Any reviews on Fairphone?

moneysaver1978

FlorayG said:

I don't know anything about Apple phones I'm on Android. How old are those 'phones?

iPhone 8 came out in 2017 and I purchased an iPhone 12 in 2020 or 2021.

Stuart_W

I am still using my 2019 Fair phone 3, and they have recently announced they can promise 2 more years of security updates. 7 years for a 2019 android phone isn't bad. It's working fine, not replaced anything yet but might need to replace the battery later this year, maybe not.

The fairphone5 comes with a promise of 7 years of security updates and they will try and make it longer if they can (no promise was made at the launch of fairphone3 as it is very hard to do so). 

I am very happy with fairphone but it's not ultimately a money saving decision, it's about supporting the principle of longevity and sustainability in design. Having repairable and replaceable innards seems much better than replacing the whole phone.

I don't want the best phone in the world, I want the best of the world in my phone. With recycled and fair trade components and a transparent supply chain it goes some way towards that far beyond green washing.

Just like when I first bought fair trade tea and coffee in the early 90s, it's a principled statement. 30 years on, the fair trade logo is everywhere. Fairphone can do that with sustainable tech.

If the Upfront price is too painful, the phone co-op (supporters of fairphone from their conception) they have monthly plans too. I'm SIM only and pay £10 a month into a Co-op Credit union account to cover repairs/replacement, so already have enough to buy a replacement fairphone when this one fails. 

https://broadband.yourcoop.coop/mobile/phones/fairphone-5/

[typed on my Fairphone3]

400ixl

moneysaver1978 said:

FlorayG said:

I don't know anything about Apple phones I'm on Android. How old are those 'phones?

iPhone 8 came out in 2017 and I purchased an iPhone 12 in 2020 or 2021.

And the iPhone 8 stopped getting any support 2 years ago and should not be being used on the internet any more. The 12 came out at the end of 2020 and will go end of support in 2027, so plenty of life there.

The Android ecosystem with Google and Samsung now guarantees OS updates for the same amount of time as Apple does on their latest phones, but they add a couple of years of security patches on top. So whilst Apple used to be the clear leader in longevity of phones, that is no longer the case.

Whether the hardware will last longer is a different argument.

400ixl

Stuart_W said:

I am still using my 2019 Fair phone 3, and they have recently announced they can promise 2 more years of security updates. 7 years for a 2019 android phone isn't bad. It's working fine, not replaced anything yet but might need to replace the battery later this year, maybe not.

The fairphone5 comes with a promise of 7 years of security updates and they will try and make it longer if they can (no promise was made at the launch of fairphone3 as it is very hard to do so). 

I am very happy with fairphone. 

That is impressive for a 2019 phone.

Problem is now that Google have made that length of time the standard and Samsung are fast following with both at a much lower price for the same spec of phone.

As usually happens, the innovators get a period of advantage and then the mainstream catch up.

lookbook

Not worth it. Over priced.

Not money saving. 

Stuart_W

400ixl said:

Stuart_W said:

I am still using my 2019 Fair phone 3, and they have recently announced they can promise 2 more years of security updates. 7 years for a 2019 android phone isn't bad. It's working fine, not replaced anything yet but might need to replace the battery later this year, maybe not.

The fairphone5 comes with a promise of 7 years of security updates and they will try and make it longer if they can (no promise was made at the launch of fairphone3 as it is very hard to do so). 

I am very happy with fairphone. 

That is impressive for a 2019 phone.

Problem is now that Google have made that length of time the standard and Samsung are fast following with both at a much lower price for the same spec of phone.

As usually happens, the innovators get a period of advantage and then the mainstream catch up.

Indeed, and hopefully the Fairphone5 will last even longer. By using a business-application chipset rather than standard consumer one, and having a design team working on longevity, if anyone can get a 2024 android handset working beyond 2031 it will be fairphone. Whether the majority of manufacturers will invest the time needed to develop the required updates and patches for their devices for anywhere near 7 years remains to be seen, particularly on budget and mid price phones.

Stuart_W

lookbook said:

Not worth it. Over priced.

Not money saving. 

"Not money saving" I don't think is being questioned. Reliable second hand handsets may outlast and outperform, or cheaper mid-range new phone significantly undercut.

"Not worth it" is a personal consumer opinion, which is correct if price is the primary decision driver. Fairphone is aimed at a different market.

PHK

400ixl said:

moneysaver1978 said:

FlorayG said:

I don't know anything about Apple phones I'm on Android. How old are those 'phones?

iPhone 8 came out in 2017 and I purchased an iPhone 12 in 2020 or 2021.

And the iPhone 8 stopped getting any support 2 years ago and should not be being used on the internet any more. The 12 came out at the end of 2020 and will go end of support in 2027, so plenty of life there.

The Android ecosystem with Google and Samsung now guarantees OS updates for the same amount of time as Apple does on their latest phones, but they add a couple of years of security patches on top. So whilst Apple used to be the clear leader in longevity of phones, that is no longer the case.

Whether the hardware will last longer is a different argument.

The iPhone 8 last had a security update on 7th August 2024. (It was nearly two years ago when it stopped getting new version updates) 

The iPad Air 2 which ten years old was last updated at the end of July this year. 

400ixl

Apologies if I got that wrong, but doesn't change the fact that Google and Samsung now guarantee updates for longer than Apple do on their latest products. So as the OP wants Android they can now have Apple longevity.

My biggest concern would still be performance of what is currently a mid range phone being performant in 7 years time. I struggle to see a flagship phone being so. As apps and in particular AI demand more from the phone processor we are at a point where are at a point where we could see the usable life of a phone shorten for a few generations again. This applies to both Android and Apple phones.