Only advantage I can think of is the faster soc and more ram on the more expensive models.
Fairphone 5 uses the Qualcomm QCM6490 (equivalent spec to a snapdragon 778g, which is in the nothing phone 1) and has 8gb of ram. Nothing Phone 2 has snapdragon 8+ gen 1 and 12gb of ram on the $699 model, 8gb of ram on the base model that costs $599. Fairphone 5 also has a micro SD card slot coupled with the 256gb of storage, while the nothing phone 2 doesn’t have any microsd card slot and starts with 128gb of storage on the base model.
The fairphone 5 is more expensive, but you’re paying for the ability to actually repair it and 8 years of support.
I already have a nothing phone 2 and I’m outside the return period, but if I didn’t and had the choice between the two today, ngl I’d pay the extra for the more sustainable fairphone 5. Yes it costs more, but it’d pay off in the long-run with repairability and long-term support.
Man and I just bought a new phone like 2 months ago… I would have much preferred this for the longevity