The Fairphone 5 Protective Case is 40 euro. Do I really need it? I am afraid that with a case the FP5 becomes really big?
One reason I could think of would be if on the front the case would have some edge which is higher than the screen. In that way it would protect the screen from scratches when then phone is put onto a table with the display down - even without a screen protector, another 33 ā¬). However I didnāt see the case applied to the phone yet. Other than that I used to carry my FP2 around in a case made from felt, so Iād be interested in what others think about the protective case, too. Whatās the point in making a slim phone with transparent backcover if I need a non-transparent protective case thenā¦?
I dont think a case is needed, although for sure it helps to protect in case of a drop.
I have a FP4 and mainlt used it without a case, because for me its too bulky.
I personally would order first without a case and when I feel its needed for whatever reason I would buy one later
Getting before the question: The prototype FP5 I have here came without a protective case.
With the FP1 and FP3+, the device without a protective case felt a bit too easy to slide out of hand to me, so I opted for the protective case for both pretty quickly. With the heavier FP4 (225 grams) and FP5 (212 grams), Iām a bit more undecided if itās needed. The FP5 here feels like it rests a tad bit safer in my hand than 1 and 3.
following on that, I have ordered the case but it has not arrived yet (nor the phone), so let me ask you about the camera bump - does it not make an issue when a case-less phone lies on the flat surface?
I donāt typically work the phone display a lot while itās lying flat on a desk before me, but I just tried it a bit.
I thought swiping through a lot of photos would make sense for testing, and I find near to no hassle in that from the asymmetrical shape on the phoneās backside (both directions, swiping from right to left should be a bigger āsuspectā in this regard than left ro right). Even tapping the ābackā arrow in the top left corner (which should be the #1 trigger for unwanted movement in the position of the device youāre talking of ā because the bump is behind the top right corner) in many menues doesnāt suffer very notably from the camera bump.
Of course, it depends on how hard you tap. My subjective experience here is that I will only get to press the āin the airā top left corner of the device all the way to touch the desk surface when I really go for that (instead of just tapping something on the display).
Thanks so much for taking your time to check it out:)
In addition Iād like to know if (at least for FP4 as no FP5 cases are around yet) the case gives the display some distance if put the phone onto a table with display down. The case of the FP1 didnāt protect the screen as far as I remember, for FP2 that is a built-in feature, what about 4 (and 5)?
Speaking for the FP4: Yes, the official case will give you a VERY slight edge (maybe half a millimeter or a millimeter) that will prevent the screen from rubbing against a flat surface if you place it there screen down, but that will not help you with small bumps. I have been satisfied with the case-design so far though.
I just tried the FP4 Protective Soft Case once more on first the FP4 and second the FP5. Iād estimate the āoverreachā at more like 1.5 to 2.0 mm (i.e. the theoretical āair space heightā under the display if you put it face down on a flat surface whilst inside the case).
I like so much the FP3 bumper that I donāt understand why to have a protective case instead of a bumper ? The back is in plastic so there is nothing to really protect to me and it makes the phone with a protection lighter than with a case. Moreover it uses much less material.
I found the flimsy bumper of the FP3 quite useless. It didnāt hold very well to the phone and I could see no real protection, so I bought the original case instead.
Same here - but the original case had the tendency to āgrowā so much that it didnāt hold tight to the phone anymore (and a replacement in warranty had the same problem).
In the end I went for third party cases - the best of which is the wonderful wooden one from Bark. They probably will release one for FP5 as well 
(or so we can hope) https://en.barksweden.com/shop-1
I had a look at that site and wooden covers are wonderful.
Just a question: do they work?
I meanā¦ they can protect the phone from scratches, for instance, but is wood good at protecting phone from a fall? Can wood absorb the force of impact as good as a rubber case?
Iām asking this because my main concern are falls.
Ciao,
Max
Iām quite sure there were feedback reports on the wooden BARK cases in topics on FP3 and FP4 cases, just look them up.
Does FP5 comes with some sort of ābuilt inā protection against falls? Something like a bumber or anything else?
I also have to decide whether itās worth buying the case, most of all because Iām getting the transparent phone version and with a rubber case it would loose itās sex appeal
According to FP5 specs it passed drop tests ICE 60058-2-31 (1.8m) and MIL-810H (1.5m) but I canāt find specs for FP3+ (my phone) so I donāt know if FP3 was already compliant to those standards or FP5 is a real step forward in robustness and maybe doesnāt need a protective case. Does anybody know?
Does anybody work with above standards and can shed some light on how good they are to say if FP5 needs a protective case or not?
Anywayā¦ itās quite questionable this choice of selling a transparent phone without any transparent rubber case.
Ciao,
Max
Hi Max,
my phone fell only once, since I got the case, but I imagine the wood would break and protect the phone in case of a real bad tumble.
Of course, when it cracks/breaks, itās very easy to repair with wood glue and it will only get stronger (see the FAQ on their site)
Iām quite confident that itās a good protection for my phone, and the good looks are just an additional bonus.
there is a third company selling transparent cases, if this is sth you might consider,
I ordered this one and waiting for the delayed delivery. I am also considering those - from biowaves, as they look nice and different, but they are not ready yet
Thanks a lot.
unfortunately the first one is for FP5 but is not āfairā and the second one is āfairā but is not for FP5
Iāll keep an eye on the second one as it could be that for FP5 there will also be a transparent version. Who knowsā¦
Ciao,
Max