Enlarge image
"Made in Germany from fresh fibers": No, that doesn't mean the cell phone
Photo: Matthias Kremp / DER SPIEGEL
The press release does not speak much conviction when Mobilcom / Debitel points out that the Rephone can be charged wirelessly as well as quickly "despite the recyclate back". The recycled plastic shouldn't be a problem for these functions. It is a step in the right direction to equip a smartphone in this price range - the Rephone costs 399 euros - with a wireless charging function that Sony, for example, withholds from its Xperia Pro-I, which is four and a half times as expensive. It is not surprising that no charger is included, other manufacturers do the same.
Another part of the concept is that the Rephone should be easy to repair. To make this possible, the components - or rather the component groups - are screwed together with simple Phillips-head screws. The use of adhesives has been avoided, according to Mobilcom / Debitel, where the Rephone is exclusively available. You shouldn't screw it yourself, as it will be possible with the Fairphone for a long time and will soon also be possible with Apple. Rather, the modular structure makes work easier for the manufacturer's technicians. If the display breaks, the replacement costs 89 euros.
The only part that you can change yourself is the battery, which you can buy for 35 euros.
But it should be at least two to three years before you really need a new one.
Mobilcom / Debitel wants to delay the aging process with a technology known as "Battery Save".
The stops the charging process as soon as the battery is 90 percent charged.
"A roughly 50 percent longer service life" is what it should bring.
We will only be able to say in a few years whether this will work.
If you prefer to use the full capacity, you can simply switch the function off.
Grass paper from Schleswig-Holstein
The Rephone is advertised online as being »100% CO2 neutral«.
It is therefore not an organic smartphone.
Only for the already mentioned back cover made of recycled plastic can the manufacturer state that it comes from Germany.
The company does not want to disclose the countries of origin of the other components.
They are likely to come mainly from Asia, unlike the grass paper packaging that is made in Schleswig-Holstein.
The press release on the device also praises: "The first CO2-neutral smartphone is produced with 100 percent green electricity in Germany."
This also only relates to the part of the production that takes place in Germany, namely in the factory of the former Siemens subsidiary Gigaset in Bocholt.
For all components that come from Asia, one undertakes »comprehensive CO2 compensation«.
Can that what?
The question remains whether the Rephone is any good as a smartphone and whether you really want to - and can - use it for as long as possible. That it comes with Android 11 and the manufacturer is hoping to be able to deliver the current Android 12 at the beginning of 2022 sounds good at first. The company plans to deliver security updates for three years. There is no talk of updates to upcoming Android versions after Android 12.
It is unclear how long Mediatek's mid-range processor could keep up with major Android updates. Measurement programs estimate its performance at about the level of a Samsung Galaxy S8 from 2017. That was once high-end, but is now at best mid-range. Nevertheless, I did not experience a single stutter in everyday life. Mail and web work well anyway and graphics-heavy games such as "Real Racing" run on the Rephone without any compromises.
On the other hand, they are to be made with the screen, which tends to exaggerate with its bright colors.
Together with the automatic brightness control, which from my point of view always illuminates the display too brightly, this ensures very strong, bright colors.
They have little to do with reality.
When taking photos, this can be a disappointment if a photo that looks great on the Rephone suddenly seems to fade on the PC or TV.
more on the subject
Fairphone 4 in the test: A cell phone also for the next-but-one AndroidBy Matthias Kremp
Repair iPhones yourself: Apple is now available with a screwdriver by Matthias Kremp
Environmental balance sheet of Apple products: Take the smaller iPhone by Matthias Kremp
The Rephone takes photos with a 64-megapixel wide-angle and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera.
The image quality is in the midfield.
You should keep your hands off the digital zoom, because details are lost even if the magnification is less than the maximum possible four times the magnification.
The ultra-wide-angle lens clearly distorts towards the edges.
At 128 gigabytes (GB), the built-in memory should be large enough for many applications.
If you need more, you can add up to 512 GB using a memory card.
If you like, you can insert two SIM cards for different networks into your mobile phone, but the device has no eSim, nor does 5G technology or WiFi 6.
Conclusion
👍 Complete CO2 compensation 👍 Final assembly in Germany 👍 Easy battery replacement | 👎 No information on components, apart from the rear and packaging |
The idea of offering a smartphone that is CO₂-neutral is commendable. It would be even more commendable not to offset the CO₂ balance afterwards, but to start with the production of the components. A back cover made of recycled material and packaging made of grass paper are a nice start, but there is more. A model could be the Fairphone 4, which focuses on fairness in resource extraction and easy repairability by the user. Apple also wants to enable its customers to replace components themselves in the future, is building more and more recycling materials in its smartphones and regularly publishes its environmental balance sheet.
Finally, it is also remarkable how similar the Rephone is to the Gigaset GS5.
Except for the main camera and the back cover, the two seem to be technically almost identical.
With the subtle difference that Gigaset offers the GS5 for 299 euros, while the Rephone costs 399 euros.
CO2 compensation and recyclate back must be worth 75 euros to the customer because - that's probably only available from Rephone - if you give it to recycling, Mobilcom / Debitel will give you 25 euros back.
Background: Product tests in the Netzwelt department
Which products are reported on in the Netzwelt section? Expand
We decide for ourselves which products we report in the Internet world and which we test or not. We do not receive any money or other consideration from the manufacturer for any of the test reports.
For various reasons it can happen that we do not report on products even though we have corresponding test products.
Where do the test products come from? Expand
We usually get test devices and review copies of games from the manufacturer free of charge for a certain period of time, sometimes even before the official release.
In this way, our test reports can appear in good time or shortly after the product is published.
We only test pre-release versions or devices from pre-series production in special cases.
We usually wait until we can get test devices or game versions that are identical to the retail versions.
In some cases we also buy products ourselves at our own expense if they are already available in stores or online.
Are the Netzwelt editors allowed to keep the products?
Usually test devices are sent back to the manufacturer after the end of the test.
The exception are review copies of games and so-called permanent loans: For example, we have game consoles and smartphones in the editorial office that we are allowed to use for a longer period of time.
For example, we can report on software updates, new accessories and new games or make long-term judgments.
Can companies invite the Netzwelt editors to travel?
DER SPIEGEL always bears the costs for travel to events, regardless of whether they take place in Germany or abroad. This also applies if, for example, a company takes over travel planning due to short-term appointments.
Events to which we travel at our own expense include the Ifa, CES, E3 and Gamescom trade fairs as well as events from companies such as Apple, Google, Microsoft or Nintendo.
At conferences like the Chaos Communication Congress or the re: publica, like other press representatives, we usually get free press tickets because we report on the conference and are not traditional participants.
What about the Amazon ads in some articles?
Since December 2016, Amazon ads containing so-called partner links can be found in some Netzwelt articles.
If a user visits Amazon via such a link and buys online there, DER SPIEGEL receives a share of the sales in the form of a commission.
The ads appear in articles regardless of whether a product test is positive or negative.