my mum bought a fairphone 3 about 5 years ago and is extremely happy with it, so far she’s gone through one usb-c port and one battery. it looks and feels exactly like a normal phone but it pops open with just 4 screws. helping her fix it has taught me that phone manufacturers could make repairable phones easily and they all just choose not to
Man I remember when my Mom was actually able to fix a VCR at home with simple tools as well. That VCR lasted as long as sears repaired shops and then they were out of business and the VCR was out for good.
The situation won’t improve until some big company goes full “IBM PC” thing with open AT, ISA, VESA, etc tier standards for phones.
This phone is better just because you can open the case. Spare parts are still provided by a single company. Not a big step ahead.
Better than nothing though…
Better than Nothing though.
Nothing phone has a pretty average repairability score, so I’d assume so.
the wheels of justice turn slowly 🐌
With all respect, I still think an iPhone is a better chance at having spare parts many years ahead. I am confident I can find some spare parts of iPhone 4S. Would that hold for FairPhone or a similar phone? If not, the benefit is an illusion. Unless, I think, you can produce that part yourself.
First party spare parts or third party sketchy spare parts?
Spare part availability comes partly from the popularity of a phone, and iPhones were pretty popular.
Fairphone is just starting to get some steam, so third party spare part may start appearing in the future. same for used parts.Fairphones got a lot better lately. I got both the 4, 5, and now gen 6, and the latest one feels like a good phone, unless the FP4 which is a brick in comparison. Still lacks several Flagship feature (wireless charging, amongs other), but as a mid-range phone it is quite good.
And the repeatability is great. I repaired my FP4 once (usb-c port), and it was easy as heck.
It’s great to hear, thanks for the feedback!
I meant any spare parts, so in your terms they are sketchy spare parts, I guess. Yet, it’s better than nothing though.
My primary concern is the software part though. I have plenty of phones that never broke, but all of them hit the software wall and it was just easier to buy a newer model.
With unofficial parts you can get anything, from very good parts to outright dangerous ones (especially batteries).
The problem with IPhone is their association system (which is illegal in the EU BTW). Understandable with those dangerous part on the market, but far too overcharging. They could just warn you during boot or something like that.
As for the software wall, it is where Fairphones shines. Even when the official support ends, the custom ROMs keeps updating for a while. IPhones are great on that aspect too, Samsungs are OK, but can’t say for other brands.
Honestly, how’s the camera on the 6? I’ve been pixel mostly because I want to take pictures of my son without regretting later.
I’m okay with the camera on the 6, but no it’s not as good as a Pixel, nor does it open and take pictures as quickly.
I’m not that much into photos, so I can’t really judge. In my book, it is OK.
If you want to get good pictures, nothing will ever beat a dedicated camera, even a mid-range one is way better than a smartphone, even an high-end one, due to the size limitations.
But an iPhone 4S nowadays is completely unusable, it’s impossibile to run a browser that doesn’t use a ten years old engine. For reference, a galaxy Nexus from the same age could run android 6 (custom ROM, otherwise android 4.3) and can still run most modern apps.
If you can find parts for the iphone 4s it’s because some warehouse is still full of them, not because Apple is still manufacturing them if needed
Yes, I do agree. If only Apple allowed compete and true removal of some apps (not hiding them, but completely removing some system apps), and allowed Safari upgrades, that would be quite decent phone for an average light use. I’d use it, I think.
Also, since we dream here, if the system was open source and drivers too, and all that… theoretically, we could run a slimmed down OS that would allow some apps to run.
My point is, in some sibling comment, that software is more of a problem than hardware. I have a usable (hardware wise) iPhone 4S, but it’s useless software-wise.
I want GrapheneOS more than repairability, personally. I hope the Fairphone + GrapheneOS combination is possible some day…
The Graphene devs explicitly only support Pixels. Sticking with Graphene means continuing to give Google the profits from your hardware.
/e/OS is not bad as an alternative. The system wide ad and tracker blocking is nice.
This is a big issue that the fairphone doesn’t have its dtb open yet. It’s not easy to build ROM for it. Despite their core claim of sustainability, without addressing the blobs, it remains just a tad more convenient for green minded people. We need a full Fairphone.
That’s fair and all, and I see your point. A 100% “fair” phone is the end-goal.
Butin the battle against corporate douche-baggery, if we keep making perfect the enemy of good, we’ll never get anywhere.
