Above helps Fairphone design their most modular & sustainable 5G smartphone, the Fairphone 4

Above Agency is thrilled to have been chosen as Fairphone’s innovation partner for the launch of their Fairphone 4 5G smartphone. Working together with the talented team at Fairphone, Above was commissioned for the concepting & product design, mechanical concepting and design integration, integration of HW, and working closely with manufacturing suppliers.

As the successor of the Fairphone 3, Above and Fairphone wanted the next generation of Fairphone smartphones to be more approachable and inclusive yet still encourage curiosity from a wider target group. That meant that the new design needed to be sleek, “de-technify” the technical, whilst relentlessly pursuing the most sustainable solutions possible and never compromising on modularity. The Fairphone 4 is a premium, durable, and more balanced design that both physically and visually better stands the test of time.

A few key design features include:

• An iconic and ownable triangular camera that is unique to Fairphone
• Recycled materials at every opportunity throughout the device’s build
• Refined, seamless interactive elements create a calmer more harmonious expression, and feel great to the touch
• A level of modularity that is the first of its kind
• A significantly more unified, soft, and premium design direction than predecessor smartphones
• A design & build that can house competitive specs and that will allow future upgrades

There are a couple of “firsts” that come with the Fairphone 4; 

1) It is the world’s first modular 5G smartphone that is also a more sustainable, repairable, and socially responsible device. 

2) It is also the first smartphone to integrate Fairtrade gold into its supply chain.

The company’s journey to develop fair, long-lasting, high-quality devices and establish a market for ethical and fair electronics has set worldwide benchmarks. Designed to last, with fair and recycled materials, the Fairphone 4 5G Smartphone brings users speed, a great battery life, and a premium dual-camera – all backed by a 5-year warranty.

The smartphone is the most sustainable choice for customers who don’t want to compromise on the great tech specs. Fairphone is raising the bar for itself and the industry by introducing a five-year warranty at no additional cost- a testament to the design and build of the smartphone. This is an unrivaled commitment in the electronics sector and is an addition to Fairphone guaranteeing long-term availability of spare parts, combined with software support.

“Fairphone is a wake-up call for the entire consumer electronics industry and consumers alike - we couldn’t be prouder to be their selected innovation partner for their next-generation device, the Fairphone 4. Our choice of what smartphone we buy is no longer solely attached to a price tag & specs - it now includes ethics, sustainability, and accountability - and this new reality really excites us. Together with Fairphone, we’ve created a smartphone that surpasses all previous generations of devices in terms of functionality, repairability, and style. We look forward to continuing to support them throughout their important journey of making the most innovative, sustainable & modular smartphone in the market,” comments Filip Sauer - CEO & Co-founder of Above.

Eva Gouwens, CEO of Fairphone, comments: “We’re taking a completely different approach to manufacturing smartphones — we’re changing the way devices are made and used. We want to challenge the traditional way of designing devices, including the notion that thinner is better. The starting point in development was to produce a premium sustainable smartphone that is future-proof, easily repairable, designed to last, and therefore more circular and fair. We want Fairphone 4 to be a device that people enjoy keeping for longer and that sets them apart from the crowd. Our customers are people who make independent choices to create positive change, and they choose Fairphone to accelerate that change.”