Fairphone’s phone subscription gets cheaper the longer you look after your phone

Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge

Fairphone's latest phone, the Fairphone 4, is available for as little as 21 a month. Fairphone Easy is only available for customers in the company's home market of the Netherlands for now, who'll be able to rent the phone for anywhere between 3 and 60 months.

The subscription service is the sustainable manufacturer's latest attempt to cut down on the environmental impact of smartphone production, and it encourages users to hold onto their existing phones for as long as possible. The monthly cost includes free repairs, and there are also discounts that kick in for each year you don't need to repair it. Customers get a 2 monthly discount after the first year, 4 after two years, and 8 after three years.

The structure of the subscription is similar to paying for a phone on finance or with a phone contract, but there are important differences. You don't own the phone at the end of your subscription. You have to return it to the company for it to be recycled or reuse. Customers need to provide their own sim card. You will have to pay a 90 deposit when you first subscribe.

It would take less than three years to pay as much in subscription fees as you would for the Fairphone 4 upfront, based on the minimum 21 per month pricing. You will benefit from the discounted rates in years two and three if you never need to fix it. If you need to repair it, the subscription service could be a good idea.

Fairphone Easy is more restrictive than traditional phone financing options, but the company's focus on sustainable practices often leads to trade-offs. My review of the Fairphone 4 can be found here.

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