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Fairphone has created a smartphone that owners can repair themselves - This sustainable smartphone aims to reduce global electronic waste

Fairphone has created a smartphone that owners can repair themselves - This sustainable smartphone aims to reduce global electronic waste::In a bid to reduce global electronic waste, Fairphone has created a smartphone that owners can repair themselves. What makes its technology so sustainable?

Asudox , (edited )
@Asudox@lemmy.world avatar

Fairphone existed for years now, and the title makes it seem like as if they made a new phone just now that is repairable.

rustyriffs ,

Yeah, they’re touting this as if it isn’t old news. Yes, the phones are cool and yes, America can’t have them. What else.

DacoTaco ,
@DacoTaco@lemmy.world avatar

America can have them : …fairphone.com/…/16674972235537-Murena-Fairphone-…

foggenbooty ,

Kind of. It doesn’t run Android with the Play Store so it’s a pretty different experience.

DacoTaco ,
@DacoTaco@lemmy.world avatar

But isnt /e/OS an android system too? Always wondered what stops a person from not just installing lineageOS on these phones? Basically did what i did with mine lol

Azzu ,

You can easily do that indeed. You can even install the Play Store with microg if you really want to.

pineapplelover ,

Yeah, I was considering getting one and installing CalyxOS but I don’t like that they removed the headphone jack. It’s even more sad in their own words

“we want to reduce e-waste by forcing everyone to throw out their wired headphones and buy a new set of wireless ones every couple of years when the battery goes dead”

DacoTaco ,
@DacoTaco@lemmy.world avatar

Id need to look it up, but i think it had to do with it costing them too much to add it since their phones are made with components that are abundand and wanted by phone makers so it can be as cheap as possible for the consumer.

However, with headphone jacks dissapearing in phones they cant garantee that, nor provide the years of support they stand for. I’d like my headphone jack too, and use my laptop’s extensively at work, but i can understand their choice

pineapplelover ,

It’s bs. They’re making excuses. Sony has a headphone jack and microsd slot in their newest phone. Samsungs made galaxy phones thin and waterproof with a headphone jack. They’re copying Apple to make money and they know it. I would pay their $800 if they show they care about this issue. They can still sell their bluetooth devices which will still work even if it has a headphone jack. If they truly want to save the environment, why make people throw out perfectly good earbuds.

Azzu ,

I have the Aurora store on my /e/os so I can get apps that are on Play Store too. Haven’t noticed any difference in experience except that well, no Play Store is installed.

Honytawk ,

Yeah, the Fairphone 2 is 7 years old and you can still buy all the important replacement parts directly from their store.

9715698 ,

Does it still get OS updates?

Carobu ,

And yet they straight up ignore one of the biggest cell phone markets by not selling in the US at all.

Gormadt ,
@Gormadt@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Technically you can buy one in the US, but spare parts (especially the battery) might pose some issues

Link

But it’s deGoogled running something called /e/OS, and it’s only compatible with T-Mobile and stuff that uses their network

I’d love a fully featured one here in the states that can be brought to any carrier over here

BearOfaTime ,

/e/ was a fork of Lineage a couple years ago (not sure if it still is).

Their approach is to use their own cloud system instead of Google’s. I think they promote it as more secure (as in they don’t see your data), but I don’t recall for sure.

You can run their OS without using their sync system too. You could flash something like MicroG or even authentic Google Play Services (it’s available from Google as a couple packages).

Don’t trust me on this, my memory is a bit suspect, but I played with /e/ a couple years ago. And they need to change that name - they said they were going to.

KpntAutismus ,

small company, my dude. they only have a few hundred employees, but they have said numerous times that they are planning to bring a full release to the US.

Guadin ,
@Guadin@k.fe.derate.me avatar

Well they don't ignore that market. They decided to not sell there yet. Because going to a new large market far away from all your warehouses and with a potential large demand cause a lot of headaches. Not to mention all the regulations and rules they need to abide by.

Crul ,

!fairphone

LemmyIsFantastic ,

This ain’t going to do shit for the environment. You already could replace most shit it was just harder. It’s just another toy for nerds to tinker with.

4shtonButcher ,

Prices for parts and the actual service being carried out are often more than half the price of a new device so even people that would want to repair end up not doing so. The Fairphone is seriously improving that equation!

