Fairphone has created a smartphone that owners can repair themselves - This sustainable smartphone aims to reduce global electronic waste

Comments

• bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  When I couldn’t repair my Nokia and replace the 5 € USB-Port because there happened to be a small crack in the screen (of course you have to remove the glued on screen to accese the innards), I caved and bought a Fairphone 3.

  Worst decision ever. The stupid thing refuses to break to let me even use the better repairability.

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  • whyNotSquirrel@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    you got me

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  • KpntAutismus@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    almost like a toyota, outdated and often too expensive for what it can do but will last forever.

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    • EatATaco@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      too expensive for what it can do but will last forever

      As far as I’m concerned, this is contradictory; if something is going to last forever, and not ridiculously overpriced, then it’s worth the premium.

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  • Azzu@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Can confirm, nothing broke yet :(

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  • Grabbels@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I was so ready to go hard on this comment, you got me there pal.

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  • Churbleyimyam@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I had the same thing with the FP2. I even got a cheap spare one from ebay to use for spares. Both are still fine. One is now an alarm clock and the other one is a gps for my bike

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  • brisk@aussie.zone ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Ironically Nokia* now make highly repairable phones** again

    * Specifically, the company that bought the Nokia Phones brand

    ** Only their flagships series

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• KpntAutismus@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  the main complaint from me is still the headphone jack. they faced insane backlash when they released the FP4. i thought this company cares about the user as well as the environment. but it seems they didn’t realize that people want actual features (like wireless charging, the headphone jack, or a usable battery size).

  don’t get me wrong, i own a Fairphone 4 and love using it. but making these mistakes 2 times in a row now is just pathetic.

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  • squirrelwithnut@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Not including wireless charging IS caring about the environment. Wireless charging is extremely wasteful and inefficient.

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    • iopq@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      It’s inefficient for energy, but it’s efficient at saving charging cords. My girlfriend goes through one lightning cord a year.

      A phone only needs like 5 watt hours a day max, which is a cost of 365 * $0.08 * 0.005 = $0.15 a year at local prices

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    • KpntAutismus@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Then don’t use it. people who want to switch expect basic features like this for double the price.

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  • 1rre@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    “we want to reduce e-waste by forcing everyone to throw out their wired headphones and buy a new set of wireless ones every couple of years when the battery goes dead”

    The hypocrisy enrages me here

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    • xnileap@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I’ve been using the same pair of Sony XB50AP wired headphones for over 7 years now. It works fine (although not great) even after going through couple washing machine cycles. Meanwhile my wireless WH1000XM3 broke after 2 years of use.

      Also I own an Android with no headphone jack, so I have to use a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle. And I can feel it’s slowly destroying the type C port’s connectors on my phone everytime I plug the dongle in, making the headphone connection sometimes not even recognizeable on my phone.

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    • iopq@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      There are wireless earbuds with repairable batteries. Just not Fairbuds, which have soldered batteries (LOL!)

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    • bitwolf@lemmy.one ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      forcing everyone to use a high quality 9$ dongle DAC with their wired headphones

      Ftfy

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  • 4shtonButcher@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    The problem is there is no competition here. I’d love to see several repairable smartphones with slightly different features that create some competition. For example something with a max 5.5” screen and only a single camera.

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    • KpntAutismus@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Yes, absolutely. fairphone themselves say they want to create competition by making the fairphones. sadly, no one has really fully committed to this.

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    • brisk@aussie.zone ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I can’t speak to your other requirements but the Nokia brand has a couple of repairable phones as a result of an ifixit partnership.

      As Linux Phones they’re a bit more niche but the Librem 5 and the Pine Phone/Pro are very repairability focussed

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    • Liska@feddit.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Actually, there is at least one other company specializing in sustainable / repairable electronics - besides Fairphone - I’m aware of.

      Check out Shiftphone: Their new Shiftphone 8 (still under development / construction) will be a pretty solid deal with a reasonable price-performance ratio - already pre ordered mine and very excited for final delivery in March.

      … Their previous models as well as spare parts, etc. are also still available through their shop.

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  • egonallanon@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Usable battery size? The FP5 has a 4200mah battery which is about 500mah less than the s23 plus which is pretty reasonable and I’ve found it very usable for day to day use. Wireless charing is a pointless gimmick personally and I don’t see the utility of it. Lack of a headphone jack is a pain though.

