Shiftphone
The Shiftphone is a smartphone model series introduced in 2014 by the German Shift GmbH. Shiftphones are modular smartphones that are produced under largely fair and sustainable conditions. This makes the Shiftphone the first fair phone from Germany. The modular concept enables the end user to easily repair the devices and to exchange individual modules. Ten models have appeared so far. The last releases were the Shift6m in May 2018 and the Shift5me in February 2019. The Shift6mq, the Shiftmu and the Tablop SHIFT13mi have been announced (as of June 2020).
history
The manufacturer Shift is a GmbH under German law with its registered office in Falkenberg ( Hesse ). Under the management of Carsten, Samuel and Rolf Waldeck, the family company has been producing smartphones and phablets since 2014 .
On April 9, 2014, Carsten Waldeck started the Shift7 project on the German crowdfunding platform Startnext . With his iCrane project, which became known as the most successful crowdfunding project to date in Germany, the inventor was able to gain experience on Startnext. Within three months, the Shift7 project reached the funding target by 140%. With the Shift4 and Shift5 series, further fair smartphones were brought onto the market. In 2018, Shift was able to catch up with the Fairphone in terms of repairability: with the modular Phones Shift6m and Shift5me. So far, all Shiftphone projects have been financed exclusively through crowdfunding or equity, in order to be able to freely decide on the manufacturing processes and suppliers.
The development of the Shift12 , a mixture of tablet and laptop, was abandoned, although the device had already been (partially) financed with crowdfunding in 2017. Instead of the Shift12, an all-in-one device called Shiftmu is to appear in 2020 .
particularities
- Device deposit: In 2016 Shift was the first telecommunication device manufacturer to introduce the device deposit for all Shift products. In order to avoid waste , end users should send defective devices back to the company in order to ensure proper disposal or further use by second or third parties.
- Upgrade option: Right from the start, customers with the upgrade option had the option of switching to a different Shiftphone at any time and in any device status. Here, too, the shift is about reintegrating unused devices into the cycle. Returned Shiftphones are refurbished, sold used or given to aid projects.
- No loss of guarantee: The user should be able to make changes to the device himself without losing the guarantee. Explanatory videos help with repairs and explain step by step how to open the device, expand the memory or replace a specific module. The company also actively supports the use of alternative operating systems such as Android with and without Google or Sailfish OS.
- Shift Report: With the Shift Report , Shift provides information on sustainable aspects and the processes in the area of social justice that affect the manufacturing process of its products.
- No power packs: A shiftphone does not come with a power pack. Here, too, it is a matter of avoiding waste and preventing further electronic waste.
Products
Explanation of naming
With the exception of the Shiftmu, all devices have the rounded length of the display diagonal in inches in their name. For example, a 4.4-inch display is installed in the Shift4 and a 5-inch display in the Shift5. Since the upcoming Shift6m or Shift6mq with a 5.7-inch display will reach almost 6 inches in the display, Shift6 was chosen as the name for the device series. The number after the point determines the version of the device. For example, the Shift5 has been replaced by an updated Shift5.1. Then the Shift5.2 appeared, which was replaced by the current version Shift5.3. In 2017 Shift decided to add an 'm' to future products in order to emphasize the modularity more clearly.
Product overview
| Surname | Market launch | price | Android version | screen | processor | Geekbench | R.A.M. | Flash | Cameras | battery pack | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| at market launch | current | Single / multi | |||||||||
| Shift4 | 2015 | 222 EUR | 5.1.1 | 5.1.1 | 4.4 "IPS 1280 * 720 | MT6582 4x | GB3: 330/1200 GB4: 400/1200 |
2 GB | 16 GB | 8/5 MP | 1800 mAh |
