Fairphone teams up with the developer of the /e/ Android fork to enable US sales.
  • frogman [he/him] ( frogman@beehaw.org ) 
    80·
    3 years ago

    i used this phone for a year. the phone is a bit bulky and heavy, but not much more than a flagship phone with a case on it. i never needed a case because of the metal build, and the back is this rubber/plastic material that’s really nice. no stupid glass that will crack if u drop it.

    the back comes off nice and easy and everything is removable with a screwdriver. the battery doesnt require a screwdriver to remove if i recall correctly. the replacement parts are available on fairphone’s website. the bootloader is unlockable so you can change the OS if you wanted to aswell. the stock OS isn’t so comfortable so i do recommend trying out alternatives, i had good experiences with /e/ and CalyxOS.

    the fairphone marketing is a bit gross in my opinion. removing the headphone jack right as they release their own wireless accessories. having the hardware inside the phone for a second SIM, but making it inaccessible to end-users. promising 5 years of warranty and software support despite using old hardware that will not have 5 years of firmware updates, let alone security updates down the line. they base this on their long-term updates to fp2 and fp3 which also lack these critical components.

    the phone’s specs are nothing special. which is fine when you consider that the premium you’re paying is for your own ethics; NOT the quality of the phone. but remember, fairphone are no stranger to misleading marketing and greenwashing. if you care about security updates, this isn’t a 5 year phone as they’re promising it to be.

    i ended up installing grapheneOS on a used pixel, that’s my phone now. it’s a much, much better experience and i get to know that it will hold this quality of life for a long time to come. i do miss the removable battery, though.

    please correct me if im wrong on anything.

    • frogman [he/him] ( frogman@beehaw.org ) 
      26·
      3 years ago

      to also note, we shouldn’t make Good the enemy of Perfect.

      if the fp4 fits your needs, even knowing everything in this thread, then it’s still a massive leap forward and a future that NEEDS financial support to ever exist. i regret buying my FP4, but i would have still donated to fairphone either way. however, we shouldn’t blindly accept their misleading marketing either.

      edit: clearing up a vague sentiment

      • frogman [he/him] ( frogman@beehaw.org ) English
        26·
        3 years ago

        the problem isn’t that they dont “support” older models, it’s that the support is purely for show. they aren’t receiving the chip OEM updates and they also aren’t rolling out support for android releases. even the FP4, which launched right before android 12 launched, was stuck on android 11 for a worrying length of time. CalyxOS, a group of FOSS developers, ended up making the android 12 port for them. fairphone shouldn’t be taken seriously on their product support length claims. you will not be receiving some of the most important updates. this should be important to any of security conscious readers.

        edit: grammar fix

        edit 2: got the android version wrong 🤦‍♂️

      • Mummelpuffin ( Mummelpuffin@beehaw.org ) English
        5·
        3 years ago

        Why is it peculiar to say that a modular phone you don’t need to entirely toss away is eco-conscious? Reducing consumption is a good thing, right? Of course the fact that they can’t actually support that hardware is another thing…

        • frogman [he/him] ( frogman@beehaw.org ) English
          12·
          3 years ago

          it’s exactly the lack of support that becomes an issue. they make these claims of ‘eco-consciousness’ on false grounds.

          if fairphone claimed to be a modular phone (even if they had never hinted at being upgradeable 🤦‍♂️) with a couple of fairtrade gold status sourced parts, open schematics and a kind team, this could be a different story. but they promise years of support that they can only partially provide (and even then often fail to), removed the headphone jack while pushing their own unrepairable wireless accessories and they – worryingly often – can’t even keep their devices on the most recent android version.

          running out of software support should be the end of life for your device. pushing people to buy unrepairable wireless accessories. these are directly contributing to e-waste. fairphone’s claims of being eco-conscious are disingenuous at best, and exploitative at worst. i think it’s just greenwashing.

    • Virulent ( Virulent@reddthat.com ) 
      9·
      3 years ago

      I’m interested in the next generation of fairphone whenever that comes out. For me it isn’t about ethics as much as longevity. I want a phone with a replaceable battery because that’s the main reason why I find myself replacing my phones.

      • frogman [he/him] ( frogman@beehaw.org ) 
        7·
        3 years ago

        the hardware itself should last. just make sure that the replacement parts are available on the website and buy some early, i had issues before part availability.

        the repairability of the fp4 is awesome. the back comes off with just your fingernail, the battery isnt screwed in, and some of the components most likely to be damaged are easily replaced (assuming stock availability on the website). there’s also a cool crowd called fairphone angels, volunteers that will repair phones for people for free if you trust them enough. i think it’s awesome. fairphone also provides all the design schematics if that’s important to you. as an ethical thing, it’s important to me.

        fairphone support also seem really down-to-earth from my experience with them in case you have any issues.

        of course, the hardware will likely last. if the specs are enough for you, then it’s not a bad phone at all. like i said above, fairphone have an awful track record with software updates and misleading advertising so this should be a concern if you are conscious about security.

    • jonne ( jonne@infosec.pub ) 
      3·
      3 years ago

      Replacement battery is all I would need in order to keep a phone for longer than I currently do. My previous phone was still fine in all aspects except for battery life and OS updates.

      If you don’t care about gaming, any phone has good enough specs to last you for 5+ years without any issue.

  • supercriticalcheese ( supercriticalcheese@feddit.it ) 
    23·
    3 years ago

    I was considering this some time back, but the fact that this sustainable phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack irks me.

    I understand that it’s the trend nowadays but it’s still an extra dongle people will loose and need to buy again and again.