KpntAutismus ,

have you tried to repair a regular phone? i have disassembled my fairphone down to the motherboard numerous times just for the fun of it. there are no adhesives to replace in the entire phone. you just need a screwdriver.

iopq ,

I had a guy replace an iphone screen for like $10, it was a 3 minute job. It’s not as bad as I thought

Grass ,

It’s more like 20-45 for someone less practiced. Once you have done a few though it’s pretty easy, unless there’s some bullshit like hardware id locks.

BearOfaTime ,

I have.

For the most part once the screen is removed (heat gun and playing card) everything else isn’t too hard. Some phones are more difficult.

Fairphone is a neat idea, but I think it’s a challenging sell because people who don’t know how to fix a phone will either pay someone of buy another. And those of us willing to do it ourselves quickly learn they’re not hard to repair, usually. So the niche is very small.

KpntAutismus ,

the main complaint from me is still the headphone jack. they faced insane backlash when they released the FP4. i thought this company cares about the user as well as the environment. but it seems they didn’t realize that people want actual features (like wireless charging, the headphone jack, or a usable battery size).

don’t get me wrong, i own a Fairphone 4 and love using it. but making these mistakes 2 times in a row now is just pathetic.

UxyIVrljPeRl ,

Jep their decision that I shouldn’t waste energy is the reason i don’t want one(wireless charging)

KpntAutismus ,

plus it’s easy as heck to add during development, i simply don’t get why they didn’t include it.

puppy ,

My guess for the real reason is that they buy off-the-shelf components from suppliers and don’t have enough money to design and order a custom motherboard with a headphone jack.

KpntAutismus ,

they designed the whole thing themselves. that’s why the schematics are publicly available. they definetely made a choice to fuck over users.

1rre ,

“we want to reduce e-waste by forcing everyone to throw out their wired headphones and buy a new set of wireless ones every couple of years when the battery goes dead”

The hypocrisy enrages me here

xnileap ,

I’ve been using the same pair of Sony XB50AP wired headphones for over 7 years now. It works fine (although not great) even after going through couple washing machine cycles. Meanwhile my wireless WH1000XM3 broke after 2 years of use.

Also I own an Android with no headphone jack, so I have to use a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle. And I can feel it’s slowly destroying the type C port’s connectors on my phone everytime I plug the dongle in, making the headphone connection sometimes not even recognizeable on my phone.

iopq ,

The WH-1000XM3 have repairable batteries. You can buy them online, and pop them in after undoing two screws

xnileap ,

Thanks for the headsup but mine broke because of something wrong inside the device, probably something wrong with the pcb (might be water corrosion or something). Plus the headband on WH1000XM3 is just so easy to broke. I’ve replace both side of the headband just because it’s designed very poorly.

iopq ,

There are wireless earbuds with repairable batteries. Just not Fairbuds, which have soldered batteries (LOL!)

bitwolf ,

forcing everyone to use a high quality 9$ dongle DAC with their wired headphones

Ftfy

1rre ,

Which you have to carry around separately, which comes at a convenience cost and so you’re more likely to just go for wireless ones (I know I have after the headphone jack wore out in my phone)

And also not charge at the same time unless you get a well shielded dac dongle with a usb female which also allows charging and supports thunderbolt, which is another piece of future e-waste that you’ll have to carry around in addition to your phone and 3.5mm only dongle, as the unconnected wire will get caught on your hand if you try to use your phone

Your idea of a fix makes as much sense as apple calling selling you 90% of a new device fixing your device - let’s not allow degenerate business practices just because a brand like to think of themselves as green and ethical, it’s anti-consumer and anti-environment, no ifs, no buts.

bitwolf ,

My nice head phones came with a case, I usually keep them in that case. The dongle fits inside with them.

Unfortunately my previous phone’s headphone jack was underpowered and didn’t work well with my headphones so I used to dongle despite having a jack.

This is the unfortunate reality with most phones that do include the headphone jack (RIP LG)

squirrelwithnut ,

Not including wireless charging IS caring about the environment. Wireless charging is extremely wasteful and inefficient.

KpntAutismus ,

Then don’t use it. people who want to switch expect basic features like this for double the price.

iopq ,

It’s inefficient for energy, but it’s efficient at saving charging cords. My girlfriend goes through one lightning cord a year.

A phone only needs like 5 watt hours a day max, which is a cost of 365 * $0.08 * 0.005 = $0.15 a year at local prices

BastingChemina ,

I feel like having to replace charging cords is an Apple issue specifically.

