Probably Fairphone (from the Netherlands) and Shiftphone (from Germany), but that surely depends on how you define production.
this post was submitted on 01 Mar 2025
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Fairphone is great. I really can recommend it. It is a bit expensive at first and the specs are not something special, but mine seems to be almost indestructible. I dropped it like a 100 times and the screen is still fine. If it ever breaks I can replace it myself cheaply. I think in the long term, this makes it a lot better than many other phones. Also, a lot of the materials were sourced responsibly.
Do they force updates on users or can these be rejected completely?
They remind you, and implore you, telling you that it can be a security risk, but they don't secretly update in the background or stuff like that. Fairphone has also always been very supportive towards installing non-stock android OS on their devices, (including pure Linux distros for phones running well enough).
they don't secretly update in the background or stuff like that.
That's helpful, thank you. This kind of crap from Samsung drove me insane.
They even have a list on their forum with OSs you can install. https://forum.fairphone.com/t/operating-systems-for-fairphones/11425
Having the entire production line in Europe sounds almost too good to be true, but then again other comments point to HMD.
Personally I think Fairphone is about as good as it gets, due to the commitment to conflict-free minerals and all that. I've been super happy with Fairphone for more than half a decade now. :)
You can also buy them new with /e/OS, which is a de-Googled Android developed open source by a French company called Murena.
Pre-ordered the Shiftphone 8. While it's promising I am unhappy with their constant delays and communication.
In addition to Fairphone and Shiftphone, there is also Volla Phone.
Their self description: "Volla Systeme is an independent, German manufacturer of smartphones, optionally with its own Android operating system Volla OS or the mobile Linux distribution Ubuntu Touch. Volla OS is characterized by uncompromising data protection and a uniquely intelligent operating concept."
Volla sells rebranded Gigaset with custom operating systems (Ubuntu Touch/VollaOS (degoogled android)). They don't manufacture themselves.
I never heard of them before and just looked around for a bit but I couldn't find any reviews of their current phones so far. If anybody has more information or wants to share personal experiences, I'd be interested.
At gnulinux.ch there were some articles / reviews about Volla (but in German): https://gnulinux.ch/artikelindex?search=Volla
In the comments of these articles you can also find some experience reports.
Fairphone. I've yet to try one myself, but I've seen a lot of good reviews
such a let down they axed off the headphone jack
I know 4 people directly, who use a FP 3 or 4 and they are just fine. Best thing are the long lasting security updates (7+ years) and of course repairability.
I used a FP3 until recently, now a FP5. Very happy with it. Repairability is a very real thing in these phones, not just a gimmick. :)
I totally agree. Everyone is talking about those flagship stats nobody uses. I want a phone that works and that as long as possible. I daily drive a FP4 (included myself in the 4 people) with CalyxOS and I love it.
I've been using my FP4 for over 3 years, and can't really complain too much about it. the battery life started degrading quite significantly for me last year (I use my phone a lot), so I just ordered a new one and replaced it in under a minute.
I'm sad this has to be mentioned to be sure, but for anyone reading this who may not know the concepts behind Fairphone: Yes, that is ordering a new battery, not having to order a new phone. Just wanting to make sure no one accidentally misunderstands, from being used to the status quo of phones being non-serviceable by the consumer.
I have a FP4 and like it well enough. It's not without flaws though.
My gf has a Fairphone 4 and it's decent. She isn't a power user so it works fine for her though as a techy person I find it kinda slow. Of course there is the 5 now and potentially the 6 later this year which will be faster.
Feels solid in the hand and the cameras are much better than I thought they would be
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I rock an HMD XR-21, it's more or less made in Europe https://www.hmd.com/de_de/hmd-xr-21?sku=P13K990001
Another vote here for HMD. I’m a Finn so totally biased but I recommend checking them out.
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Lol, never mind, that's where you posted it in the first place. Nice to see that the community is already gaining traction. :P
The single mod of the community we are in is missing. !buyeuropean@feddit.uk has a lot of active mods, and more activity overall.
That might be, but it is not specific to the EU, and therefore not relevant to those of us looking for EU goods.
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There is also Gigaset who claim that their smartphones are "Made in Germany" but I am not entirely sure to what exactly this covers.
Based on the specs, seems it's only assembled in Germany with exception of a few parts like the battery.
It also seems to use standard Android with Google Play though.
If it does, then Fairphone would be a better option, or a phone offering from Murena perhaps too since that comes with /e/os
Gigaset is manufacturing in Germany afaik, but it is a Chinese-owned company. The phone runs on Android or Ubuntu Touch.
You may consider to buy a Gigaset pre-installed with UT or VollaOS (an Android-compatible OS by Volla Phone) at https://volla.online/ (Volla uses Gigaset phones).
Ah, I was confused by that. I thought Volla used their own manufacturer.
I thought VollaOS was just a custom rom? I noticed they use Ubuntu Touch and was surprised it was still alive. I thought Postmarket OS was the successor to it
There are phones designed and assembled in the EU, but materials and chip fab in EU is negligible.
Had my Fairphone 3 over 5 years now, and I dropped it a few hundred times ago - only equipped with the small "bumper" (a rubber ring around the edges). Only in the end I noticed worse reception - I guess some of the antenna contacts inside came lose. BUT you can totally disassemble the phone yourself and fix that - you only need a normal screwdriver. I upgraded to my Fairphone 5 a few days now - and I'm totally happy with it! Better camera, more storage and better fingerprint sensor.
Plus, they'll support your phone with updates for 8 years, I think.
Apart from fairphone which was already recommended a bunch of times I used to have a bq phone, an Aquaris U Plus that served me well for years. Obviously it's also not made in Europe since smartphone production is always unethical and you can't publicly announce that you're producing something with slave labor in Europe. But the company seems to have gone bankrupt anyway so that's in the past...
Had a great time with bq - i'm actually typing this on my Aquaris X with lineage OS! Had the Aquaris X5 before that, it had some battery issue and I got the newer X under warranty. It's a shame they went bankrupt, their customer service & communication was excellent.
Finnish Jolla makes their C2 phone and it comes with Sailfish OS: https://shop.jolla.com/
Wow... To escape Russia's investors due to the Ukrainian war, the Jolla initial company filed for bankruptcy. They really tried tu cut their ties with Russia!
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