Fairphone 4—the repairable, sustainable smartphone—is coming to the US
Fairphone 4—the repairable, sustainable smartphone—is coming to the US

Fairphone 4—the repairable, sustainable smartphone—is coming to the US

Fairphone 4—the repairable, sustainable smartphone—is coming to the US
Fairphone 4—the repairable, sustainable smartphone—is coming to the US
i used this phone for a year. the phone is a bit bulky and heavy, but not much more than a flagship phone with a case on it. i never needed a case because of the metal build, and the back is this rubber/plastic material that's really nice. no stupid glass that will crack if u drop it.
the back comes off nice and easy and everything is removable with a screwdriver. the battery doesnt require a screwdriver to remove if i recall correctly. the replacement parts are available on fairphone's website. the bootloader is unlockable so you can change the OS if you wanted to aswell. the stock OS isn't so comfortable so i do recommend trying out alternatives, i had good experiences with /e/ and CalyxOS.
the fairphone marketing is a bit gross in my opinion. removing the headphone jack right as they release their own wireless accessories. having the hardware inside the phone for a second SIM, but making it inaccessible to end-users. promising 5 years of warranty and software support despite using old hardware that will not have 5 years of firmware updates, let alone security updates down the line. they base this on their long-term updates to fp2 and fp3 which also lack these critical components.
the phone's specs are nothing special. which is fine when you consider that the premium you're paying is for your own ethics; NOT the quality of the phone. but remember, fairphone are no stranger to misleading marketing and greenwashing. if you care about security updates, this isn't a 5 year phone as they're promising it to be.
i ended up installing grapheneOS on a used pixel, that's my phone now. it's a much, much better experience and i get to know that it will hold this quality of life for a long time to come. i do miss the removable battery, though.
please correct me if im wrong on anything.
to also note, we shouldn't make Good the enemy of Perfect.
if the fp4 fits your needs, even knowing everything in this thread, then it's still a massive leap forward and a future that NEEDS financial support to ever exist. i regret buying my FP4, but i would have still donated to fairphone either way. however, we shouldn't blindly accept their misleading marketing either.
edit: clearing up a vague sentiment
I'm interested in the next generation of fairphone whenever that comes out. For me it isn't about ethics as much as longevity. I want a phone with a replaceable battery because that's the main reason why I find myself replacing my phones.
the hardware itself should last. just make sure that the replacement parts are available on the website and buy some early, i had issues before part availability.
the repairability of the fp4 is awesome. the back comes off with just your fingernail, the battery isnt screwed in, and some of the components most likely to be damaged are easily replaced (assuming stock availability on the website). there's also a cool crowd called fairphone angels, volunteers that will repair phones for people for free if you trust them enough. i think it's awesome. fairphone also provides all the design schematics if that's important to you. as an ethical thing, it's important to me.
fairphone support also seem really down-to-earth from my experience with them in case you have any issues.
of course, the hardware will likely last. if the specs are enough for you, then it's not a bad phone at all. like i said above, fairphone have an awful track record with software updates and misleading advertising so this should be a concern if you are conscious about security.
Fairphone 5 is rumoured to come out this year.
Replacement battery is all I would need in order to keep a phone for longer than I currently do. My previous phone was still fine in all aspects except for battery life and OS updates.
If you don't care about gaming, any phone has good enough specs to last you for 5+ years without any issue.