with 8 years of software updates thanks to Qualcomm QCM6490 industrial IoT processor

The Fairphone 5 is the latest version of the ethical, repairable, and sustainable smartphone with the company promising 8 years of software updates thanks to the use of a Qualcomm QCM6490 industrial IoT processor that benefits from a longer life cycle than consumer-grade processors typically found in phones.

The phone comes with 8GB RAM, a 256GB flash, a replaceable 6.46-inch display, 50 MP front-facing and read cameras both of which are replaceable, 5G, WiFi 6, BlueTooth 5.2, GNSS, and NFC connectivity, as well as a replaceable battery.

Fairphone 5 specifications:

SoC – Qualcomm QCM6490
- CPU – Octa-core Kryo 670 with 1x Gold Plus core (Cortex-A78) @ 2.7 GHz, 3x Gold cores (Cortex-A78) @ 2.4 GHz, 4x Silver cores (Cortex-A55) @ up to 1.9 GHz
- GPU – Adreno 642L GPU @ 812MHz
- DSP – Hexagon DSP for AI workloads up to 12 TOPS
- Build-in 5G Modem
System Memory – 8GB RAM
Storage – 256GB flash, microSD card slot up to 2GB
Display – Replaceable 6.46-inch FullHD+ OLED touchscreen display up to 2700 x 1224 resolution, 90 Hz refresh rate; Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Replaceable cameras
- Rear camera
  - 50MP Sony IMX800 sensor
  - Autofocus with EIS
  - 8x digital zoom
  - HDR mode up to 12.5MP
  - ToF sensor
  - Max video resolution – 4,000 x 3,000 (4K UHD) @ 30 fps
  - Slow motion @ 120 fps and 240 fps
- Front-facing camera – 50MP sensor with HDR support, display used as flash
Audio – Stereo speakers
Wireless
- Cellular
  - 5GmmWave and Sub-6 in both TDD and FDD frequencies, NSA and SA modes, plus DSS
  - Dual SIM, both 5G enabled with one physical Nano-SIM slot 4FF and one eSIM (embedded SIM)
- Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E up to 3.6 Gbps and Bluetooth 5.2 via Qualcomm FastConnect 6900
- GNSS – GLONASS, NavIC, QZSS, Galileo, Beidou, SBAS, GPS
- NFC for card payments & more
USB – Replaceable USB 3.0 port to connect SD card, camera, audio amplifier
Battery – Replaceable 4,200 mAh Li-Ion battery good for 12 hours calls, 459 hours in standby; 50% charge in 30 minutes with 30W charger
Dimensions – 162 x 75.5 x 10.5mm
Ingress Protection – IP55
Drop Test – ICE 60058-2-31 up to 1.8m
Military Test – MIL-810H up to 1.5m

While it’s great to have a modular smartphone that can be easily repaired, I wish they had also included a replaceable flash module as well, as my last two phones failed because of the flash storage, but it’s more likely to happen with smaller capacities, and the 256GB (UFS?) storage in the Fairphone 5 might last longer.

The FairPhone 5 ships with Android 13, and while owners of the phone should get software updates for 8 years, that does not mean an upgrade to Android 21 will be provided, as the company (only) promises at least 5 Android OS version updates meaning up to at least Android 18 and that’s better to any other phones on the market as far as I can tell.

The Qualcomm QCM6490 processor may also be a godsend for alternative operating systems, as the processor product page promises “long-term support for Android OS upgrades, Linux, Ubuntu, Windows 11 IoT Enterprise…”. Fairphone does not make any promises for other operating systems, but if the community decides to work on Ubuntu or other Linux ports for the phone, they may be able to get regular updates as well provided that Qualcomm makes those public…

The Fairphone 5 is available for pre-order in Europe for 699 Euros including VAT with a 5-year warranty like for the Fairphone 4 released in 2021 and shipping is scheduled to start on September 14. Sustainability, reparability, extended warranty, and long-term support all add to the cost, as a hardware equivalent of the Fairphone 5 would be the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G currently going for $399 on Amazon, so the Fairphone 5 is about 60% more expensive even after excluding the ~20% VAT.

Via Liliputing

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.