Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable • Hacker News Board

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

#471

Post by msgodel » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 5:42 PM UTC

sylware wrote: post #470

FirmwareBurner wrote: post #408

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lemme know when you get all that.

To be fair, I am more interested in a 4G/5G modem to connect some modular computer. A smart phone is an expensive one. Do you know of a simple modern 4G/5G modem, USB? Only IPv4/IPv6 bridge, I guess you need USB CDC or something for that (NDIS is deprecated)? Any tip?

This looks like the chip that was used in the Pinephone as well as the modem card in the machine I'm typing this on. It works well on Linux although sometimes it's not available after waking from suspend (I think that was fixed although I've gotten used to not expecting it to be so I haven't been checking it.)

It's pretty easy to dial the PPP (IP) connection with network manager + modem manager, doing it from scratch with expect scripts is awful, I got that to work once but haven't been able to do it again.

https://www.amazon.com/EXVIST-Dongle-EG25-G-M2M-optimized-Mo...

In theory you can actually make phone calls with it, I've enabled the usb AC device on mine and dialed out with it but haven't actually gotten the loopback set up to work. It's hard to tell if the issue is with Pulseaudio or something in the modem firmware or a regulatory issue or what.

SMS works OOTB with modem manager. MMS works if you're willing to hunt down the MMSD source and build it yourself.

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

#472

Post by KingOfCoders » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 5:50 PM UTC

kevincox wrote: post #413

KingOfCoders wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

After years of a Fairbuds XL (never again!) and Bose QC for my Zoom sessions, I've ordered a Sony MDR-7506 because it does not need to be charged, and bluetooth doesn't need to be reconnected etc. Hurray for headphone jacks.

I'm generally a fan of wired-everything but headphones are the one thing that I love to have wireless. Not only is it not a tangle with the cord but I can go grab a glass of water without any interruption even still listening to a meeting while I do. The biggest downside is worrying about the battery level. But they last so long on a single charge that it isn't even an issue if you forget to plug them in many days in…

Mine don't last an 10 hour day :-(

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

#473

Post by h4ck_th3_pl4n3t » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 5:51 PM UTC

mc3301 wrote: post #161

h4ck_th3_pl4n3t wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's about cutting costs and having one less hole water can get in. That's a lazy excuse. Every single IP68 rugged phone has a headphone jack. And the ones that are more waterproof even made for diving with them also have one.

Blackview n6000 has no headphone jack.

I'm wondering now how much time you used to find that single one that has no headphone jack and is also IP68 certified.

Congrats, I guess?

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

#474

Post by SECProto » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 6:12 PM UTC

tho3242432432 wrote: post #177

SECProto wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just took a look and the most recent Xperia looks to be 3x the (already high) cost of a Fairphone 6? I buy my phones outright and that is quite prohibitive.

I'm not sure if comparing Xperia 1 to Fairphone makes sense. Xperia 10 is probably the fairer comparison, but I don't think Sony is releasing them outside Japan :(

Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for the Xperia 10 VII in Canada.

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

#475

Post by borosuxks » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 6:35 PM UTC

ben-schaaf wrote: post #464

filmor wrote: post #377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have a FP3, did it never fall down, throwing its battery out? I had that happen a few times to me in the past and I always wished for a tiny bit more "grip" on the battery. I would guess that I'm not the only one.

Nope, not once. It's been dropped plenty of times and had both the screen and battery replaced.

Mine neither.

I've bought the FP3+ camera, and I'm on my third battery pack, degoogled with murena /e/-OS. Works perfectly, except the screen is a little too large for me. I wish it was a Sony Xperia ZX1 compact size, but one can't have it all.

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

#476

Post by thaumasiotes » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 6:36 PM UTC

forty wrote: post #238

Foobar8568 wrote: post #224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not modular, and each fairphone is not compatible with the previous one. FP3 had an update camera if I remember well but it was the exception.

