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Home / News / Fairphone 2 steps out in glad rags

Fairphone 2 steps out in glad rags

Who said an ethical phone couldn’t get dolled up?

Hold on, I thought the whole point of the Fairphone was…

… that it was upgraded, not replaced? Don’t worry, that hasn’t changed. This isn’t a new model, just a choice of new coloured backs for the existing hardware. With rather stylish contrasting buttons. And, double bonus, the case makes the phone slightly slimmer than the original.

And more expensive, I expect?

Aye, your cynicism is well-placed. The original Fairphone 2 is €523. The Fairphone 2 Slim is €529 – a whopping €6 premium. Though, if you can’t stretch to it, we actually really like the original translucent grey case, that shows off the modular and replaceable gizzards inside. Which are, if you recall: a 5in, 1080p screen, a quad-core Snapdragon 801 processor running Android and 32GB of memory with SD card expansion. All sourced as ethically as possible, don’t forget.

Can I buy several case colours and swap them about?

Well, that wouldn’t be very eco-friendly now, would it? But, yes, from mid-December you’ll be able to get the coral red, indigo, turquoise and white cases, from Fairphone. For the whole phone you’ll have to join the pre-order queue – they’re expected in early January.

Or, maybe you could buy all the spare parts from the store and try to build one yourself.

Profile image of Fraser Macdonald Fraser Macdonald consulting editor

About

Fraser used to wear a Psion Series 3 palmtop in a shoulder holster. Perhaps he still does.Either way, his lifelong mission - including fourteen years for Stuff - has been to see whether the consumer electronics industry can ever replicate that kind of cyborgian joy.So far: nope. Despite a plan to combine a action camera and Olympus Eye-Trek goggles to become Man Who Sees The Vision Of A Man Three Inches Taller Than Himself.He also likes mountain bikes, motorbikes, cars, helicopters. Still thinks virtual surround is witchcraft. Dislikes jetskis, despite never having been on one.