Fairphone 2 gets a solid 10 out of 10 repairability score in iFixit’s teardown

When Project Ara arrives, one of its first and more established competitors will be Fairphone. In a teardown, iFixit found the company’s second generation modular phone to be highly repairable, giving it a 10 out of 10 rating…

The Fairphone 2 is designed to be easily disassembled so that regular users can swap and upgrade the phone’s parts, and the company hopes that this will give the device a projected lifespan of about five years. In an interview with ArsTechnica, Fairphone cites how the phone can be safely assembled/disassembled around 50 times, with most parts being able to last longer. In iFixit’s teardown, the company’s claims about repairability seem to have been proven true.

“Nothing makes us happier than when manufacturers include repair instructions with their device, let alone on their device,” the company said. “We’re not superstitious, but surely these are signs of even more good things to come.”

The phone uses the same Philips #0 screws all around in order to provide access to the inner modules, though the display and battery can be replaced without needing tools. The only mark against the phone is the fused LCD and cover glass, but that is a common practice in all modern smartphones.

The Fairphone 2 is launching in some European countries next month and already has 20,000 pre-paid orders. Specs-wise, it’s similar to last year’s flagships: Snapdragon 801 processor, 2 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage, microSD slot for expansion, 2420 mAh battery, and an 8-megapixel camera. It has a 5-inch HD display with Gorilla Glass 3 and runs Android 5.1 Lollipop. You can pre-order the Fairphone 2 from their website for €525 ($559).