Hiya!
I’m your local tiny-handed person. Right now I have an iPhone SE (2020) because it is a good size for my hands - I can reach almost the entire screen with my thumb while holding it in one hand. I would really like to get a Fairphone as my next phone, my current phone is starting to reach the end of it’s life, but I’m worried about the size. All of the different Fairphone models are WAYYYY bigger than an iPhone SE ([3D size compare: iPhone SE (2020) vs. Fairphone 5] for size comparison). Wondering if anyone else switched from a smaller phone to the Fairphone and what your experience was like - did you like the bigger size or was it a big (pun intended) adjustment? Is there anyone else out there who would appreciate a smaller Fairphone model? I know there are trade-offs in the phone’s capabilities with smaller size (storage space, cameras, battery size, etc.) but I’m wondering if Fairphone will ever consider releasing a smaller model. I imagine that from an accessibility and equity standpoint that a smaller model might make also it more useable for people with physical disabilities like dwarfism, people with missing fingers, kids, and people of ethnicities that tend toward shorter heights.
The Iphone SE is not a 5G phone, correct? All those Antennas need a lot space, so I’m 100% sure we will never see any smaller sized Fairphone or Shiftphone ever again
Marginal and not what people are looking for, when they come from an Iphone SE. Shift explained that in 1 of their Shift 8 status videos, as you understand German you might want to listen to it.
While the iPhone SE 2020 (which I have) doesn’t support 5G, it’s successor, the iPhone SE 2022, does support some 5G bands. The 2022 has the same dimensions as the 2020. So it is possible to put 5G in a smaller phone! And, I wouldn’t expect a Fairphone mini to be just as small as an iPhone SE, but it would be great to have one that was at least smaller.
An update to my previous post: my FP5 will soon be 1 year old and I got used to its size. I carry it around differently compared to my previous phone. Yes, it’s still slightly clumsy compared to a smaller phone, but on the other hand a bigger screen has advantages as well. So for me it’s not really an issue anymore.
Wanted to chip in that I have also been holding out on buying the FP5 due to its size. Slowly as some hardware on my FP3 from 2019 such as GPS fails and the Android 13 updates make the OS slightly more unstable, I’m more open to buy a phone with a similar size. I wish I could replace the GPS hardware but it seems to be on the core module.
I really don’t want to give up the repairability aspect of the fairphone, but I think that the bigger size is a big ask for me (and I am possibly a dinosaur with my love of headphone jacks… why bother charging headphones if you can just plug it in directly? ). It seems I’m not the only one.
For me, my requirements would be:
working gps
unlocked phone w improved network compatibility, esp 5g. When I go to the US my cell data is only half useable due to some bands not working
camera comparable to or better than fp3
headphone jack a plus, but probably not happening ;(
8gb RAM a plus? the 4gb were ok at the beginning but new Android updates make the OS quite unstable
removable battery and ability to buy reasonable quality replacement hardware very very strongly desired! It was the reason I came in the first place. I had some success getting non-official parts on ebay for old iphones and htc phone but these repairs were pains compared to a FP.
I’m writing out this list so that I can send an email to fairphone staff linking this thread and asking if they have any plans to make such a phone. Are there any forum users who jumped the fairphone ship due to size? comment too if you’d like. I’m curious to see what you got or if you’d know something that would work.
In the end I realized that the FP5 has virtually the same dimensions as the FP3, just that the screen is larger because it takes up more area. So I got the phone. Still a bit sad about the headphone port and I still have to port my stuff over, but I’ll get used to the change
I joined this forum for exactly the same reason as @wouter_leroy; the size …
From a personal POV, I never boasted my budget over 249 Euro and extende the 6 inch margin (my actual phone is a still working Samsung A40), but I’ve come to terms with today’s market development, that “accessible” phones are generally getting bigger and smaller phones are generally getting more expensive.
Think of the in 2020 newly introduced high-end S-line from Samsung. They managed to slightly reduce sice. Fairphone did so too with their hight (162.0 to 161.6 mm [–0.4 mm]) and thickness (10.5 mm to 9.6 mm [–0.9 mm]), but not with their width (75.5 to 75.8 mm [+0.3 mm]).
If I had a wish … Fairphone will consider reducing the size to an easy to handle 147 mm (–1.5 cm); hell, I’d even be satistfied with a bulk 151 mm (–1.06 cm)
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3
Column 4
Samsung S20
Samsung S21
Samsung S22
Samsung S23
151.7 × 69.1 × 7.9 mm (5.97 × 2.72 × 0.31 in)
151.7 × 71.2 × 7.9 mm (5.97 × 2.80 × 0.31 in)
146.0 × 70.6 × 7.6 mm (5.75 × 2.78 × 0.30 in)
146.3 × 70.9 × 7.6 mm (5.76 × 2.79 × 0.30 in)
Samsung S24
Samsung S25
Fairphone 4
Fairphone 5
147.0 × 70.6 × 7.6 mm (5.80 × 2.78 × 0.30 in)
146.9 × 70.4 × 7.2 mm
162.0 × 75.5 × 10.5 mm (6.38 × 2.97 × 0.41 in)
161.6 × 75.8 × 9.6 mm (6.36 × 2.98 × 0.38 in)
I don’t need a large smartphone—my eyes are working fine and I got myself a (nowadays) small tablet of 10" for the bigger screen, linked it to a framed bluetooth keyboard and can bring it along anywhere, if I need comfortable viewing.
I kept repairing my A40 for quite a while now, but since the phone isn’t supported anymore with safety patches, I’ll soon need to switch to a new phone.
Since newer smaller phones are doubling or trippeling their prices, I made peace with having to spend more money a phone.
The choice is simple, if you want sustainability, size and quality, because there is not much on the market for people with smaller hands: either get a small (now called “budget”) iPhone SE (expected for March 2025 and rumored at a larger size from 4.7 to 6.1 in) or get a (hopefully a tiddle smaller) ethnical phone, like FairPhone.
I’m the same wanting a phone no bigger than F3. Smaller, even.
The 4/5 is just borderline phablet. Especially as I need to have a cover making them bigger again.
I looked into getting a five as this phone has started doing some weird stuff but the size has put me off. When the time comes I might have to decide to move away from FP
I agree, I didn’t want to move to a bigger phone, but I think that’s just one of the compromises with a highly repairable phone like the Fairphone. That infrastructure does take up a bit of extra space.
). It seems I’m not the only one.
Fairphone will consider reducing the size to an easy to handle 147 mm (–1.5 cm); hell, I’d even be satistfied with a bulk 151 mm (–1.06 cm) 
