Dutch electronics manufacturing company Fairphone, which designs and produces smartphones Fairphone, has recently launched its refurbished handset which is currently on sale.
According to Fairphone, it introduced these sets of handsets, after it paid close attention to supply chain conditions and novel modularity to support repairability and lifespan longevity, with a dual mission to make consumer electronics more ethical and sustainable.
The company added another string to its sustainability bow by selling a limited stock of its 2019 flagship, the Fairphone 3, as refurbished handsets that come with a two-year warranty. The Fairphone 3 is being sold for €359 which is 10% less than the price for the handset when sold new.
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Fairphone disclosed that the refurbished Fairphone 3 devices are currently on sale, which is offered as a more environmentally conscientious alternative to purchasing last year’s Fairphone 4 flagship which is its first 5G handset.
This means users can purchase a three-year-old Fairphone 3 with the promise that it’ll work for at least another couple of years.
That represents a decent run for an Android-based smartphone akin to iPhone-levels of device longevity. Fairphone has previously achieved seven years of software support for the Fairphone 2 by getting Android 10 running on the 2015-released device.
Following the launch of its refurbished device, a spokesperson at the company said, “We aim for five years of software support after launch, which means we will provide software updates until August 31, 2024. But we will aim for two extra years of support, taking us to 2026.
“This would provide around seven years of software support, similar to the Fairphone 2 that just received an update to Android 10 at the beginning of this year,”
The Dutch manufacturing company is now taking that reuse agenda a little further by bringing more fully refurbished handsets to market, offering an entry point to its reusable, modular mobiles that come with an even lower carbon footprint since the handset a user buys has already been pre-owned.
It is also interesting to note that the phone manufacturing company has sold its refurbished Fairphone 2 handsets back in 2019.
According to Fairphoone in a press announcement, it said, “These pre-owned phones have been refurbished in France and tested to ensure 100% functionality which notes that the second-hand devices will come with a new or “almost-new” battery that “guarantees at least 80% of the original capacity”.
“There is limited stock of the refurbished phones, so sales will only continue while stocks last. Based on the stock that we had available in our repair center of devices that have been returned, we refurbished the maximum we could to give them a new life and reduce e-waste as much as possible.
“They have the same 2-year manufacturing warranty originally reserved for new devices of this model.”
According to Fairphone, it expects to sell around 500 of its refurbished Fairphone 3 handsets and 1,200 refurbished FP3+ Which is already in the market.