The Fairphone 3 Packs in Features While Keeping Its Green Credentials (engadget.com) 47
Fairphone, the company that wants to get ethically-responsible smartphones into the hands of consumers worldwide, has unveiled the third iteration of its modular device. From a report: Fairphone 3, launched under the tagline, "The phone that dares to be fair," is available for pre-order now, and boasts some pretty decent specs that put it on par with more well-established devices. The phone runs Android 9, and comes with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 632 chip, which has helped make solid dual cameras a reality on mid-tier devices. It also runs the same camera system as the Pixel 3a XL, boasts 64GB internal storage (expandable with a microSD card), a fingerprint scanner, quick charge support and NFC, plus it crams in the ubiquitous 3.5mm headphone jack that many fear is not long for this earth. In a bid to cut down on e-waste it doesn't come with any accessories -- cables or earphones and such -- but who doesn't already have a draw full of those kicking about? In short, it packs a pretty respectable punch, with the added assurance that it's been built using as many conflict-free resources as possible and -- thanks to its modular construction -- is durable, repairable and upgradable. Fairphone is also the first smartphone company to integrate Fairtrade gold into its supply chain.
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Having watched the documentary https://docuwiki.net/index.php... [docuwiki.net] I'm not so happy about the great price I got my Huawei phone any more. I've decided for myself that virtue signaling can reasonably be translated as "a good effort but not complete solution", so that's fine by me.
Specific Chinese factories (Score:5, Informative)
Not any random chinese factories,
specific factories [fairphone.com] which align with Fairphone's goal.
So it's not pure virtue signaling, it's also a small step toward the right direction (phone produced in factories which don't look like Gulags)
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Gulags with daisies planted around the barbed wire fence?
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Strictly speaking, that's better.
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Gulags with daisies planted around the barbed wire fence?
No. Probably neither of those. Read DrYak's (informative) link first, or you don't deserve any +1 Insightful for sniping about it.
Note that's per phone, not per day. It's also not per employee. But still it's not
Re:Still made in Chinese factories, (Score:4, Insightful)
And a 10 out of 10 repairability rating by iFixit, at least for the prior version. You can replace the battery, even the *screen*, without tools. The phone even comes with repair *instructions*.
So maybe what your'e actually signalling is that your'e not a sucker.
And still doesn't ship to the US (Score:1)
Not fair!
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I was wondering about that, too. Apparently the cellular bands it uses are not as widely available in the US, so there is no guarantee it will work.
Which is a bummer.
=Smidge=
The linked website is nothing but fair (Score:1)
... but want me as EU citizen to enable all sorts of tracking shit or ... well... that's hard to tell as the instructions are very long and I have no idea how functional to disable it all.
I opened the tab in a private Firefox tab and accepted. Anyone else is fucked though.
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Also clicking their Fairphone link and then clicking a picture in the picture album just bring me grey boxes with no content with no functional back button in the browser and no functional X to close the image album.
Excellent design!
Fairphone doesn't have a webpage of their own and is there any reason we aren't using that instead?
https://www.fairphone.com/en/ [fairphone.com]
https://shop.fairphone.com/en/... [fairphone.com];
â450 with a 632 ... repairable is good but not necessarily if it cost twice as much. Don't know how much the cam
Re: The linked website is nothing but fair (Score:2)
They don't that website because the banner image is a photo looking up at some dudes ass and junk.
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"... but want me as EU citizen to enable all sorts of tracking shit or ."
Well, it's a fair phone and you are fair game.
In case you're wondering (Score:3)
It is
€450.00 incl. VAT or aroround $499
From a link in the linked article:
https://shop.fairphone.com/en/... [fairphone.com];
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Ahaha. A comparable* Xiaomi phone is like $150. I have no problem paying more for a product that is manufactured under safe and humane working conditions but that's a bit silly. This is really kind of similar to many other "fair trade" products like coffee or chocolate where to pay the farmers 30% more for their supplies they charge you 3-5x more than regular products.
* I mean with a faster CPU and bezels not from 2013: https://www.banggood.com/Xiaom... [banggood.com] (there are discounts & coupons)
Re: In case you're wondering (Score:2)
That's why "fair trade" is a bit of a crock. Yes, they have good intentions, and it may help ever so slightly. But it's not really going to change anything.
Labor conditions are fundamentally a political issue, and can be effectively addressed only by a political solution. As another poster noted, certifications are useless because they are so easily gamed.
We in the formerly-rich West need to impose a labor equalization tariff on China et al. If we don't, our economic decline will continue apace, and China w
Nope, still waiting for the Pine Phone (Score:2)
I'm hoping the Pine Phone will ship before I die.
https://www.pine64.org/pinepho... [pine64.org]
SPECIFICATIONS
Allwinner A64 Quad Core SOC with Mali 400 MP2 GPU
2GB of LPDDR3 RAM
5.95 LCD 1440×720, 18:9 aspect ratio (hardened glass)
Bootable Micro SD
16GB eMMC
HD Digital Video Out
USB – C (Power, Data and Video Out)
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Yes, but will it run PINE? [wikipedia.org]
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Since it's Linux, I suspect it would.
