What you need to know
- Sustainable smartphone manufacturer Fairphone has partnered with /e/ to bring /e/OS to the Fairphone 3+.
- Fairphone and /e/ have a history of collaboration on previous devices like the Fairphone 3.
- Users of all technical abilities will be able to download and install /e/OS through an Easy Installer.
Today Fairphone announced an extension of its partnership with /e/OS to bring the privacy by design operating system into the hands of Fairphone 3 and 3+ users. While it was possible to install /e/OS on older phones like the Fairphone 3, the process could be a bit complicated for those not technically inclined. Now with this update, users can take advantage of an Easy Installer that was developed in conjunction with the /e/OS community.
/e/OS was chosen by the Fairphone community as their preferred alternative operating system to Android, and users can select which OS that they want to run on their devices. This move is particularly welcome to those who support the Fairphone mission of sustainability, repairability, and longevity, as it means users can continue to have a working operating system years after they may stop receiving Android OS updates on their devices.
Fairphone has cultivated and earned a deserved reputation for forwarding the cause of sustainability in technology, from the way it sources components, to the way it designs, manufactures, and distributes its products. Another part of the "fair" in the company name relates to its commitment to fair trade and labor practices in its workflows.
We reviewed the Fairphone 3 earlier this year, and liked it enough to list it on our roundup of the best sustainable and repairable phones for 2020, even though it's not widely available yet outside of Europe. We also wrote about the mid-cycle updates to the Fairphone 3+, which included a more sustainable back cover and an improved camera module. If you happen to live in a region where Fairphone devices are available, they are a great option for getting off of the non-stop upgrade cycle.
Fairphone 3+
The Fairphone 3+ offers exciting camera upgrades and a more sustainable design that's better for the environment. With modular components and Android 10 out of the box, the phone is designed to be used for a lot longer than most mainstream devices available today.
