If I’m going to go through the hassle of abandoning all the bells, whistles, and conveniences of major smart phone makers, I would hope to get a little more than just 5 years on my OS. The entire impetus for my getting one of these is the ability to replace failing parts and upgrade it as I go. What’s the point if it’s just going to stop being updated?
I have an iPhone currently going on year 4. Replaced the battery once for $100. Got it for $700. I just don’t see why I should make the swap now. OS/security isn’t enough of a difference, price isn’t enough of a difference. Cameras on iPhone are better.
All that fairphone offers me that I really want is better control and privacy, which is important to me, but I was expecting a little more on other fronts. 
I don’t want a phone like most phones for $800USD. Especially one that’s slower, has a worse camera, etc. It needs either more impressive features or to be $200 cheaper. Otherwise why bother? Ultimately this boils down to price and features if they want to actually break into the market. The repair-ability alone isn’t enough.
How fast do you need your phone to be for sending messages, streaming video, or browsing the web? Every phone made in the last decade can do these things.
The high price actually cancels the point of the repairability. I can get a similar phone for easily €400-500 less. If I budget that extra price for repairs, I can get the battery and screen replaced quite a few times.
I say that as an FP4 owner, who did the same calculation mistake there.
No really. Samsung offers 4 years of os updates and 5 years of security updates.
Samsung releases os updates really fast, so 5 years basically means 5 os versions.
Fairhone declares 5 os versions and 8 years of software support. Fairphone users here mentioned that fairphone is very slow with updates, so it could happen that 5 os versions really will take 8 years. If Fairphone will keep same cadence as Samsung, its 5 os versions can be coverted into 5 years.
But we have a bit of apples vs oranges here.
I personally find samsung’s policy good enough for majority of users. I expect that I will upgrade my phone every 3 - 5 years for different unpredictable today reasons anyway.
There’s a clear trajectory where this is heading. From 2027 the EU will enforce replaceable batteries and it looks like some other markets might follow. Software support duration is increasing a lot as well.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d get most of the Fairphone’s benefits on a regular Samsung in a few years.
Actually in the past they updated their software even past the support from qualcomm, rewriting by themselves what was needed to allow and old chipset to run newer android version
Yeah, well, they are just doing what custom ROM makers have been doing for a decade and a half.
My old Droid 4 was also EOL after Android 4.1. Custom ROM makers pushed this up to Android 7.1 by ignoring the parts (e.g. the Kernel) that they couldn’t update.
Fair enough. I should probably augment my tone a little bit. I understand that they are not doing this out of malice. But at the end of the day, it hurts the sale.  I’m not sure what the solution is.
I mean the performance and the price just kind of steers me away. There isn’t enough going for this thing that makes me want to make the swap and change all of my systems I currently have in place. Especially when I can get objectively better hardware for the same price. 
The price is also higher because they use fair trade gold and whatnot. Given the mission to clean up the electronics industry it’s plesently suprising it doesn’t cost more
If I’m going to go through the hassle of abandoning all the bells, whistles, and conveniences of major smart phone makers, I would hope to get a little more than just 5 years on my OS. The entire impetus for my getting one of these is the ability to replace failing parts and upgrade it as I go. What’s the point if it’s just going to stop being updated?
I have an iPhone currently going on year 4. Replaced the battery once for $100. Got it for $700. I just don’t see why I should make the swap now. OS/security isn’t enough of a difference, price isn’t enough of a difference. Cameras on iPhone are better.
All that fairphone offers me that I really want is better control and privacy, which is important to me, but I was expecting a little more on other fronts. 
They are offering a minimum of 8 years of software support. 5 years is the warranty. I’m not sure why OP wrote that, it’s not what was announced.
Ok that is very different. Appreciate your sharing this
It’s not, according to Fairphone “We plan at least 5 Android OS version updates after Android 13”. So, 5 years of os and other 3 years of security.
With the pace of OS updates that Fairphone had so far, it will be 8 years of OS updates. But only because the OS updates will be 3 years late.
The FP4 just got Android 12 earlier this year, with no Android 13 in sight.
A good point.
So the other dude is wrong got it lol
ah… I will flash it with a custom rom anyway from day 1 :D
🙂
5 years of OS updates is more than you get from any other Android manufacturer. For everyone else in the space, you are lucky to get 3.
8 years of security not OS support.
I don’t want a phone like most phones for $800USD. Especially one that’s slower, has a worse camera, etc. It needs either more impressive features or to be $200 cheaper. Otherwise why bother? Ultimately this boils down to price and features if they want to actually break into the market. The repair-ability alone isn’t enough.
Fair wages for the people making the phone is also a selling point of this phone. It’s not just about repairability.
That said I’m also not writing this from a Fairphone, because the price is too high for me.
How fast do you need your phone to be for sending messages, streaming video, or browsing the web? Every phone made in the last decade can do these things.
The high price actually cancels the point of the repairability. I can get a similar phone for easily €400-500 less. If I budget that extra price for repairs, I can get the battery and screen replaced quite a few times.
I say that as an FP4 owner, who did the same calculation mistake there.
According to Fairphone “We plan at least 5 Android OS version updates after Android 13”.
Let’s see. There is still no Android 13 on the FP4.
Samsung offers 4 years of os updates for many phones and watches. And news reported that pixel 8 will have better.
If I recall correctly, Xiaomi recently declared the same for some of their phones.
4 years including security updates though right? If that’s the flcase then fairphone’s doing 8 years.
No really. Samsung offers 4 years of os updates and 5 years of security updates. Samsung releases os updates really fast, so 5 years basically means 5 os versions.
Fairhone declares 5 os versions and 8 years of software support. Fairphone users here mentioned that fairphone is very slow with updates, so it could happen that 5 os versions really will take 8 years. If Fairphone will keep same cadence as Samsung, its 5 os versions can be coverted into 5 years.
But we have a bit of apples vs oranges here.
I personally find samsung’s policy good enough for majority of users. I expect that I will upgrade my phone every 3 - 5 years for different unpredictable today reasons anyway.
There’s a clear trajectory where this is heading. From 2027 the EU will enforce replaceable batteries and it looks like some other markets might follow. Software support duration is increasing a lot as well.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you’d get most of the Fairphone’s benefits on a regular Samsung in a few years.
Yes, very realistic scenario. TBF, I cannot remember if I ever upgraded a phone due to the battery issuses.
So, for me personally, replaceable battery is not a significant benefit.
Happens if you run a phone for long enough ^^
Unfortunately it’s impossible to offer support for longer than the chipset
Actually in the past they updated their software even past the support from qualcomm, rewriting by themselves what was needed to allow and old chipset to run newer android version
Source
Yeah, well, they are just doing what custom ROM makers have been doing for a decade and a half.
My old Droid 4 was also EOL after Android 4.1. Custom ROM makers pushed this up to Android 7.1 by ignoring the parts (e.g. the Kernel) that they couldn’t update.
Fair enough. I should probably augment my tone a little bit. I understand that they are not doing this out of malice. But at the end of the day, it hurts the sale.  I’m not sure what the solution is.
I mean the performance and the price just kind of steers me away. There isn’t enough going for this thing that makes me want to make the swap and change all of my systems I currently have in place. Especially when I can get objectively better hardware for the same price. 
The price is also higher because they use fair trade gold and whatnot. Given the mission to clean up the electronics industry it’s plesently suprising it doesn’t cost more