I’m horrified by the amount of time my wife had to replace her Mac charger because the cord was breaking.

I don’t think I ever had to replace the cord on any of my laptop, replacing the charger because the cord is breaking has never been a consideration before.

Chouxfleur ,
@Chouxfleur@lemmy.world avatar

I’ve found that breaking cables is a personal issue. I still have an old usb Xbox 360 controller for pc gaming from when I owned an xbox. My partner has destroyed cables for laptops, hairdryers, headphones in less than 12 months.

Some cables are objectively worse than others (macbook chargers I’m looking at you) but a modicum of care generally is enough to make sure they last without too much hassle.

pandacoder ,

I have only had one charging cable “break” (the cable sheath separated from the plug sheath, it was still usable and had no exposed wires since they all had their own additional sheath) since I stopped using Apple/Samsung phones as my daily driver.

I think the issue is crappy cables that are then super expensive so that they can continue milking you for every penny you are worth.

NENathaniel ,
@NENathaniel@lemmy.ca avatar

I work retail, people come in with broken Apple cables more than almost any other cable.

Surprisingly these people are also often very picky with getting the Apple-Branded cables as well, even USB C

bitwolf ,

Literally any cable other than Apples will not break like that.

I’ve had the same 100w tb3 cable for 4 years. It charges all of my devices and gets a ton of use.

Wireless charging is still a little gimmicky imo. It has only come in useful when my friend’s iPhone needed to mooch some charge off of my phone.

The headphone jacks are pointless to include bc they’re so horribly underpowered. USBc headphones or a dongle is 10x better.

Jarix ,

Bought a pixel 6 after breaking my oneplus 6t.

I absolutley love wireless charging. Its so good i wouldnt want another phone without it. No abuse on the usbc port which is something i definately damaged on previous phones. Just me being clumsy and knocking it off the table with the cord plugged in still.

My experience anyway. Love it

0x0 ,

it’s efficient at saving charging cords.

How does the wireless charger connect to power again?

iopq ,

You don’t need to replug it daily. Usually the cord doesn’t break, actually, it’s the connector at the end of the cord

4shtonButcher ,

The problem is there is no competition here. I’d love to see several repairable smartphones with slightly different features that create some competition. For example something with a max 5.5” screen and only a single camera.

KpntAutismus ,

Yes, absolutely. fairphone themselves say they want to create competition by making the fairphones. sadly, no one has really fully committed to this.

Liska ,

Actually, there is at least one other company specializing in sustainable / repairable electronics - besides Fairphone - I’m aware of.

Check out Shiftphone: Their new Shiftphone 8 (still under development / construction) will be a pretty solid deal with a reasonable price-performance ratio - already pre ordered mine and very excited for final delivery in March.

… Their previous models as well as spare parts, etc. are also still available through their shop.

brisk ,

I can’t speak to your other requirements but the Nokia brand has a couple of repairable phones as a result of an ifixit partnership.

As Linux Phones they’re a bit more niche but the Librem 5 and the Pine Phone/Pro are very repairability focussed

egonallanon ,

Usable battery size? The FP5 has a 4200mah battery which is about 500mah less than the s23 plus which is pretty reasonable and I’ve found it very usable for day to day use. Wireless charing is a pointless gimmick personally and I don’t see the utility of it. Lack of a headphone jack is a pain though.

Cethin ,

I thought the same of wireless charging before I tried it. I now have a charger on my desk that I sit my phone on whenever I’m there. Charging isn’t something I ever even think about now. It just is charged.

egonallanon ,

I’ve just never had that be a problem for me. I’ve had wireless charging phones before and I never really felt having a wireless charger any more convenient than just plugging my phone in. Really the only time I used wireless charging was on an old phone when the micro-b port failed but with the advent of type c being and the ease of swapping a charging port on the FP5 it just seems to be adding needless expense to the device to have a less efficient method of charging the device.

Honytawk ,

Wireless charging is a good alternative to have when your usb-c port breaks.

Of course, with Fairphone is is less of an issue since replacing those is like 15€.

Nacktmull ,

Laughs in FP3

gigachad ,

It’s a great thing, and I hope the industry (with motivation by EU) will follow a trend towards repairability and sustainability. However I think the most sustainable way is buying used devices.

