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Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

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Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#361

I don't see anythng more "sustainable" in this phone compared to mainstream ones. Making it a bit more modular or repairable does not make it "sustainable".

They have a post about some of the reasons that the 5 was sustainable. It's not just the repair and modular parts but the whole supply chain. It' rarely gets talked about here as this is a mostly tech audience who focus on features, which are important, but Fairphone is more focused on the impact of the manufacture. https://www.fairphone.com/en/2023/08/30/is-the-fairphone-5-t...

That article subtly shifts from "sustainable" to "most sustainable"... It can be so while not really being sustainable.

"Fair materials" means nothing.

"100% e-waste neutral" is the same as claiming that you are "100% carbon neutral" because you buy carbon "offsets". It's dubious.

There are real positives, though: "100% recycled tin solder paste, 80% recycled steel, 75% post-consumer recycled plastics in the battery frame"

Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#362
post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can you ensure that your phone is not recording you 24/7? It’s called „trust“. Trust in the vendor, trust in independent 3rd parties that would identify such an issue, trust in capitalism because this would certainly be very bad publicity.

I cover the front camera (I don't do video calls anyway). "Trust" in people who live in the other country and cannot even be put in jail seems like a poor choice.

[dead]

Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#363
post #11

Was lucky enough to get my Fairphone 4 on sale, but I'd happily pay full price now - even though the Fairphones are pricey for the specs, unless you absolutely need 24 cores etc. I'd say they are worth it, knowing the company is at least trying to improve the parts supply chain, and knowing you stand a chance of fixing the devices yourself (luckily I've only had to replace the USB-C port, which was trivial) About the…

The removal of the phone jack is so obviously planned obsolescence, it is ironic that this project for sustainability follows the trend. Wired headphones still have better sound quality. Don't need charging. Don't break with software update. But because of that it means less consumption. Think about how insane it is that companies can remove the phone jack and glue in the battery with the very obvious goal of planned…

> Wired headphones still have better sound quality.

High-grade studio quality wired headphones have better quality than wireless ones. But anywhere lower than the highest tiers, they're both in the same ballpark.

For the devices used by 999‰ of the people, the difference is unnoticeable.

> Don't break with software update.

Why would headphones break when you upgrade your phone? It sounds to me like your phone broke. And an audio jack can also stop working with a botched software update.

I've been using cellular phones since 2004. I've never used a headphone jack. Most people haven't either. Sure, some people would use it, and some people would use a DisplayPort connector if present (I would), but it's hard to justify putting one in every single phone when an adapter is so cheap.

Shipping a 3.5mm audio jack on every single phone in the world is more wasteful than just manufacturing an adapter for people who actually need it.

Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#364
post #204
post #7

They mention the Pixel and I just got to say, I wish someone would bring back the fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. That was seriously the best solution. Fastest way to unlock your phone, because no matter how slow the fingerprint reader is you activate it while pulling it out of your pocket. I honestly don't get why people like Face ID more (what I currently use). Someone, please bring this back

The fingerprint reader is one of the things I most love about my iPhone SE; I don’t see any reason to get a new phone. Apple’s declining software quality and walled garden incline me more and more towards ditching iPhone for GrapheneOS or a dumb phone like the Punkt MP; I find far more joy reading on an eReader, taking photos with a camera, or taking notes in my notebook than I do using the phone for any of those. Es…

An issue I have with my SE is that ever since the last major iOS release in September, I think they forgot how tall the device is. Notification Center pushes notifications so far down, that I’m unable to scroll down to see them. It feels like it was designed for a taller phone. However, I think this was fixed recently, which is great after months of being unable to use it to check notifications.

Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#365
post #315

All phones eventually become obsolete, but their guts could be used in so many ways. I'd love for example if someone made an enclosure acting also as multi port docking station so that old phones with unlocked bootloader (Fairphone being one of them) could be reflashed with a different operating system then used as mini PCs, media players, IoT wall terminals with bigger screens or other uses. Seeing all that perfectl…

> then used as mini PCs, media players, IoT wall terminals with bigger screens or other uses If they can be used like that, why couldn't they be used... as phones? Changing phone every two years is not sustainable, even if the old phone is used as an IoT wall terminal: it's still "consuming" one phone every two years. In a sense, an old phone in a drawer uses less energy than an old phone staying powered to control a…

Under the new EU Ecodesign regulation, smartphone manufacturers must provide software updates for at least 5 years after the date of last sale, not 1-2 years.

