- except Pine64 it seems. (also somewhat modular btw)
Pinephone does not have lock-able bootloders. Meaning less security. In contrast I can install Calyx OS on a Fairphone, Re-Lock the bootloader, and its secure and private.
Comment on How fair is a Fairphone? (Or, how much of the sticker price does Fairphone spend on fair/eco?)
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 2 days ago
This is absolutely correct.
I actually remember the time when they changed their messaging and openly admitted that their phone is not and can never be 100% “fair”, but that they’re trying their best. Even so, what I read then read better than what you present.
TBF (haha, pun very much intended) their phones are also about modularity.
So where does the money go?
Almost* every alternative hardware company asks much more for a (hardware wise comparable) product for a whole slew of reasons; “Fairness” rarely plays into it.
In other words, even if the Fairphone wouldn’t claim to be fair, it would cost just as much.
And, to be fair again, the Fairphone is still cheaper than some of its competitors.
* except Pine64 it seems. (also somewhat modular btw)
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
squaresinger@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Yeah, my issue with Fairphone’s branding/marketing/reputation here is that I know a lot of people who buy a fairphone because they want to save the planet, and that’s really not what this phone is doing.
This is exactly it. Running a tiny company with nothing in-house making a custom phone with custom hardware is expensive.
That’s where the whole concept falls apart for me. I own my phones for a long time, and battery longevity has gotten much better in the last 1-2 decades. If you own a phone for 5-7 years, you will likely need to replace the battery one, or at most two times. Even if in the worst case this is going to cost you at max maybe €135 per swap (that’s what Apple charges for a battery swap on their most expensive phone). On a cheaper phone using 3rd party repair shops we are talking about less than half of that.
I’ve never destroyed a screen before, but some people do, and also then you’ll likely pay maybe €150-200 for a phone in the same range as the FP5. Now consider that Fairphone spare parts really aren’t cheap. They want €40 (plus shipping) for the battery and €100 (plus shipping) for the display for an FP5, so you aren’t saving that much on DIY repairs with the Fairphone.
Now consider that buying a mainstream phone comparable to a Fairphone is usually ~€300 cheaper, and the calculation completely breaks down. And it becomes even worse if you never destroy the screen.
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 1 day ago
A lot? Lucky you. I know one.
It’s not an on/off either/or thing; every little bit helps.
Are you expecting a Fairphone to be only as much more expensive as the extra (“fair”) wages paid would cost? But your own quote above proves why that cannot be.
The rest of your comment is much the same; you seem to get too hung up on comparing prices to mainstream devices/parts. If it’s too expensive for you, don’t buy it. You can also do your part in saving the planet by using an older phone for longer with, say, Lineage OS or Sailfish OS.
squaresinger@lemmy.world 1 day ago
That’s too simplistic. We don’t have unlimited resources, so if you want to help with something it’s very helpful to know how much what you do helps and if there’s better ways.
For example, since Fairphone is mostly using credits, you can just directly donate to the right organisations and have the same result. So if you buy a regular phone and donate €5, you will have done more than if you spend an extra €200-€300 for getting a Fairphone over a mainstream phone. And you will have done much, much more if you buy a mainstream phone and donate the €200-300 directly.
That is true, Fairphone wouldn’t be able to do much more with what they got, but at that point it becomes misleading marketing.
It doesn’t make sense to make a product that is 7% “fair” sourced and make “fair” so much core of the branding that it’s right there in the company name.
It’s like rebranding Coca Cola to “Recycling bottle cola” if they include 7% recycling plastic in the bottles. Even if they really can’t do better than 7%, that’s ok, but then you can’t use that as THE main marketing point.
If their brand name was “Repairablephone” I wouldn’t have said anything.
But at that point “Fairphone” is as much fair as the “Trumpphone” is “100% made in USA”.
A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 1 day ago
I question if donations work that way. And you still bought one more device that’s made on the backs of disenfranchised people. (Again, not saying that a Fairphone eliminates that 100%, but a little)
In the end you are annoyed at the brand name plus the higher price evoking larger excpectations in some of your friends. Join the club. But that’s a far cry from your original statement. Glad we could clear that up.