---
.title = "Fairphone",
.author = "Martin Ashby",
.date = @date("2024-02-05T19:56:17Z"),
.layout = "single.html",
.custom = {"comments": true},
---

I bought a [fairphone 4](https://shop.fairphone.com/fairphone-4) just under 2 years ago. I'm pleased to say last week I repaired it! I had accidentally filled the pocket on my jeans with sand on holiday, and then I put the phone in the pocket. The USB-C on the bottom of the phone got sand in it, and stopped holding a cable correctly. It just about worked for charging still, but the cable would pop out very easily, and this was pretty inconvenient. I tried a few ways to clear it out, with no success.

I bought a replacement part, and (after some delivery issues, which were the fault of the local shop doing UPS delivery, not fairphone's fault) I got a new USB-C socket that I fit in 10 minutes with a single crosspoint screwdriver.

I really appreciate how repairable this phone seems to be. The battery is replaceable without a screwdriver, and even the display is replaceable. I hope this will allow me to keep the phone for a long time.