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    • Honytawk@lemmy.zip ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Wireless charging is a good alternative to have when your usb-c port breaks.

      Of course, with Fairphone is is less of an issue since replacing those is like 15€.

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    • Cethin@lemmy.zip ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I thought the same of wireless charging before I tried it. I now have a charger on my desk that I sit my phone on whenever I’m there. Charging isn’t something I ever even think about now. It just is charged.

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  • puppy@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    My guess for the real reason is that they buy off-the-shelf components from suppliers and don’t have enough money to design and order a custom motherboard with a headphone jack.

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    • KpntAutismus@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      they designed the whole thing themselves. that’s why the schematics are publicly available. they definetely made a choice to fuck over users.

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  • UxyIVrljPeRl@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Jep their decision that I shouldn’t waste energy is the reason i don’t want one(wireless charging)

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    • KpntAutismus@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      plus it’s easy as heck to add during development, i simply don’t get why they didn’t include it.

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  • Nacktmull@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Laughs in FP3

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• Asudox@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Fairphone existed for years now, and the title feels like as if they made a new phone just now that is repairable.

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  • Honytawk@lemmy.zip ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Yeah, the Fairphone 2 is 7 years old and you can still buy all the important replacement parts directly from their store.

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    • 9715698@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Does it still get OS updates?

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  • rustyriffs@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Yeah, they’re touting this as if it isn’t old news. Yes, the phones are cool and yes, America can’t have them. What else.

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    • DacoTaco@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      America can have them : …fairphone.com/…/16674972235537-Murena-Fairphone-…

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• Melco@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  [deleted]

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  • SquirtleHermit@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    While the headphone issue is problematic, it’s a single issue amidst a deluge of ethical and sustainable practices by the company. Including, but not limited to:

    Fairphone carefully sources the components in every device, and the workers who put them together have safe and healthy working conditions. Where possible, Fairphone uses recycled materials (plastic, tin solder paste, steel, and nickel alloy), sources Fairtrade gold, and buys cobalt and silver credits to support the improvement of working conditions for miners.

    The factories that make the Fairphone pay a living wage to workers. It also employs 100 percent renewable energy. Fairphone invests in projects to reduce CO2 emissions, and to balance bringing a new phone into the world, Fairphone recycles the equivalent amount of e-waste. It has a B Corp certification, which means its claims have been independently vetted, and Fairphone regularly releases impact reports. (As reported by wired.com)

    Absolutely they should get push back on the headphone situation. But calling it “greenwashibg marking bs” is textbook “letting perfect be the enemy of good”. Simply put, almost no other companies even compete with Fairphone in the field of ethical phone manufacturing.

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  • GoodEye8@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Are you going to back that up with something or stick to “my word is truth”? Because it doesn’t take much to go to their site and see that the earbuds are discontinued. Or that for a company full of it they sure go to great lengths about being transparent. They even have a page explaining why they removed the headphone jack.

    I get that their own site could all be “just marketing” but that’s why I’m asking where’s the proof that they’re as shitty as you claim?

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  • Virulent@reddthat.com ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I mean, how many people still use wired earbuds? I’d be surprised if it is 5% of users

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    • synapse1278@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I would still us wired earbuds if my phone still had a headphone jack… It hard to find a good phone that still has a jack and this sucks

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    • Donkter@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      “I mean, how many people in this town eat hamburgers anyway? Ever since the only hamburger shop for miles around burned down I would be surprised if it’s 5%”

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    • kttnpunk@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Me, everyday. Bluetooth just doesn’t offer the same sound quality.

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    • Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I have three pairs of wired earphones (plus more regular headphones) and a portable DAC amp. I know what you mean though, Bluetooth headphones really are the norm these days. The tech in them also make them hard to repair.

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    • Grass@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I use a usbc dac and a 3d printed brace to prevent it from bending. For how infrequently I use the earbuds it’s fine for me. Most of my phone based music listening is at work on an AliExpress Bluetooth device hooked up to the speakers pulled from my car before junking it. (Catalytic had been stolen and it had 400+ thou. km on it)

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    • bitwolf@lemmy.one ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I do, however the headphone jack on my last phone was so bad I ended up just using the dongle anyway to get decent audio.