        • abir_vandergriff ( abir_vandergriff@beehaw.org ) 
          4·
          3 years ago

          Well AT&T labels some stuff wrong, sometimes when you’re on a 5G capable tower but network congestion moved you to a lower band, they label it as 5GE when it’s actually 4G/LTE. Otherwise, I’ve certainly not heard of basically any issues beyond the usual growing pains like we got with 4G.

        • gaael ( gaael@beehaw.org ) 
          3·
          3 years ago

          More of a personal/situated POV, my previous comment was a bit rashly worded.

          From where I stand, it’s yet again another useless trend generating e-waste.

          Like “oh look with 5g you’ll be able to load netflix and pornhub in 10k very ultra mega high hd on your tiny phone screens, you really need it and you need to ditch uour old phone before its end of life and to buy a 5g one”.

          They even tried to sell it as philantropic " thanks to 5g, poor people in poor countries [insert picture with black people here] will have access to good doctors from good places for surgeries [insert white old dude in a white coat picture here]".

          And it opens a whole new field of connected items which sounds really nice in terms of corporate/state spying.

  • Storksforlegs ( storksforlegs@beehaw.org ) 
    13·
    3 years ago

    Has anyone tried using it? What was your experience?

    The phone is such a good idea, I really hope it is compatible with carriers here in Canada.

    Honestly, just last night I was trying to replace the battery in an old Samsung phone, an A5. (For my son to play with, for making lego stop motions, videos etc.) So I bought a battery and repair kit. How hard could it be?

    I’m sure it was designed to never be repaired or opened. Replacing the battery required me to totally dismantle my phone, then hopefully reassemble correctly. However the whole thing was so filled with glue and this proved to be impossible.

    It was a really nice little phone. So ticked off with how stupid and disposable the design ended up being.

  • Safeguard ( Safeguard@beehaw.org ) English
    13·
    3 years ago

    So I’m from the Netherlands. My wife and I have this phone. We also have the framework laptop and “repeat audio” headphones (https://repeat.audio/, which are also repairable)

    After owning and breaking a few phones and apparal that I could not fix, was hard to get serviced, and got stuck with repair bills I was done. Plus, I’m in a well-paying job (IT) so I figured; if anyone is capable of voting with my money, it’s me.

    I did install lineageos, and I use Linux on my frameworks. But the phone is simply wonderfull! I have an extra battery in my nutsack (https://nutsac.com/) so when I need it, I can swap battery’s in like 10 seconds and continue my day with a full battery (https://shop.fairphone.com/shop/fairphone-4-battery-22?category=4#attr=)

    My wife already broke the screen ;-) which was a 5 minute job to switch with simple tools. Absolutely wonderfull

    • itsYaBoyNoodles ( r3nder@beehaw.org ) English
      4·
      3 years ago

      Thank you for sharing your nutsac. I’ve been looking for a good one to play with for a while now and I just know I’m going to have fun with this one! My kids are gonna love this!

      • Safeguard ( Safeguard@beehaw.org ) English
        4·
        3 years ago

        My wife cannot say enough good things about my nutsac. Holds everything we need while on the road.

        I’ve got the larger 13" nutsac, which does impress everyone who sees it.

    • nixnoodle ( nixnoodle@beehaw.org ) 
      3·
      3 years ago

      About the extra battery, I’ve considered getting one myself, but it sounds a bit like a hassle having to turn off the phone while swapping them out? Or can you connect it to a power source while swapping to keep it on?

      • Safeguard ( Safeguard@beehaw.org ) 
        3·
        3 years ago

        No it turns off as soon as you take the battery out ;-) All in all no more then 20 seonds, including starting back up (10 seconds for just replacing the battery). I don’t mind it. Especially since now I do not have to carry a larger powerbank and cable.

    • femboy_link.mp4 ( PascalSausage@beehaw.org ) 
      7·
      3 years ago

      I’ve tried dumbphones, but frankly most of them are a bit too dumb for how I live my life in 2023. This won’t work for everyone but I’ve personally found that a cellular Apple Watch strikes a nice balance for me - I can still access all the essentials I use daily like calls, messages, maps, timers, music, podcasts, Apple Pay etc but without any of the distractions of my phone. The caveat is that you do need an iPhone to set it up, but this gives me the flexibility of leaving my phone at home when I want to while still having the convenience of a smartphone when I need it.

    • unce ( unce@beehaw.org ) 
      4·
      3 years ago

      I wish they’d make tiny androids like the xz1 compact again. Seems like a dumbphone is a little crazy for 2023. Things like concert tickets, airline tickets, and banking all need apps nowadays. I find a small screen to be less distracting but still functional for modern stuff. The Fairphone looks like another giant android.

    • frogman [he/him] ( frogman@beehaw.org ) 
      3·
      3 years ago

      unfortunately fairphone’s goals do not align with Graphene’s. the former lead dev of graphene daniel micay (who is by far a controversial figure, but if you’re hoping to use Graphene then im sure you’re aware) was VERY critical of fairphone.

      i tried to find an old twitter thread where he gave more specifics, but i dont have twitter and it’s currently being elon’d, so the best i could find currently is this wayback link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230601122507/https://twitter.com/DanielMicay/status/1444040811998588930

      there was a lot more to this though than his complaining in that tweet. fairphone would need to take security a lot more seriously before graphene turns its’ eyes on them.

  • Icarus ( Icarus@beehaw.org ) 
    3·
    3 years ago

    I’ve always been interested in FP so the news that it’s available now is exciting. I recently upgraded phones so I’m not ready to dive, but assuming Fairphone is making a commitment to the US, I could see myself getting one of these in the future. I have been trying to untangle myself from the Google ecosystem, as ethics and privacy are a big concern, but so is security. I feel like more research needs to be on /e/ and some of the other android ROMs before committing.