Fairphone 4 leak reveals the design of upcoming repairable 5G phone

Almost all smartphones these days compete in terms of features and power, with better specs often advertised to be the better choice. Fairphone, however, has always stood by itself on a different battleground, championing sustainability even if it meant getting behind the times. With the Fairphone 4, however, the company is at least trying to catch up with the latest 5G trend, but, based on this latest leak, that might be all that will be modern about the world's first "modular" 5G smartphone.

The modularity and repairability of the Fairphones didn't come without costs. The company already explained before that they had to stick with an aging Snapdragon 632 because of the customizations they have made to support the modular design of the phone's components. There is an off chance, then, that the Fairphone 4's 5G-capable chipset could be one of the older and more affordable processors available in the market, not necessarily the latest or the most powerful.

Based on information gathered by WinFuture, the Fairphone 4's design will also be a blast from the past. When most phones, even mid-tier ones, have switched to punch-hole cameras, the Fairphone 4 will be sporting a classic waterdrop notch. There are also very thick borders around the display, something you rarely see on today's smartphones.

The design of the Fairphone 4's back is admittedly unique. Although it has three cameras, reportedly led by a 48MP main sensor, the camera bump isn't in your usual square, rectangular, or circular design. The absence of a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, however, suggests it might have been relocated underneath the power button this time.

Of course, Fairphone customers don't buy these phones for their handsome looks, so they might be more forgiving about those points. The Fairphone 4 is expected to also sport 6GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage, which is pretty decent. The biggest issue, however, might be the 600 to 660 EUR ($710-$780) price tag, which is pretty steep by today's mid-tier smartphone standards. Then again, the Fairphone 4 is designed to last and be supported for years, far longer than any phone in that same price range.