And besides that, fairphone is just greenwashing when it comes to repairability, good luck finding parts for previous generations.
That demonstrably false by just going to the store…
I don’t know why people keep saying that.
I think it is because 90% of company sustainability is simply greenwashing.
Fairphone also had the whole “fairbuds” thing where they released tws earbuds (and then removed the headphone jack) and supported them for under 2 years before throwing them away and they are completely non-repairable, then acted like they didn’t exist.
The new fairbuds are 10x better though, but I have heard the sound on both of their headphones is mediocre at best.
You can still get cameras and screens for the Fairphone 2 from Fairphone. No they’re not making more, but they also have never said “unlimited support forever”.
That the process doesn’t require prying apart glue alone makes it significantly more repairable than any other mainstream phone.
/e/OS is not bad as an alternative. The system wide ad and tracker blocking is nice.
I switched to e/os on a couple of motorolas that supported it and it’s great so far.
The comparisons to GrapheneOS are fair to some degree, but also not. Graphene is meant to be privacy and security hardened, whereas e/OS, while it is more secure than regular android, is more concerned with privacy hardening. The biggest misconception people have seems to be thinking that privacy and security are the same thing; and while that is true on the surface level, security (a la GrapheneOS) goes much deeper.
So while my phone may not be as “hack resistant” as a GrapheneOS, it’s degoogled and very protective of tracking, which is what I’m primarily concerned with. So I’m happy.
I just wish I could afford a fairphone in Canada.
FYI, I think your third mention of Graphene was meant to be /e/OS.
Whoops. Thanks for the catch.
I just bought a refurbished (as new) Pixel 9 to use Grapheneos.
Saved ~50% and didn’t pay Google.
Genius! That is exactly how I buy my slaves
I’m sorry, your what??? 😳
Agree, buying a used pixel made by slave labor wage is still morally grey. And buying them used increases their market value, therefore people can find buying a new pixel easier as they can sell it for more later.
That wasn’t as funny as you thought it would be.
Phrasing?
What the fuck dude
Fairphone is the sort of phone for people who think LineageOS with an unlocked bootloader is secure made by a company who has sincerely promised to make things better but hasn’t substantially improved security (especially in how often they push security patches). Grapheneos is not a brand name you can just apply to give a phone more reputation, its an OS that represents the highest standard of security.
Wow. Two FP posts in a night. Paste of my comment.
Faiphone is being frog marched out of Australia. Each telco is shutting it down and blocking IMEIs. Sucks for the people that imported them.
Cant even use it as data only. So unless you use it as puerly on WiFi it’s going to landfill. 😔.
I have a fairphone 6 in Australia with no issues.
Can you elaborate?
Thread goes back to the Telstra cutoff. Optus to do the same soon. Looks like TPG might be the last stand.
https://forum.fairphone.com/t/3g-network-closure-australia/109696/160
I’ll be interested to know what happens with FP6. Of your notbwoth TPG or a reseller of there’s you should have got a message by now.
I can only assume that message is because the FP 5 is not compatible with VoIP (not strictly related to the 3G cutoff). If so, that means it is actually unable to call emergency services, and is therefore unable to be used safely in Australia.
The emergency services in Australia have recently switched to VoIP only, and want to eliminate the risk of someone using a non VoIP capable phone as their only phone. This appears to be a general safety issue, not specifically targeted at Fairphone.
The FP 6 does support VoIP, so it should have no issues.
TBH wifi only is what I’d like to have. I just want a device I can hold in my pocket without worrying about cell service, but still call a rideshare because I don’t drive and those stupid services don’t do a request-by-phone. I’d ditch it entirely if I could.
International sale might work
Any chance the Aus govt might step in?
I recently moved from an iPhone 11 Pro to a Fairphone (Fairphone Gen 6), and it’s been a genuinely great change.
It’s made me realise how little I actually use most of the features you end up paying extra for in flagship phones. Because of that, I’m really looking forward to keeping this device for five years or more.
The only thing I occasionally miss is camera quality especially at concerts or when travelling but it’s a small trade-off rather than a deal-breaker. I’d love to see future Fairphone models improve on this.
Hopefully, Fairphone helps set a trend as more people start looking for products that are ethically sourced, repairable and built to last.
Do they work on US networks?
Yup! I daily drive a Fairphone 6 with Mint Mobile in the US.
