Fairphone 5 Scores a Perfect 10 From iFixit For Repairability (theregister.com) 48
The iFixit team pulled apart the newest Fairphone 5 smartphone and awarded its highest score for repairability: 10 out of 10. With the exception of one or two compromises, the Fairphone 5 is just as repairable as its predecessors. The Register reports: As before, opening the phone is a simple matter of popping off the back of the case. The beefier battery -- 4200 mAh instead of the previous 3905 mAh -- remains easy to remove, although the bigger size has implications elsewhere in the device. Replacing the USB-C port remains simple thanks to a metal lip that allows it to be removed easily. Individual cameras can also be replaced, a nice upgrade from the all-in-one unit of the preceding phone.
However, rather than something along the lines of the Core Module of the previous phone, the iFixit team found a motherboard and daughterboard more akin to other Android handsets. According to Fairphone, the bigger battery made the change necessary, but it's still a little disappointing. Still, the teardown team noted clear labeling to stop cables from being accidentally plugged into the wrong places. It said: "That's what intuitive repair design is all about: it should be easy to do the right thing and complicated to do the wrong thing." According to iFixit co-founder and CEO Kyle Wiens: "Fairphone's promise of five Android version upgrades and over eight years of security updates with the Fairphone 5 is a bold statement in an industry that leans towards fleeting product life cycles. This is a significant stride towards sustainability and sets a new benchmark for smartphone lifespan."
"At iFixit, we believe in tech that lasts, and Fairphone is making that belief a reality. Fairphone's effort to attain a 10-year lifespan is not just impressive; it's unparalleled."
However, rather than something along the lines of the Core Module of the previous phone, the iFixit team found a motherboard and daughterboard more akin to other Android handsets. According to Fairphone, the bigger battery made the change necessary, but it's still a little disappointing. Still, the teardown team noted clear labeling to stop cables from being accidentally plugged into the wrong places. It said: "That's what intuitive repair design is all about: it should be easy to do the right thing and complicated to do the wrong thing." According to iFixit co-founder and CEO Kyle Wiens: "Fairphone's promise of five Android version upgrades and over eight years of security updates with the Fairphone 5 is a bold statement in an industry that leans towards fleeting product life cycles. This is a significant stride towards sustainability and sets a new benchmark for smartphone lifespan."
"At iFixit, we believe in tech that lasts, and Fairphone is making that belief a reality. Fairphone's effort to attain a 10-year lifespan is not just impressive; it's unparalleled."
Now watch it fly off the shelves (Score:2, Insightful)
... or not.
We have a whole lot of posters here who keep complaining about unable to replace batteries whenever new phones come out, and now, here comes a phone that have a replaceable battery, let's see just how many would actually buy one.
Re:Now watch it fly off the shelves (Score:5, Informative)
Sadly, it's not available in the US. I'm one of the complainers, and I can't buy one. I'd guess the majority of Slashdotters are Americans, and thus in the same boat.
Re: Now watch it fly off the shelves (Score:1)
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Couldn't have said it better. Plus all the people bitching about iPhone prices. This is 699 euros or $750 US.
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That's pretty much what a phone costs if they don't get "sponsored" by companies stuffing and preloading them with uninstallable crapware.
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That's pretty much what a phone costs if they don't get "sponsored" by companies stuffing and preloading them with uninstallable crapware.
I mean unless you consider Android itself to be crapware by virtue of being controlled by Alphabet, even the Pixel line starts at a lower price than this thing.
It's more likely the high price is due to the fact they don't expect to sell a lot of these things and have to make higher profit margins on each one. That's just business 101.
Re:Now watch it fly off the shelves (Score:4, Funny)
They must be flying off the shelves, it's virtually impossible to get one.
They don't buy the Galaxy Xcover, either (Score:3)
The Samsung Galaxy Xcover line still has user-replaceable batteries, but none of the Slashdot crowd buy them. They just buy other phones and complain. They'll find excuses not to buy this phone, too.
