Are you looking for a highly repairable phone, laptop or other personal technology that can help you to reduce e-waste, save money and support right-to-repair movement? This article highlights such products and brands offering them. We also cover background information regarding right ro repair and key players in the field.
During recent years, the repairability of devices has come into the spotlight more and more strongly. But why? Majority of modern tech does not offer a high level of repairability or is actually designed to hamper it. For instance, devices may use specialized screws, or the housing and/or components are glued together.
Further, device may consist of components that are not modular; meaning if small part goes bad, you have to replace the whole assembly attached to it, instead of just swapping that small bit. Parts can even be paired to that single device so that if you replace the part with a genuine replacement, it doesn´t work. Manufacturers may also not offer repair documentation for their devices and spare parts aren´t readily available and reasonably priced.
Repairability also concerns the aspect of ownership. Do you really own your device if it can´t be repaired or are you just basically renting it? Devices that are difficult to repair are also not optimal for the environment and your wallet.
Ok, so now you want a repair-friendly device. Great! But what features do such devices have? They use common screws, and minimize the use of glued parts. They are also modular, e.g. memory modules can be easily replaced as they are not soldered. Also, components are not paired with a single device. Extensive repair documentation is provided, and spare parts are highly available and they are reasonably priced so that replacements make more financial sense than just getting a new device.
Repair-friendly devices can ultimately bring many benefits. Devices can be used longer, they have better resale value, users can save money as broken parts can replaced instead of the whole device, environment is stressed less as fewer new devices need to be manufactured.
Learning to repair you devices is also a great skill to have, and if you decide to trust someone else do the repair, it often contributes as income for small businesses and support your local community. Some highly repairable devices may also provide an opportunity to adapt to your changing needs as their modular nature may enable to update the parts e.g. to more high performing ones.
By their own words, Framework exists to remake consumer electronics to respect people and the planet. Framework´s products are open for their users to repair, customize, upgrade and own at the deepest level. Framework´s team have extensive experience from companies such as Apple, Oculus and Lenovo. This San Fransisco-based brand currently offers laptops with different specs in 12, 13 and 16 inch sizes, as well as a desktop PC.
Framework Fact Sheet
Founded | in USA, 2020
Founder | Nirav Patel
This Netherlands-based company designs and produces highly-repairable, modular, long-lasting and ethically sourced and produced personal technology. Fairphone´s current lineup includes phones, over-the-ear headphones and in-ear headphones. Fairphone offers repair tutorials and spare parts for their products as well as provides long-time software support.
Fairphone Fact Sheet
Founded | in The Netherlands, 2013
Founders | Bas van Abel, Miquel Ballester & Tessa Wernink
Based in The Netherlands, Repeat Audio´s mission is to develop the most durable headphones ever, and with best sound. Their headphones are modular and fully repairable, without sacrificing on sound quality. With additional price, Repeat Audio also offers free repairs on a yearly basis.
Repeat Audio currently offers three models:
PRINCE – Active noise cancelling and wireless headphones
BOSS – Wireless headphones
DAY – Wired headphones
Repeat Audio Fact Sheet
Founded | in The Netherlands, 2015
Founders | Dorus Galama & Tom Leenders
Lenovo´s enterprise-grade ThinkPad laptops are well known as among the most repairable laptops. Generally speaking, enterprise laptops are more repairable than consumer laptops and use more higher quality components.
Slate Auto says everyone should be able to work on their own car – thus they are coming up with “the most DIYable vehicle ever”, Slate. Slate is the most affordable truck in America, highly customizable, highly repairable, and made in USA. It doesn’t feature complex technology that would get outdated. Slate is currently open for preorders in the US.
Slate Auto Fact Sheet
Founded | in USA, 2022
Founders | Miles Arnone, Jeff Wilke & William Barker
One of the best all-around toolkits for repairing your personal tech is the iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit.
Various organizations and persons around the world work tirelessly to make the world more repairable. Below we introduce some of the most prominent names.
The Repair Association is a nonprofit organization. Their mission is that people´s ownership on the products they have purchased would be absolute – meaning that after purchase, people should have right to use, modify, and repair the product whenever, wherever and however they want. The Repair Association gathers repair businesses and consumers together to advance right to repair. Association´s main focus is in the US, but it also partners with similar organizations around the world.
The Repair Association Fact Sheet
Founded | in USA, 2013
Founders | Gay Gordon-Byrne & founding member organizations
Louis Rossmann is the founder of Rossmann Repair Group, a Texas-based data recovery and device repair company, and co-founder of FULU Foundation, which we discuss more below. Louis is perhaps the best known individual when it comes to right to repair movement. He has a following of over 2 and a half million people on his Youtube channel, where he educates people on the right to repair matters and brings up unjust company practices related to the topic.
FULU Foundation is a nonprofit organization. In their own words, FULU Foundation “exists to inform, mobilize, and equip consumers to take back control over their devices and content”. FULU is an abbreviation for Freedom from Unethical Limitations on Users. FULU points that innovation shouldn´t come at the expense of freedom and control. In their view, if you can´t fix your device, decide how long to use your it, what software to run on it or if the manufacturer can start to charge subscriptions for the features you already bought it for, you don´t own your device.
FULU Foundation currently runs a tour across the US where they educate on the matter. The Foundation is also known for the Consumer Rights Wiki, a repository dedicated for documenting anti-consumer practices. FULU also run FULU Bounties, a bounty program designed to draw attention to examples of anti-ownership practices, get solutions for them, and push for legislative change.
FULU Foundation Fact Sheet
Founded | in USA, 2025
Founders | Louis Rossmann & Kevin O´Reilly
iFixit is a company that provides free repair guides, replacement parts and tools for repair and maintains a community to support right to repair. iFixit is also actively advocating to advance right to repair and other pro-consumer practices through their own messaging and other pro-repair organizations. They are also well known for their device teardowns that also come with repairability scores on a 10-point scale to that represent the overall repairability of each device.
iFixit Fact Sheet
Founded | in USA, 2003
Founders | Kyle Wiens & Luke Soules
The Right to Repair Europe coalition represents over 190 organizations from 30 European countries. Their objective is to make repair affordable, accessible and mainstream. The coalition´s members includes a wide variety of actors, including environmental NGOs, community repair groups, repair and refurbishing businesses, individual citizens and more.
Right to Repair Europe Fact Sheet
Founded | in Berlin, 2019
Highly repairable personal tech is designed with repairability in mind from the start. The device can be opened without specialized tools, its components aren´t glued, and repair manuals and spare parts are readily available, and they are reasonably priced so that repair remains a financially viable option.
Based on our research, Framework offers the most repairable laptops. They offer several models and part combinations to choose from.
Based on our research, Fairphones are the most repairable modern smartphones.
Based on our research, the Fairbuds are the most repairable in-ear headphones. For over-the-ear headphones, Fairbuds XL and Repeat Audio´s products are among the best.
One of the top picks for a good all-around toolkit for this use is the iFixit Pro Tech Toolkit.
Ilpo Vilén is a founder of Minimalist Products. He holds an MSc in Marketing and a BBA in International Business. He's on a quest to simplify his life and has a keen eye and passion for good minimalist design and sustainability. Ilpo lives a car-free lifestyle, using his trusted bicycle all year round in Oulu, the winter cycling capital of the world. You can get in touch through our contact page or LinkedIn.
