Hi! Recently my Fairphone 4 got lost so I need to replace it.
I’ve been quite happy with Fairphone not only because I’m clumsy as hell and in the year I had it, I already replaced the screen once, but also because I don’t really want to support anything that’s not sustainable.
But in the other hand, I’m for now using my previous phone, the Cat S42, another device I was really happy and only changed it when the specs started to be so outdated that opening any app was taking several minutes and when it was crucial to read QR codes in the pandemic, with that crappy camera was pretty much impossible.
So now I’m debating between getting a Fairphone 5 vs a Cat s75. My main focus is sustainability, followed by memory and battery.
For how I see it, Fairphone has the big pro of having more “consumer friendly” specs, including the memory, but it’s a bit pricy and in the end making it modular doesn’t means it will last more, but that you’ll need to pay less if something breaks. And it feels I’m paying some fee just to say I’m an eco guy.
In the other hand, Cat might be a bit less consumer friendly, but it’s really built to last and I’ll not need to spend a penny if it just simply never breaks, plus living in Finland makes the temperature resistance quite an interesting thing as in a bad winter we can reach -30 (and for my own experience, it’s not fun when it’s -20 and the battery starts to drain super fast and you need your phone for google maps/bus ticket/etc). And is slightly cheaper.
To say so, I need to pick between 2 phones I loved, so it seems a bit like with Fairphone I’m paying too much branding and with Cat I’m paying too much for “military specs” that become irrelevant when the GPU can’t handle the software anymore.
I’m paying some fee just to say I’m an eco guy.
bit of a strange attitude towards supporting better working conditions for people entirely un connected to you…
but yeah from an environmental point of view if one physically lasts several years longer than chances at its got a lower footprint in most aspects.
if there are 2nd hand ones available even better, this time also for the social sustainability.
as for paying for branding, you’re paying for the higher wages/worker welfare. unless Cat makes a point of also supporting worker welfare, then yeah it’s branding.
Thanks for this writeup, i’ve got a cat s41 and am considering getting a fairphone soon. Your question is exactly what i’m struggling with. I’ll be interested to see other responses in this thread.
Question for you: did you use a case for the fairphone? How easy was it for you to break the screen? My biggest fear of switching to a fairphone is that i’m careless and will go through multiple screens. At least my CAT has survived falls onto concrete multiple times…
FP5 CAT S75 No IP ratings (water and dust), no special drop resistance IP68/IP69K (=highest water/dust ratings) and high drop resistance Updates until Android 18, security updates until 2031 Updates until Android 14, security updates until 2026 SoC is ~25% faster, 256GB storage, 8GB RAM, MicroSD 128GB storage, 6GB RAM, MicroSD €700, will not get cheaper in the future I found an offer for €430 Users have reported battery life issues Very long battery life according to tests Company is known for very buggy software Couldn’t find an unusual amount of complaints about software quality Replaceable battery No replaceable battery Cheaper to repair due to DIY repairs Hard to repair, but probably won’t need repairs due to toughness They spend <€10 per phone on better working conditions and fair/eco credits according to their impact report They spend nothing on better working conditions/credits No claims in what ambient temperature the phone works Usable in ambient temperatures from -25°C to +55°C Don’t expect a lot of the camera. It’s ok, but it’s nowhere near a flagship camera. Don’t expect anything of the camera, especially not in low light Has no satellite communication Has satellite communication for SOS and texts Support is bad Could not find any reports on their support quality There have been a few people I know who have had rugged phones. It doesn’t seem worth it.
Rugged phones seems to create a false sense of security towards the device, whereas there shouldn’t be any. Every rugged phone I’ve seen broke after a year, for a few it was only the screen, for most, totally unuseable (as in didn’t turn in any more).