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Interesting. Individuals can buy it in Australia, although a lot of shops don't keep it in stock, so you need to order it from Samsung's web site or ask for a dealer to order it in for you.
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My largest complaint about the Gaxaxy XCover is poor battery life.
If you buy a refurbished one like I did, make sure it is not the AT&T one because they lock the firmware and features.
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I bought one for my wife. She has an old galaxy S5 or S6, and everything stopped working about a week ago. Warnings popped up that whatsapp wouldn't be supported, etc. She's quite the environmentalist, so the fairphone sounded like a good choice. She'll get it for her birthday at the end the month. Until then, she can make calls and send texts, but that's about it.
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Jesus Christ I can't believe people still bitch about that.
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That $5 USBC adapter doesn't exactly break the bank
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Re:NO MORE APPLE (Score:5, Insightful)
It's the same bullshit argument that enables Governments to disarm all citizens because of a few nutjobs.
Interesting that when you look at the crime rates of those nations they're all considerably lower than the USA. Even for violent crimes that don't involve guns, such as knife crime given that knives are easier to get than guns in these countries, crime levels in the USA are still higher than these countries. It's almost as if having access to guns like they do in the USA makes things worse, not better.
Fairphone? (Score:2)
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There's a few different ways to look at this. First, if you actually use the phone for its full 10 year life span that $100 per year (plus the price of a new battery after 5 years). Secondly, all phones are subsidized with crapware that can't be uninstalled that brings the actual cost of the phone down. $750 US for a decent phone that can be upgraded and repaired over the course of 10 years is excellent. I want one, can't wait until they're offered in the US.
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First, if you actually use the phone for its full 10 year life span
Even if you can upgrade the internals so it doesn't become slow as snot during the second half-decade of ownership, the inevitable physical wear and tear over the same time period might make you want to replace the whole damn thing anyway.
Secondly, all phones are subsidized with crapware that can't be uninstalled that brings the actual cost of the phone down.
There is no shortage of affordable phones which run stock Android, and on the Apple side of things, the iPhone SE starts at $429. Furthermore, if you're planning on doing any hardware upgrades down the line, those obviously aren't going to be free.
This wouldn't fly in the
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Really cool concept, but at 650â,the price seems unfair...
The price is actually quite fair. What you are paying for is long-term software support (a decades) and fair labor practices. If you want something built with slave labor that will be supported for about six months then you can go with one of the many other phones on the market.
It is priced similarly to the iphone but repairs are going to be far more costly for that.
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Now factor in the 2 or 3 new phones you do not have to buy in the next 10 years. This thing is a absolute bargain. Some insight into reality required though.
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So is an iPhone. I'm using a 7 year old iPhone 7+ that just received a software update a few weeks ago.
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iPhones are also quite expensive
No thanks (Score:2, Interesting)
Let me know when they have a model with a headphone jack.
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Will either this [fairphone.com] or this [fairphone.com] satisfy your requirements for a headphone jack?
Here is Fairphone's statement [fairphone.com] on the matter.
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Will either this [fairphone.com] or this [fairphone.com] satisfy your requirements for a headphone jack?
Here is Fairphone's statement [fairphone.com] on the matter.
No, I don't want another dongle that'll just get lost just to get basic functionality.
I'll stick with a brand that still put a standard 3.5mm jack in the phone like Nokia. I really couldn't care less if its 20 microns thicker.
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Nope. That's the same crap solution everyone else offers. I'll stick with my Pixel 4a a while longer.
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I'll stick with my Pixel 4a a while longer.
That tactic also works for sustainability.
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It's a bit crappy, but wired adapters exist (which you can keep connected to your headphones) and crucially in the fairphone the much more fragile USB-C port is replaceable.
I do wonder though if this is really the right choice. I think fairphone users are somewhat less likely to be ultra premium high end users (given the phone price), and also more likely to want to reuse existing stuff. I know Apple remove it and everyone's fucking desperate to ape apple. I still see a lot of wired headphones out and about
No wireless charging (Score:1)
Schematics or die! (Score:1)
FairPhone (Score:1)