KpntAutismus ,

they’re selling refurbished FP4s now but yeah, buy used phones, or at least B-stock.

nottheengineer ,

Unfortunately you need something with long firmware and software support. Qualcomm is your enemy, they stop updating the firmware of their chips after about two years and that’s why android phones often stop getting updates less than 2 years after you buy them.

gigachad ,

That’s true. I use LineageOS to get at least OS updates, but firmware is definitely problematic. I just wished mobile hardware would be more generic like in Desktop PCs, that would solve a lot of problems.

__ghost__ ,

Let’s go back to thicc boi phones like the 80s and we could have some pretty sick homebrew options

Or hell, why not a modern bucket phone? Build it out in a box with a Bluetooth headset and 3.5mm passthrough

BearOfaTime , (edited )

We need a phone equivalent of the 80’s BIOS wars.

But it’s not in anyone’s best interest to spend the resources to develop a standardized hardware interface. Though at this point you’d think it would be straightforward to use UEFI.

echo64 ,

Used devices still break and end in landfills, though, used might be better than new for carbon output today, but repairable is gonna win out in that regard long term

gigachad ,

Hopefully in the future repairable and used can go hand in hand! Those are not mutually exclusive attributes.

KpntAutismus ,

even better, a used repairable phone.

squaresinger ,

Sadly, their software QA sucks and thus the phone is buggy as hell.

Whitch is really frustrating because otherwise it’s a pretty good (if oversized and overly expensive) phone.

KpntAutismus ,

the OS is missing features, i’ll give you that. but it’s never as buggy as the 300€ phones people compare it to. trust me, i owned a Poco X3.

dunz ,
@dunz@feddit.nu avatar

Missing features? It’s more or less stock Android with a different launcher. Which features are missing? 😯

Creat ,

I miss mostly small details. example: an option only have the fingerprint reader activate if the power button is pressed (when screen is off). why? cause the fingerprint sensor is the power button, and it’s the place I happen to hold the phone at when putting it IN my pocket, often unlocking it. it also keeps vibrating with ‘negative detection’ haptic feedback when just handling the phone, and any part of the hand touches the sensor.

there are quite a few options like this missing that area common on other phones.

KpntAutismus ,

exactly

lemann ,

Do report these on the FP forum when you encounter them, the staff seem pretty proactive at getting these fixed, although it takes them a while… (at least they were for the FP3 - even community requests for a very low screen brightness were honored, and now they’re supporting two versions of android for the FP3 due to Google’s fingerprint sensor requirement nonsense on Android 13)

squaresinger ,

Sure, done that. But the issues I have have been open for months (e.g. the really unresponsive screen since they “fixed” the ghost touch issue by reducing the screen sensitivity for all phones, even the ones not affected by ghost touches, making other phones ignore touches all the time).

Or Android 13 frequently crashing, resetting or freezing if you dare to use 5G. That’s a blocker level bug that is open since Android 13 was released and support told me a week ago that they still have no clue why this happens.

And even though some of these bugs are super easy to fix (and I proposed some fixes that I got running on my phone using root, with no access to any source code) they still spend months not fixing them.

The very low screen brightness for example took from February to October to fix, even though it took me 15min and I sent my fix to support and posted it on the forums. No change happened until they updated to A13, which rewrote that part of AOSP.

And the ghost touch/screen sensitivity issue, which has a dead simple fix, is still open since launch. The issue there is that the screens have very different levels of sensitivity from the factory. So if they set one software sensitivity level, either some get ghost touches or others get an unresponsive screen. So the fix is to just add a toggle or a slider in the settings that users can use to adjust the screen sensitivity, just like e.g. Samsung has done for a long time. Instead, they just arbitrarily change that value to ruin the experience for someone else.

And yes, that proposed solution has been on the forums for years and it was also sent to support.

jupyter_rain ,
@jupyter_rain@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

Indeed. I own the 3 and it’s ups and downs. In the end it is still good enough plus the aspect of more fairness in the whole process.

DacoTaco ,
@DacoTaco@lemmy.world avatar

Own a fp4, dont have any issues. But i am running lineageOS on it :')

sirico ,
@sirico@feddit.uk avatar

Own a 4 had to replace the screen, and it was refreshingly easy with the modular system. My only issue is parts availability at times.

BearOfaTime ,

I’ve replaced a few screens that were glued in place (Samsung being one), just had to warm them with a hair dryer and used a playing card to cut through the adhesive. Easy-peasy.

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