Fairphone wants to expand to 23 new markets and reach the €400 price point

m.gsmarena.com Fairphone wants to expand to 23 new markets and reach the €400 price point - GSMArena.com news

Fairphone wants to expand to 23 new markets and reach the €400 price point - GSMArena.com news

41 comments

Good, but what about my 3.5 mm jack?
- You need to drill a 3.5mm hole to get it
- What about it ?
- Its on a USB dongle.
- Don't think about that. Buy their wireless earbuds instead.
  
  Is this Innovation™?
  
  They don't have wireless earbuds anymore and haven't for quite a while.
  
  You must be mistaken. They stopped selling and supporting those earbuds right after they came out.
  Buy their wireless headphones instead. They promise that the same thing won't happen with those!
- You need to let it go.
  
  I'd rather let the fairphone go.
  
  I like having options and the versatility personally 😁
  The 3.5mm jack can also be used to record video audio with a much better microphone, attach a HW infrared blaster, or use your device as a crude oscilloscope im a pinch with appropriate software
  The more common use case is people with existing wired headphones - there's honestly no need to cast aside perfectly good cans for no reason. Yes USB-C DACs exist, but IMO that's a completely manufactured expense and inconvenience, considering almost all phones still have the 3.5mm dac and amplifier components physically present on the mainboard: only now you must purchase a dongle to access the output via passthrough, or purchase a third party dongle that includes its own DAC.
  My pain point though is the fact that users with wired headphones are now being forced to induce more usage cycles on a single connector port (which is not always economically repairable on modern devices), and all the avoidable e-waste produced by these things when the unreplaceable, consumable batteries give up the ghost after two years of ownership
  
  I cant, wireless earbuds suck ass.
  
  You don't.

This sounds like very bad news imo.
To be more than a blip on the radar, Fairphone needs to go way past 80% of customer needs. Hendriks says people want to make a contribution (to sustainability), but they don't want to sacrifice everything else in the process.
This sounds like the new CEO wants to sacrifice sustainability for popularity. The current gen fairphones are everything they need to be imo. There is barely a need for improvements on the hardware side and its supported very well by custom roms.
To achieve that feat, Fairphone is more closely collaborating with Google and Qualcomm.
This could mean anything but i dont think collaborating closely with google is what Fairphones need more of tbh.
- Google Is a chip manufacturer like Qualcomm
  
  No. They do design work for chips but they do not have any fabs to actually make chips. Samsung and in the future TSMC are the ones actually making the chips for google.
  But yeah maybe they just want some advice on SoC design. The Pixel phones do have decent hardware i must admit.

I hope this means a US release is soon
- You can technically get a Fairphone 4 in the US. Unfortunately, it's only supported by T-Mobile's network.

Do these things really deliver on their promise? Did anybody have one for multiple years? Is it really easily repairable? Is it more durable than your average smartphone?
- I just updated my FP3 to Android 13 yesterday. I love it. It's still running like new. Software aside, I'd say it's physically as durable as most phones, but I can easily replace any part that might break, since it's made in such a modular design. Heck it even came with a screwdriver to make it easier.
  
  Do you know how much more support it will get? FP2 lasted forever.
- Yes, at least in my experience.
  I've used my Fairphone 4 since I got it in Febuary 2022, although I ordered it November 2021, replacing the Oneplus 3 I'd bought at release. Main reason for the upgrade was because of the relockable bootloader, which meant it would get CalyxOS support.
  Repair is trivially easy. Like, you have to be an idiot to make a mess of it easy. Only thing I've replaced so far is the plastic back (for reasons explained in answer 4) which took literal seconds. I also bought a spare battery that can, again, be swapped in seconds. It's come in clutch several times. I've disassembled and reasessembled this phone to satisfy the same impulse I get when taking apart a pen.
  I'm very clumsy, for reference repairing my old OP3 cost me double what I initially paid for it. The FP4 has so far landed face down on the pavement about as many times my OP3 did, and the only damage it's recieved is to the plastic back, which takes alot of the impact energy with it when it pops off. Eventually the back had so many chips in the sides it had to be replaced but everything else has remained fully functional despite such mistreatment. It's also thicker than most phones, it feels comfortably sturdy to hold. There was also a massive camera upgrade recently thanks to a software update, although being on CalyxOS I can't offer first hand impressions.
- The issue is the software, security are applied months later if at all
- I'm still using my FP3 that is now close to 4 years old. It's still working great. I just changed the battery once, but that was trivial to do. I didn't have to change anything else, but most parts are still available in their store.
  
  Thanks, I might consider it when my current Pixel kicks it, I'm not really into the fairtrade greenwashing bs but if it's legit durable and repairable I'll pay the price premium.

But will it be 18:9 or more compact?
- Unlikely.

This awesome if its possible. The article said they would try reduce costs by closer partnerships with Google and Qualcomm but I don't think hat will get them to reduce their prices that drastically. I hope I'm wrong though!

I really need a better option in the US. I use phones I fix from relatives who discard them, but it's not exactly fun prying out a glued in spicy pillow battery every time (plus fully replacing the glass because it's practically designed to shatter when opened). I looked into Fairphone but those expanded markets don't seem to include mine.

Are they bringing back the headphone jack?
My Nokia should last until 2027 with updates but it would be nice to know my options if it breaks.
- This time they removed the sdcard. That should answer your question.

41 comments