Sad news for Fairphone 5 US customers
We love the Fairphone here at Phandroid. We’ve covered the Fairphone 5’s predecessor the Fairphone 4 a lot over the last few years. From us marvelling at its ability to keep the modular phone game alive, to the sheer longevity of support for the device. It’s really clear that Fairphone put their money where their mouth is when it comes to their version of a “fair” phone. The Fairphone 5 is proving to be no exception to this. Toting amazing customer support, 5-year warranties as well as software until 2031. A full 8 years of Android support. There is no known phone outside of Fairphone (that I know of anyway!) that promises that level of support.
Sadly, however, Android Central Jerry Hildenbrand got confirmation that the Fairphone 5 will not be reaching US shores. The reasoning, as Jerry goes into, is perfectly understandable. When it comes to the North American market (including Canada and mainline United States), you really have to be able to sell millions of units. Unless you have that brand power or a major phone carrier push to be able to get these things off the shelves – then it’s a non-runner.
It’s a real pity because on paper the Fairphone 5 is looking like it’s going to be one to watch. As standard it comes with a Qualcomm QCM 6490 and 8 GB of RAM. It will have support for up to 2 TB of storage through its SD card slot. Duel sims for those who are hopping on planes or carrier plans. Did I mention it has a removable battery too? Buy an extra or two to have in your pocket or on the go, and boom! You’re back up to full power. There is a lot to like here. Let alone all the effort placed into using recycled materials or carbon-neutral efforts.
Should there be any change in the markets, we will be sure to keep you updated!