Fairphone 5 data extraction: could I reduce costs by replacing the board myself or using Fairphone repair?

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1

Hello everyone,

I’m dealing with a Fairphone 5 that became unbootable after a fall. The issue seems to be related to the power button / fingerprint sensor, and since then the phone freezes during boot. A factory reset is not an option for me because I have very important personal photos on the internal storage, and I’ve been told that data extraction is the only remaining way to recover them.

I received a quote from a professional data-recovery company. The procedure they propose is very invasive (CPU/RAM/memory transplant + JTAG extraction). Before going ahead, I’d like to know whether there are realistic ways to reduce the cost (~1700€), for example:

  • by replacing some components myself,

  • or by sending the phone to Fairphone for repair (even if that means losing the device but keeping the data),

  • or whether the only realistic alternative is to extract the data and accept that the phone will be unusable afterwards.

Below are the steps they plan to perform and the prices (VAT included).

Planned data-recovery procedure

  1. Disassembly of the device and removal of the damaged mainboard

  2. Reading and extraction of firmware / COD from main components

  3. Injection of firmware / COD into a donor board

  4. Removal of epoxy resin from the damaged board

  5. Low-temperature desoldering of components (CPU, RAM, memory blocks, etc.)

  6. Low-temperature soldering (138 °C) of components onto the donor board

  7. Microscope inspection of all solder joints

  8. Voltage checks using thermal probe and protected power supply

  9. Boot using protected power supply and data extraction via JTAG

Cost breakdown (with 21% VAT)

  • Recovery operations (steps 1–9):
    €789.00 + €165.69 VAT = €954.69

  • Data dump / extraction (logical image):
    €30.00 + €6.30 VAT = €36.30

  • Replacement part: modified donor mainboard (hardware + firmware, single-use):
    €571.00 + €119.91 VAT = €690.91

Total (VAT included): €1,681.90

My questions

  1. Could I realistically save a significant part of this cost (e.g. ~50%) by sourcing or replacing the mainboard myself and only paying for data extraction?

  2. Given that Fairphone repair will wipe the device anyway, does it make sense to send it to Fairphone after data extraction to recover a working phone? Or would the extraction process itself prevent any later warranty or paid repair?

  3. From your experience, does it make sense to extract the data only and accept that the phone will be permanently unusable?

  4. Are there less invasive or cheaper approaches I might be missing for a Fairphone 5?

Any insight from people with experience would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

1 Like
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Hello

could you try checking with a local Angel, perhaps they could help?

2 Likes
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If your data indeed is very important (no backup?) and worth the price, and if nobody else comes up with a solution or workaround, I think it would be best to let the professionals do the job from start to finish and let them completely control every factor they possibly can to be successful.

Perhaps there are competitors you could get additional quotes from?

And thanks for posting this. We recommend considering such a service from time to time here, but always wonder what the exact price tag might be, we know it’s high. This is a valuable data point.

7 Likes
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Just to make sure: Under normal circumstances, the FP5 :right_arrow: can be booted without any of the buttons (the instructions there work for the FP5, too). I see you are mentioning the boot screen freezing, but perhaps it is still worth a try.

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Thanks for your replies. In line with what AnotherElk suggested, I agree that it may be better for the entire process to be handled by the same team. Given the amount involved, I am therefore considering asking for a reduced price focused solely on data recovery, even if that means losing the Fairphone itself. This option goes against my original motivation for buying a Fairphone—its longevity—but the cost of repairing it is essentially the same as buying a new device.

Thanks, Meaghan, for suggesting the local Angels. I may contact the Angels in Barcelona. Thanks as well to urs_lesse for the tip about booting the device without the power button. In my case, however, the issue seems to be related to the fingerprint sensor rather than the power button, which is currently working.

If anyone has any other alternatives, I would be grateful to hear them. Thanks.

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Hello again
I am not sure I understand why your phone does not boot if the power button works. The issue mentioned in the linked topic was - asfaik - solved.

Unfortunately, I am not savvy enough to help any further.

Best of luck

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Thanks for your reply.

Yes, apparently the fingerprint issue can be solved by performing a factory reset and reinstalling Android 15 from build P5.VT2E.C.059 (“Fixed an issue that prevented devices with a malfunctioning fingerprint sensor from booting into Android 15”).

However, my main goal is to recover my pictures, which have very strong personal importance, and this solution would unfortunately imply losing them.

In any case, thank you for taking the time to answer. I would appreciate any views from different perspectives, as it is very important for me to solve this without having to spend such a large amount of money. I really appreciate it.

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I’m just throwing out an idea but I have 0 clue if it will help (I tried quickly looking for how the fingerprint sensor looks for the FP5 in a tear down video, but no success.)

(Without knowing what the root cause of the OS/firmware dying when the fingerprint sensor malfunctions) I wonder if de-soldering the fingerprint sensor could maybe help. It would of course compromise the FP5, but given that you have given up on it, maybe it is worth looking into it?

Maybe your local FP angel has some additional thoughts as to how bonkers this is and if there is a risk of damaging the one thing we wish to preserve.

1 Like