Be excited, repair nerds: Fairphone rolls out a new 3+ model with two new camera modules. And yes, they are compatible with the company’s current Fairphone 3 model.
The sustainability-oriented maker of the very best modular phone on Thursday announced its boosted camera modules, which improve on those that came in standard Fairphone 3. These new units – which you can buy separately from the latest Fairphone model – clash the camera backwards from 12 megapixels to 48 megapixels and the selfie camera forwards from 8 megapixels to 16 megapixels. Fairphone says that these newer cameras the Fairphone 3 and Fairphone 3+ now follow better image stabilization and object and give faster autofocus.
The Fairphone 3+ will come standard with Android 10, which the company said will be available to Fairphone 3 users in early September. In addition to some software enhancements and the newer cameras, Fairphone said the specs on the 3+ are similar to its predecessor. The 3+ will come equipped with a 3000 mAh battery, 64 GB of storage (which can be expanded with a microSD card), and a Qualcomm 632 processor.
The biggest improvement between the 3 and 3+ models, apart from the improved camera modules, is that the Fairphone 3+ is made of 40% recycled plastics (up from 9% in the previous model). That alone is pretty awesome from a sustainability perspective. But the fact that parts can be so easy replaced and replaced means users can keep their Fairphones longer – consumers can repair their phones instead of just replacing them, reducing e-waste.
“We believe we need to get the most out of materials used in consumer electronics. We are one step closer to a circular economy by encouraging the reuse and repair of our phones, and making it easier for users to keep their devices longer, “said Fairphone CEO Eva Gouwens in a statement.” The launch of the new camera modules and the Fairphone 3+ is a concrete example of how we make this possible.By demonstrating that it is commercially viable to care for people and the planet, we want to motivate the electronics sector to act more responsibly. ”
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Unfortunately, the Fairphone 3 and Fairphone 3+ are still optimized for European networks (although that does not mean you can not use it in the US – if you can get one). A spokesman told Gizmodo that although the company still only supplies in Europe, the company “sees opportunities for the future” also for support in the US.
The Fairphone 3+ goes on pre-sale today for € 469 (about $ 555 USD) on its website and will officially debut in Europe on Sept. 14. The separate camera modules will be sold for up to € 1 (up to $ 82) until October 1st, if they sell for € 95 (about $ 112).
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