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  • TCB13@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    they certainly don’t care about their customers.

    Yes, because if they did they would make sure to provide the security required by GrapheneOS.

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  • bitwolf@lemmy.one ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    The headphone jack is worse off than just the USBc port.

    While I’d like two USB ports (one in top and in on bottom), the headphone jack won’t be missed.

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  • 13617@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I can disagree with this a little. At least the bootloader isn’t locked. But overall, you’re right.

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• echodot@feddit.uk ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I do sometimes feel like what we really want is something a little bit more like how Framework are doing things. Yes it’s easily repairable, but it’s also easily upgradable.

  Upgradability isn’t really a design consideration for fairphone. So everyone is stuck with the kind of mediocre camera that they decided to put on it. It would be nice if the option was there to have something a bit better.

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  • Honytawk@lemmy.zip ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Actually, they do.

    The Fairphone 3 was upgradable to the Fairphone 3+ by buying spare parts like the camera and installing them yourself.

    The thing is that phones don’t really need upgrades.

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    • jivandabeast@lemmy.browntown.dev ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      phones don’t really need upgrades

      Huh??? I went through 4 phones during the lifespan of my last PC

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    • hh93@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      The main upgrade they need is the processor because the companies making those are not supporting newer Android-Versions and at some point that becomes a security-issue.

      Problem is that replacing the processor to a newer generation usually means the whole mainboard is obsolete, too and then is very quickly doesn’t become easy to upgrade anymore

      just switching between different types of cameras, screens etc. wouldn’t be as big of a problem but that’s also not part of the main-problem either

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• gigachad@feddit.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  It’s a great thing, and I hope the industry (with motivation by EU) will follow a trend towards repairability and sustainability. However I think the most sustainable way is buying used devices.

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  • nottheengineer@feddit.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Unfortunately you need something with long firmware and software support. Qualcomm is your enemy, they stop updating the firmware of their chips after about two years and that’s why android phones often stop getting updates less than 2 years after you buy them.

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    • gigachad@feddit.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      That’s true. I use LineageOS to get at least OS updates, but firmware is definitely problematic. I just wished mobile hardware would be more generic like in Desktop PCs, that would solve a lot of problems.

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  • echo64@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Used devices still break and end in landfills, though, used might be better than new for carbon output today, but repairable is gonna win out in that regard long term

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    • KpntAutismus@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      even better, a used repairable phone.

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    • gigachad@feddit.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Hopefully in the future repairable and used can go hand in hand! Those are not mutually exclusive attributes.

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  • KpntAutismus@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    they’re selling refurbished FP4s now but yeah, buy used phones, or at least B-stock.

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• sirico@feddit.uk ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Own a 4 had to replace the screen, and it was refreshingly easy with the modular system. My only issue is parts availability at times.

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  • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I’ve replaced a few screens that were glued in place (Samsung being one), just had to warm them with a hair dryer and used a playing card to cut through the adhesive. Easy-peasy.

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• squirrelwithnut@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  My wife and I got new phones earlier this year, because her battery wasn’t holding a charge anymore. The FP5 looked awesome and had everything we wanted, but they won’t release it in the US. So we were stuck with the usual suspects. I understand why FP can’t bring all of their stuff here, but it still sucks.

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  • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I’m the US… Literally a new phone every one or two years.

    If you’re thrifty like me, it’s every four years. And watch as that phone suffers from bad battery life, then incredible slowdown, then apps not updating/working, or worst… your phone provider refuses to support your device any longer. You Feel forced to upgrade your perfectly workable mobile device.

    We pay a subscription fee for both the service AND the hardware.

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    • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      My current phone is 5 years old. Could use a battery (which I can buy for $10). It runs faster than any phone in my circle (running a fork of Lineage, currently Android 13, and it will get the update to 14 any day now).

      No reason phones can’t last a long time.

      Oh, and I paid $100 for this phone, so I have 3 them, one for testing and one as a hot spare, and still spent less than buying new.

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    • mememuseum@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      I’m still rocking my Galaxy S8. Gonna use it till the battery is toast.

      I’ll get occasional hangups and stuff but it’s definitely useable still.

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• jedi@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  is this an ad?

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  • kadotux@sopuli.xyz ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I see it more like a hacker news style “show HN”

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• RedTie13@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I feel like I still want a phone that is repairable but also upgradeable. Slowly being able to swap in a better screen, better camera, and a new mainboard when it’s time to upgrade.