| Shift4.2 | 2017 | 4.4 "IPS 1280 * 720 Gorilla Glass | |||||||||
| Shift5 | 2015 | 244 EUR | 4.4.2 | 5 "IPS 1280 * 720 | 1 GB | 8 GB | 8/2 MP | 2000 mAh | |||
| Shift5.1 | 5.1 | 2 GB | 16 GB | 8/5 MP | |||||||
| Shift5.2 | 2016 | 299 EUR | 5 "IPS 1280 * 720 Gorilla Glass | ||||||||
| Shift5.3 | 2017 | ||||||||||
| Shift5me | 2019 | 444 EUR | 8th | 8th | 4.97 "IPS 1920 * 1080 Gorilla Glass 5 | MT6797X 10x | GB4: 1500/3000 GB5: 300/1000 |
3-4 GB | 32-64 GB | 16/13 MP | 2450 mAh |
| Shift6m | 2018 | 555 EUR | 5.7 "AMOLED 1920 * 1080 Gorilla Glass 5 | 4 GB | 64 GB | 21/13 MP | 4242 mAh | ||||
| Shift6mq | Planned for 2020 | 844 EUR | 10 | 6 "AMOLED 2160 * 1080 Gorilla Glass | Snapdragon 845 8x | GB5: 500/2200 | 6 GB | 64 GB | 16 & 24 (dual) / 13 MP | 3850 mAh | |
| Shift7 | 2014 | 222 EUR | 4.4 | 7 "IPS 1280 * 800 | MT8382 4x | GB3: 350/1100 | 1 GB | 8 GB | 8/2 MP | 3000 mAh | |
| Shift7 + | 2016 | 333 EUR | 5.1 | MT6735 4x | GB3: 500/1500 | 2 GB | 16 GB | 13/5 MP | 3300 mAh | ||
| Shiftmu | Planned for 2021/2022 | 999 EUR | probably 10, Linux, Windows | probably 5 "-6" AMOLED | at least Snapdragon 865 | at least 6 GB | |||||
| Shift13mi | Planned for 2021 | 1444 EUR | probably 10, Linux, Windows | probably 13 " | possibly Intel Tigerlake | ||||||
Series
Shift4 series
The Shift4 smartphones are compact models. It is equipped similarly to the Shift5 series, but has smaller dimensions and a smaller display. The first Shiftphone with a 4.4-inch display appeared in 2015. There was no Shift4.1 version. Instead, the Shift4 was replaced in 2017 by the current Shift4.2, which was the last model in the series so far. In 2018 the release of a Shift4m was announced, but a few months later - due to an almost 5 inch display - it was renamed Shift5me.
Product features of the Shift4.2:
- Processor: MT6582: 3G, quad core
- Battery: 1800 mAh battery
- Operating system: Android 5.1 ( OTA capable)
- 4.4-inch HD IPS display (1280 × 720 pixels)
- Dimensions: 135 mm × 65 mm × 7 mm
- Weight: 122 g
- 5 MP front and 8 MP rear cameras, full HD video
- Memory: 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal
- microSD: Support up to 64 GB
- Dual SIM
- Connections: standard micro USB, headphones
- Max. SAR value : 0.69 W / kg.
Shift5 series
The Shift5 smartphones are models with a 5-inch display. The first Shift5 appeared in 2015. As the last device in the Shift5 series, the Shift5me appeared in 2019 with high-quality equipment and an optimized modular concept.
Product features of the no longer available Shift5.1, 5.2 and 5.3:
- Processor: MT6582 quad core
- Battery: 2000 mAh (changeable)
- Operating system: Android 5.1
- 5-inch HD IPS display (Gorilla Glass from Shift5.2)
- 8 MP rear, 5 MP front camera, Full HD video
- 16 GB internal memory, expandable via SD by up to 64 GB
- 144 x 72 x 7 mm
- 2 GB RAM
Product features of the Shift5me:
- Processor: MT6797X Helio X27, 2.6 GHz, 10 cores
- Battery: 2450 mAh (exchangeable)
- Operating system: Android 8 (ShiftOS)
- 4.97-inch FullHD IPS display (Gorilla glas 5)
- 16 MP rear, 13 MP front camera, 4K video
- 32 GB internal memory, expandable via SD by up to 256 GB
- 141.5 mm × 71 mm × 9 mm
- Weight: 200 g
- 3 GB LPDDR3 RAM
There is now an extended version with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage.
Shift6 series
The first model from the Shift6 series appeared in April 2018 under the name Shift6m . The model has a display size of 5.7 inches. The modular concept has been optimized. All connections consist of plug-in or screw connections. Care was taken to use only one type of screw (Torx 3 of the same length). Mixing up the screws is therefore impossible. The appropriate screwdriver is included in the scope of delivery. The Shift6m has over 13 modules which the end user can change without additional tools. In 2018, the model received one of nine federal ecodesign prizes awarded that year .
Product features of the Shift6m:
- Processor: Deca-Core up to 2.6 GHz
- Operating system: Android 8 (ShiftOS)
- 151.5 mm × 79.8 mm × 10 mm
- Weight: 199 g
Shift7 series
The Shift7 smartphones are phablet models with a 7-inch display. With the Shift7, the first Shiftphone was produced in 2015. The production of the Shift7 series is currently stopped. It is still unclear whether Shift will manufacture further 7-inch devices in the future.
