According to Fairphone, this software upgrade has cost the company around €500,000 to implement. Considering Fairphone is a relatively small operation and around 100,000 phones have been sold to date, this is a significant investment. But, it puts the company on track to deliver updates faster in the future, as the time and cost involved comes from Fairphone's own development work -- its chipset is no longer being supported by the official chipset vendor.

The update brings a variety of new functions to Fairphone 2 users, including split screen mode, data transfer capabilities, simplified notifications and energy-saving features. But the company's main motivation for the development was that it'll result in longer-lasting phones. The new software will ensure the handsets can keep receiving security updates, so devices will keep going for longer – a major part of Fairphone's sustainability ethos. No, the Fairphone 2 doesn't have the bells and whistles of every other phone on the market, but it's a unique product that attempts to steer our voracious appetites for the latest technology in the right direction -- and this investment will help make that more appealing in the long run.