I swapped my iPhone for a Fairphone: Here’s why you should break up with Apple too

It was the battery that was the final straw for me. I’d been carrying around a back-up one for my old iPhone 5 for years; a source of stress given how much we depend on smartphones for rail tickets, cards, music, and everything else a day trip depends on.

My contract was up and the thought of getting the next shiny iPhone on the never-ending conveyor belt of obsolescence just felt too…frustrating.

The Fairphone had been on my radar for a little while. A sustainably sourced, stylish model that you can actually fix? Sign me up. The only catch, of course, was the price. €579 is no small amount to spend upfront.

But I took the plunge on the new Fairphone 4 last year and haven’t looked back - here’s why.

The Fairphone seemed mystical at first, compounded by the tone of the EE employee who made it sound like part of a realm far, far beyond the high street. But I soon found all the info I needed on Fairphone’s website. And some useful analysis on the Ethical Consumer website too which spurred on my choice.

Fairphone tops the consumer organisation’s rankings by a long way - the only brand in its guide which “truly aims to put people and the environment before profit”.

The Dutch social enterprise actually began as a 2009 campaign around conflict minerals - precious, mined commodities used to finance armed groups. Only later did it branch out into phone production.

So it’s no surprise that it outshines other makes on the following categories:

Fairphone was the only company to receive the best rating in this category, which ensures that workers’ rights are upheld throughout the supply chain. As Ethical Consumer notes, this is especially important in the electronics sector where production is primarily based in countries like China, which