Product features of the Shift7 +:
- Processor: MTK6735: 4G LTE, Quadcore
- Battery: 3300 mAh battery
- Operating system: Android 5.1 (OTA-capable)
- 7-inch HD IPS display (1280 × 720 pixels)
- Dimensions: 190 mm × 110 mm × 8.5 mm
- 5 MP front and 13 MP rear cameras, full HD video
- Memory: 2 GB RAM and 16 GB internal
- microSD: Support up to 64 GB
- Dual SIM
- Connections: standard micro USB, headphones
- Max. SAR value: 0.28 W / kg
reception
Doubt in the c't
Initially, doubts were expressed about the credibility of the fair corporate goals of Shift GmbH. In its 9/2016 issue , the computer magazine c't cast doubt on the fairness of the Shift5.1. In the article it is pointed out that the founder Carsten Waldeck does not submit any documents to back up his statements. Statements from the Fair Production Manifesto on the manufacturer's website are also noticeably vague. Furthermore, the manifesto was written by Waldeck and signed “by 'Aaron, the founder and CEO of Vstar and Weihuaxin', a company based in Shenzen, China”. The company, which according to c't is described by Waldeck as the “main partner”, has the Shiftphones manufactured by another company. According to c't , the manifesto is only “a declaration of intent by the shift maker, not an investigation report by an at least halfway independent third party”. The conclusion of the article is correspondingly hard on the Shift5.1: It should not be viewed as a Fairphone alternative, but only as a typical cheap smartphone.
Mixed representation at Utopia
The ecology portal Utopia.de also described the efforts to achieve more sustainable production as “non-transparent”. Nevertheless, the Shift5 was "initially" included in a list of the best ecological smartphones.
Further representations
In contrast, the magazine "Digitale Welt" writes that environmentally friendly measures are just as important as fair working conditions and reparability. The latter is achieved through the concept of the modular structure of the devices, the individual parts of which can be ordered by the user and repaired with commercially available tools and tutorials.
Reports after 2017
Recent reports paint a clearer picture. Articles from other magazines were also able to capture Carsten Waldeck's statements and substantiate their credibility accordingly. In June 2018, for example, golem.de reported in detail about the company and its efforts in terms of sustainability and fairness. The ProSieben magazine Galileo also tested the newly released Shift6m - also in June 2018 - and illuminated the production conditions of the in-house Shift factory in China in the form of video recordings. In September 2018, N-tv described the initial efforts to ensure fairness and sustainability, as well as the history of the Shiftphone. Computer magazine c't found more positive words about the German smartphone manufacturer in issue 15/2018, even though the reporting in the context of other European providers is only very brief. Also in the ecology portal Utopia.de in an article from August 2018 there is no longer any talk of intransparency.
Deutsche Welle wrote on December 7th, 2018: "Smartphone and sustainability - is that possible? With the Shift-Phone!"
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ SHIFT Report 2016 (German). Retrieved January 10, 2018 .
- ↑ Connect Article (March 2017) (German). Retrieved January 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Wirtschaftswoche reports. Retrieved January 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Current information on SHIFTmu! Blog on the SHIFT GmbH website, accessed on June 21, 2020.
- ↑ Cell phone from North Hesse: New on the market: The Shiftphone. Short text on a TV report on RTL Hessen, November 28, 2017
- ↑ Starnext crowdfunding platform. Retrieved January 10, 2018 .
- ↑ Shift7 project on Startnext. Retrieved January 11, 2018 .
- ↑ An invention becomes the most successful crowdfunding project in Germany. Retrieved January 10, 2018 .
- ↑ Article on welt.de about Shift5.1 (German). Retrieved January 22, 2018 .
- ↑ Explanation for handling the Shift device deposit. Retrieved January 11, 2018 .
- ↑ YouTube channel Shiftphones Supporter. Retrieved January 11, 2018 .
- ↑ SHIFT Report 2016 (German). Retrieved January 10, 2018 .
- ↑ SHIFT outlook - This will be 2018! Shift blog entry, February 15, 2018
- ↑ 2018 - a short interim report! Shift blog post, May 29, 2018
- ↑ Prize winners 2018
- ↑ Question of trust - the supposedly fair Android smartphone Shift 5.1. Retrieved April 1, 2018 .
- ↑ Smartphone leaderboard. utopia.de
- ↑ Florentina Hofbauer: Sustainable Smartphones in Comparison. digitaleweltmagazin.de
- ↑ Sustainability doesn't have to be too expensive or unsightly. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
- ↑ The first German smartphone. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
- ↑ Fair high technology from Hessen - A smartphone that is supposed to change the world. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
- ↑ Market overview - Smartphones from Europe. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
- ↑ Test: Shift6m from Shiftphones - the German Fairphone alternative. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
- ↑ https://www.dw.com/de/smartphone-und-nachhaltigkeit- geht-das-beim-shift-phone-schon/a- 46553630