(Applies to newly released devices, not to devices which were already on the market as of June 20).

https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/news/new-eu-rules...

Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#366
I have to buy such a smart phone hardware: issue, I won't run android for sure, probably something based on a super custom linux. I will need open source and _LEAN_ drivers (including their SDK) with complete hardware programming manuals for at least the modem (the critical part, and the drivers on complex hardware is NEVER enough, not to mention the official list of known hardware bugs) and the remaining hardware blocks.

Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#367
post #319

All phones eventually become obsolete, but their guts could be used in so many ways. I'd love for example if someone made an enclosure acting also as multi port docking station so that old phones with unlocked bootloader (Fairphone being one of them) could be reflashed with a different operating system then used as mini PCs, media players, IoT wall terminals with bigger screens or other uses. Seeing all that perfectl…

You can connect any peripherals including keyboard and mouse using usb-c hub. There are hubs that support external power available already so you can simultaneously charge the phone. I do sometimes use my fairphone with external keyboard case that way. Yes I would like higher quality one that better fits the phone, but I think that would be niche/bespoke expensive product.

Theoretically, it should be possible to design and 3D print such an enclosure, akin to existing video game console mods like the ‘Switch Pro’.

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Nintendo-Switch-Pro-kit-transf...

Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#368
post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find this comment really irritating, sorry. This is a thread about the upcoming fairphone, with people praising things done right. Your comment feel needlessly provocative with no information other than your negative opinion. You've implied Fairphone have turned crap, whilst mentioning a bunch of good stuff they've done, and then how you won't be buying their phones anymore. Seriously, what was the point of this co…

I guess if you're not familiar with fairphones products my comment's pretty meaningless, sorry. The parent comment implied that manufacturers stopped having all the listed features after 2016, but fairphone was still doing all that up until 2021. That's why I bought their phone. Then they removed the headphone jack in the 4, and now they're removing tool-less battery/sim replacement. That's why I won't be buying anot…

That's fair, thanks for the explanation, I understand your comment a bit better now, apologies for the poor comprehension on my part.

I am a bit familiar, have been looking at the FP5 as a next phone, so will probably buy an FP6 assuming first batch of reviews aren't catastrophic.

Personally the appeal to me is the modular hardware support, but also the expected long term official software support (and inevitable community support when that ends). Also the principal that it's a company that is trying really hard to do things differently in a way that benefits everyone just seems sensible, innovative and something I want to support compared to other phone companies.

If your biggest issues with FP are removing the headphone jack, and requiring a small screwdriver to replace the batteries, then I'm genuinely interested to know who/what you're considering after as an improvement?

Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#369

All phones eventually become obsolete, but their guts could be used in so many ways. I'd love for example if someone made an enclosure acting also as multi port docking station so that old phones with unlocked bootloader (Fairphone being one of them) could be reflashed with a different operating system then used as mini PCs, media players, IoT wall terminals with bigger screens or other uses. Seeing all that perfectl…

I’ve been experimenting in the past few weeks with an old fairphone : https://far.computer/ Still work in progress, so I haven’t shared it here yet.

Re: Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

#370
post #28

Manufactured entirely in China and no headphone jack, that's a pass for me.

I'm curious to know your current phone that passes that test.

My current phone isn't asking me to make a lot of sacrifices for the sake of "ethics".

I am willing to make many of them, but the least requirement for me is at least a good effort of moving off China for manufacturing (Ideally EU, of course, but we all know that's unrealistic).

I already have picked up standalone music player to deal with missing 3.5mm jack, I also have picked up a small camera with a pancake lens that I carry daily to account for not having great camera in phone, but I'm not willing to spend high mid-tier phone money on an entry level hardware if it is fully manufactured in China, sorry.

I used to run Xperia's, despite horrid software, but now I'm on Google Pixel for the lack of better options.

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