Awesome! And just to clarify, 5g works as well? Any issues with MMS or RCS messages? Visual voicemail works?
I ask because I am actively looking for a replacement for my 4a, it really is at its end of life at this point.
I was also considering some Nokia/HMD phones,as they made good scores on the ifixit repairability scale. Apparently HMD (who actually make Nokia phones) has a whole line of phones where their goal was modularity/repairability. It’s just been unclear which of these phones actually work on US networks.
There’s also shift phones out of Germany, but same deal, will they work on US networks?
I’m guessing the EU has some incentive programs to help these phones exist, but as a result, they’re mostly aimed at EU markets and networks.
Yeah, 5G works (I’m on it at the moment!). No issues with MMS, but I haven’t tested RCS since I’m on /e/OS (which doesn’t support RCS as far as I’m aware - I just use SMS/MMS and Matrix). The visual voicemail functionality in the stock /e/OS Phone app doesn’t work with Mint Mobile, but the T-Mobile Visual Voicemail app does work.
I really value the camera on my phone, since it is essentially my main camera and I enjoy taking pictures. I might rather lean into graphene-ing this pixel than a fair phone, unfortunately. But probably not purchase a future pixel, since they abandoned the physical SIM slot
*in the US
I am leaning toward Fairphone to replace my Apple.
Has anyone tried loading KDE Plasma Mobile onto one of these?
The Fairphone team has tried to help with mainline Linux support: https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Fairphone_(Gen._6)_(fairphone-fp6)
I replaced the power button and battery on my android phone. Managed to fix it by watching YouTube tutorials.
I’m interested in this brand and their Gen 6. I kind of wish I was in the market for a phone. Unfortunately I bought a used Pixel 6 three years ago and everything is just fine with it 😄
My 5yo Pixel 6 inflated just last Friday. I panic-ordered a Pixel 9a, but since Google didn’t fulfill my supplier’s shipment, I cancelled and switched to a Fairphone today. It’ll arrive tomorrow. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’ve been using a Fairphone 4 for a couple weeks, and I like it so far. This is the way phones should be made. I eventually found replacements for most of my Google stuff. It’s just sad that my government burned our bridges with trade, so any replacement parts I import will be expensive.
I will have to consider Fairphone when I am looking for my next phone. Looking at their site, my only hesitation is about water resistance. I understand that repairability comes at the cost of making everything glued and sealed shut, but I drop my phone in water once every couple of years. If that risks killing it, it is not going to be a phone that will last long in my hands.
Have you considered not dropping your phone in water?
Hard to avoid when you have a toddler and dog bowls around…
I have, but decided against it. I am clumsy and my hands are big enough to barely use my phone one handed (but not hold it securely when I do).
With an IP55 rating, I would assume it can resist a drop in water. As long as you don’t stare at it for multiple minutes and do get it out asap.
I would hope, but I would want to check reviews to be sure.
I assume they just haven’tspent the money for higher IPS ratings?
I like the look of these but I would much rather to not use Android again. It appears that they’re trying to port Ubuntu Touch over and the Postmarket wiki shows some functionality is not all there. Interesting to see this coming along though.
Really glad to hear that. I’ve been using a Fairphone 5 for about 2 years now and while it’s certainly not on the level of a flagship I can’t say I miss anything. Sure, a better camera or faster processor would be nice to have, but both get the job done and are certainly not necessary for the average user. Samsung and Apple would have us believe that we all need a DLSR camera strapped to a supercomputer in our pocket in order to swipe on Instagram and take the occasional selfie. I’d gladly trade that in to make the world a tiny bit better by not supporting slavery and not wasting resources.
I’ve been running a Fairphone 6 for about 6 months now and it’s by far the buggiest phone I’ve ever used. I’d love to keep using it until the security updates stop but it’s already such a miserable experience already I can’t imagine how bad it’ll be in a few years time.
Can you elaborate on how it has been buggy? What kind of issues have you come across?
The most annoying bug for me currently is the camera will sometimes just not save photos. It’ll appear as though it has worked and then later when I go to look at the photo there’s just no sign of me ever taking anything.
The second biggest annoyance would be the touchscreen simply not working sometimes until I lock and unlock the device again.
Finally we have the seemingly random lack of charging where I’ll wake up some mornings to find it hasn’t been charging at all despite being plugged in all night.
It’s been fine for me