It's a great idea, but... (Score:3)
I love the idea of Fairphone. Who at slashdot wouldn't?
Easily repairable (no glue, just screws)
Modular (IIRC they sold an upgraded camera module for the 2 after a couple years)
Long support
Easily replaceable battery
2 sim slots AND a microSD slot
Unlockable bootloader
Headphone jack
IIRC they even released STL files to make it easy it 3d print custom cases.
It's everything I want in a phone, except one BIG problem. It's EU only, so I can never buy one. Oops.
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The frequencies it uses are widely used in Europe, not necessarily in the US. So you COULD buy one sure, but it may not work depending on which carrier you try to use it with. There's no real "activation".
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You would need to make sure that your carrier supports those frequencies and bands (I always have to dig around search engines and support forums to find out who supports what). However I will venture a guess that Sprint is a "no", Verizon is a "probably not (At least for anything other than 4G)", and T-Mobile and AT&T are "maybe".
On their Tech Specs page [fairphone.com], it says the Fairphone 3 supports:
4G (LTE)
Type - Cat. 13
MIMO - 4x2
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Re: It's a great idea, but... (Score:2)
You forgot to mention that the OS code is available too.
https://code.fairphone.com/ [fairphone.com]
RAM should get upgrade (Score:2)
4GB RAM is borderline low today.
That is actually problem with most such "innovative" products - great idea, but at design phase they take top specs at that time, and build on that..
So, they probably designed this at 2017, when 4GB was great, but today i won't consider that for new phone
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Its a fucking phone. If you *think* you need more RAM, you need something OTHER THAN A PHONE.
On one hand, I have 3GB on my phone and perceive it as being enough. On the other hand, I can see where some things might happen a little faster on my phone with 4GB. It's running Pie now, and I will be surprised if memory consumption doesn't increase with 10, to which I am supposed to get an upgrade. And on the gripping hand, I spent $150 and it's IP67 and octocore. A $500 phone should be... okay, not futureproof, but it should at least take the future into account.
The phone is intended to have easy batter
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640k ought to be enough for anybody
Fixed the problem of the predecessor? (Score:2)
The former Fairphone was plagued with display connectivity woes, have they been fixed?
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The former Fairphone was plagued with display connectivity woes, have they been fixed?
Same question for software and OS stability. A friend of mine bought a Fairphone and pronounced it unusable due to software crashes.
First requirement. . . (Score:2)
Will it live if it falls in a puddle of water?
Since having a Samsung die just because I got too sweaty on a summer hike, the ability to survive a little water is my number one, do not pass go/do not collect $200, don't even talk to me unless you have it requirement. Who cares what processor or how much RAM it has if you can't get it to turn on? What's the point of a gazillion megapixel camera that you can't use because you got caught outside in a rain shower?
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It's rated as IP54, so no. Not water nor dust proof.
Also, the back camera is 12megapixels, not "a gazillion".
Is it made in concentration camps in China? (Score:2)
Even if it uses 100% renewable energy to make it, that's not necessarily a good thing.
Re: take your green credentials (Score:2)
"I'd rather live in dystopian post-apocalyptic society"
Congratulations - you already do!
Size (Score:1)
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That would be nice, for sure. But now we are talking and even *smaller* (heh) market.
It's a great idea but the price/performance.... (Score:2)
I love the repairability more than anything else - so much less waste. But at this price the specs are pretty low. I'd happily pay more for a top-tier phone I could keep for 3-4 years, replacing the battery as it wears out, etc. Also, man, it's thick. I have an old LG stylo 3 which is equally repairable - screws and some snaps hold it together and it's only 7mm think, not 10. I can't help but think that if LG or Moto made this phone, but with the same goals it would be a lot nicer, and probably cheaper too.
Android One or not? (Score:2)
Frustrating that engadget wouldn't bother to research what is probably one of the most important issues for any Android phone made by non-Google vendors: whether or not it is Android One so you can figure out if you're entirely dependent on the vendor for OS updates.
The device sounds good on the surface but if the software isn't as easily maintainable as the hardware what is the point?
Get rid of the branding (Score:2)
Honestly, though expensive it looks like a great phone. But the FAIRPHONE logo right at the bottom make it look so cheap, and so "I'm a trendy FAIR guy" that it would turn me off buying it. Seriously, get rid of the branding and it becomes a much nicer device.
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Honestly, though expensive it looks like a great phone. But the FAIRPHONE logo right at the bottom make it look so cheap, and so "I'm a trendy FAIR guy" that it would turn me off buying it. Seriously, get rid of the branding and it becomes a much nicer device.
Just put a neat rectangle of electrical tape over it. There, and inside on the battery, with its slogan you can see through the translucent back.