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  • projectsquared@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    The Google Ara was supposed to be exactly this. I think it has since been abandoned. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Ara#:~:text=Google%20planned%20to%20launch%20a,planned%20consumer%20launch%20in%202017.

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  • jol@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Yes I’m very disappointed the the FP4 looks almost the same as the FP4 but isn’t backwards compatible in the slightest… I was looking forward to upgrade my screen.

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  • Adanisi@lemmy.zip ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I think the Pinephone has this functionality.

    It’s still very much a developer’s device, though. It isn’t ready for widespread use.

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• bitwolf@lemmy.one ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Fairphone 5 Please come to the US ☹️

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• djsf@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I’ve had a fairphone 4 running /e/OS (aftermarket) for a month now and im very happy with it. It consistently surprises me and exceeds my expectations in terms of flexibility and reliability (and of course privacy).

  You should be aware that there are occasionally compatibility issues with common apps – particularly proprietary ones. The worst incident was when the NordVPN app stopped working for me a few days ago… though this may have been a problem with /e/OS or the custom launcher ive installed rather than with Fairphone. I ended up switching to Mullvad VPN and i like it a lot more.

  Also I have not been able to purchase any paid apps via the App Lounge… i get a google error message stating that my device isnt registered with the Google Play Store or something like that. not sure if its just me or a widespread problem. I suspect it is an /e/OS issue that might not present itself if u are just using stock Android. If you have some absolutely must-have google play store paid apps that you can’t do without, I’d avoid /e/OS for now and some research to make sure this bug doesnt exist when using Android on FP4.

  At this stage i cant recommend it for mom & dad or someone without any tech savvy whatsoever… but the privacy and flexibility make these minor setbacks absolutely worth it to me.

  Overall i have no regrets and I can honestly say this is one of the most satisfying purchases I’ve ever made.

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• BlackSkinnedJew@lemmynsfw.com ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I believe the concept behind Fairphone sounds interesting, but I think this thing about being environmentally friendly shouldn’t be focused on high-end devices, if the Fairphone 5 costs the same as 10 cheap devices(considering cheap devices have a lifetime of 1.5 years) and a biggest % of people would be able to afford a 60 bucks device vs a 600 bucks one I don’t see the point here, maybe they should make a device focused on the cheap budget pocket to really fight with the devices consumerism who are the ones what mainly create the e-waste problem. I’m not an expert but this is my humble POV.

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• squaresinger@feddit.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Sadly, their software QA sucks and thus the phone is buggy as hell.

  Whitch is really frustrating because otherwise it’s a pretty good (if oversized and overly expensive) phone.

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• aprnu@feddit.ch ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  When are we going to get worldwide shipping Fairphone? Next year maybe?

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• Nacktmull@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I am happy with my FP3, only weaknesses I perceive are the low res camera and the almost never working finger print sensor. Besides that it´s a really good phone. When I got it I completely disassembled it and put it back together -just because- and it still worked!

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• Srootus@sh.itjust.works ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  I’m writing this on a Fairphone 5 right now, the hardware is great, the only slight issue is the USB C Port is a little looser than I would like, not enough for a problem, alas.

  The main issue currently is the software, there’s a few well known bugs that cause annoyances that the Fairphone forum widely know about, one of which requires you to hold the power button down and force restart the phone. I am confident that the developers and customer support are aware of these bugs and are working to fix them.

  Overall I’m happy with it, £700 isn’t too bad for a phone that I’m going to try to keep for the whole 8 to 10 promised security patches. Sure its doesn’t have flagship specs, but no day to day tasks for me require that power.

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• Carobu@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  And yet they straight up ignore one of the biggest cell phone markets by not selling in the US at all.

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• Crul@lemm.ee ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  !fairphone@lemmy.ml

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• EmperorHenry@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  It won’t even make a dent in the amount of damage that oil companies are doing.

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• tabular@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  Very interested in repair but I also want software freedom, and I’ve not heard anything about avoiding proprietary drivers or such.

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• LemmyIsFantastic@lemmy.world ⁨11⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

  This ain’t going to do shit for the environment. You already could replace most shit it was just harder. It’s just another toy for nerds to tinker with.

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