The ethically designed Fairphone opens pre-sales in Europe
The Dutch-based social enterprise FairPhone is aimed at bringing a fair smartphone to the market this fall. Starting its activities three years ago, the Dutch company began to promote environmental friendly minerals and materials used in the consumer electronic products. After three years of building its knowledge base, the company is ready to apply that into practice and bring its first hardware start-up on the market –FairPhone will build and distribute the first phone this fall – the pre-orders have already begun for customers in Europe. The price is €325 and there are 2420 pre-ordered phones so far. The price of 325 EUR includes all taxes, but before the production begins the company needs to reach the target of 5000 pre-ordered units.
What is the concept beyond the FairPhone? First, the company wants the device to be capable and to have decent mid-range characteristics. Second, the manufacturing process should be totally different than the processes used by other manufacturers. The supply chain is transparent and the company strictly controls the provenance of any of the materials used in any component and element. The ecological impact will be promoted to the buyers and the general public through various social activities. The main purpose of the Dutch company is to collect and encourage the usage of best practices in the phone industry and to change the way things are done in long and short terms.
Finally, let’s talk a little bit about the phone itself. It comes unlocked and with a dualSIM slot, perfect for international travels. It features a 4.3-inch screen, a quad-core processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3 secondary one. The Fairphone runs stock Android 4.2. Currently there are 2420 pre-ordered devices and the campaign ends in 20 days. FairPhone promises, if the target is reached by the deadline, June 14, the customers will get their phone sometimes during fall.
Source: Techcrunch