Yes, people often get that wrong, it's not modular or upgradable, it's repairable, which is already great. IMO we are far past the point when we should have decided smartphone hardware is good enough, and stop having people upgrade over and over. But I guess capitalism needs to be fed and everything is made to make sure that never happens (including making sure everyone thinks we do need better hardware)

> it's not modular or upgradable, it's repairable, which is already great.

Well, I was going to observe that I broke my phone recently for the first time out of more than 10 years of having a smartphone.

But I remembered that while I didn't break it, my Nexus 5 spontaneously broke and couldn't be fixed, causing me to lose about a year of chat history that I would like to have back.

That said, if the parts are replaceable, there is no good reason to prevent you from replacing them with upgrades. That is by far the highest-value use of the ability to replace parts.

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

#477

Post by borosuxks » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 6:41 PM UTC

mslansn wrote: post #260

upcoming-sesame wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

if the back is still screwed low chance it will happen

Does it matter that the battery is screwed if the back is screwed too? You will need a screwdriver to access it anyway. Batteries must be glued or screwed, otherwise sudden movements can turn the phone off.

Is this really a problem? I've had my FP3 for 5-ish years and the plastic clips have done their job without fail. Even when dropping it on hardwood floor

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

#478

Post by palata » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 7:48 PM UTC

WhyNotHugo wrote: post #341

dvdkon wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's certainly technically possible. Phone motherboards have limited wired IO, but USB host mode is enough for a lot of things. The problem is how locked-down most phones are, and how hard it is to modify their software. Even for the Fairphone, you have to fill out a form on their site to get a bootloader unlock code, and they could close that form if they wished (see Asus). That all means starting an "ecosystem" of…

> Even for the Fairphone, you have to fill out a form on their site to get a bootloader unlock code, and they could close that form if they wished (see Asus). You also need to sign up with Google to even get past the setup screen, and the phone needs to reach Google's servers and ask for permission to be used. Even if Fairphone would like to keep phones usable, Google can decide otherwise at any time. I started a thr…

Yeah I think you need to install a custom, deGoogled ROM (you can buy Fairphones that come with some).

If you go with the Googled-Fairphone, then it is Googled indeed.

I bought a Fairphone 3 a few years ago with /e/OS, so I don't have that problem. Also in all fairness, the "you have to log into Google before booting" is making it harder to steal and resell phones. I read somewhere that the number of stolen phones got lower since they (Google, Apple, I guess Samsung and the likes) introduced that "protection".

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

#479

Post by palata » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 7:55 PM UTC

forty wrote: post #235

ben-schaaf wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FairPhone used to be a manufacturer still doing the right things. My FP3 has all of that, including an official guide for unlocking the bootloader. At least they've kept their promises regarding updates, because I won't be buying their newer phones.

It's probably going to be the end of the FP3 updates sometimes in 2026, so it will be time to change. For me, it will certainly be a by a FP6.

I was personally thinking about a Pixel phone (for GrapheneOS), but given the recent Google news, I'm not so sure where Graphene (and the Pixels) is going.

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

#480

Post by palata » Tue, Jun 24, 2025, 8:15 PM UTC

bombela wrote: post #11

strangecasts wrote: post #2

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…

> The removal of the phone jack is so obviously planned obsolescence

I'll keep repeating it; I worked in a hardware company (and one with very toxic upper management) and really, I don't buy the "planned obsolescence" for most products.

Employees are usually not villains (I know, it happens, as proven by Meta recently where engineers essentially built a malware into Meta's apps, and as proven by printers - if that's still the case, I don't own one). Most of the time they are not.

What happens most of the time is more likely "premature obsolescence": the product could have been engineered to last for 10 years, but it would have taken more development time and it would have cost more, so the company chose not to invest there. Regulations enforce a warranty period, so the company optimises around that. But it's not the same as planned obsolescence.

The result is the same: we need regulations that set the framework into which companies optimise. But the intention is different.

Also specifically for the jack, the reality is that nobody cares. You want a phone with a jack? Congrats, you're part of a small minority (don't worry, I am, too). How does it feel? :-)