Update 1
I see a framerate/refresh rate bug that occasionally locks the framerate at a low value upon unlock. Fixing it requires a lock/unlock cycle.
Do you like the default launcher? Is there a way to clean up the screen? From youtube videos, I see that the launcher is similar to iOS where all your apps are laid out. I prefer the minimal approach: a few favorite apps, some widgets and an app draw
Can’t wait to see a followup post for this! Cheers for doing this AMA! 🎉❤️❤️
What kind of motorbike would you recommend for vietnam? Redlining a Honda Wave to do 55mph for an hour is awful, but a <200 lb bike is really nice in traffic and when you have to go over curbs, and bigger bikes are more likely to attract police attention.
My buddy got a cb1000r dirt cheap, and hates it in the city, and is constantly paranoid every traffic cop is gonna take the bike or demand a shitton of money.
Is this deGoogle?
How is the weight and size? Is it easy to carry and put in pocket or car?
Preliminary battery testing results:
During this first discharge session, I’ve installed apps, transferred data, posted all my comments here, etc. All on WiFi.
I gave up waiting for fairphone releasing the newest phone for purchase in the USA so I went with a pixel because I saw a deal for it. I guess the USA market isn’t as important to them.
I want to like these. I compared the specs though and my note 20 ultra from half a decade ago still blow these out of the water in terms of specs.
I want a high end repairable phone
What did you have for breakfast this morning?
I don’t eat breakfast. Been doing intermittent fasting for as long as I can remember. Surviving on 2 meals a day, one at lunch and a smaller one at early dinner.
That sucks.
Would love to do it but my heartburn literally prevents me from doing this. I have to eat or drink something small every few hours or it feels like an alien chestburster is about to fuck me up.
Was the downgrade to USB-C 2.0 noticeable to you so far? As in, with the slower data transfer speed or lack of Display output?
It’s the main reason why I ended up going with a Pixel 9 pro instead of Fairphone 6 when getting a new phone a few months ago
USB 2 ? no way. My camera backups would take weeks on USB 2 speeds. Probably faster over local network
You do data transfer over USB? The only time I’ve connected the usb cable to transfer data is to mess around with adb.
Try LocalSend, its pretty amazing. There are several alternatives too if it isn’t to your liking.
I do use it ! but never tried to benchmark it compared to usb. It just might be faster
The trick is to automate the transfer so that there is never that much to transfer. Transfer speed doesn’t matter as much then.
Ah, I don’t know how to do that. How would you go about it ?
I was speaking in general terms. Cloud storage is one solution. You photos are usually automatically uploaded. The most convenient solution for Android is probably Google Photos.
I use Syncthing, which can be setup on the Camera folder and only enabled when on wifi and power. Every night, my new photos are uploaded to a file server at home and then spread to all other devices.
Syncthing can also be setup to remove files from any device, just like how Dropbox and other such cloud storage services work. You can use this to keep the phone clean by moving the files out of the synced Camera folder on any other device. In my case, I also have a way larger Photos folder which will only sync to devices with more storage.
When the phone storage is staring to fill, I clean up/edit the new photos in the Camera folder - on a desktop computer - and then move them over.
Don’t forget to also backup your files! If you make a mistake on one device, you may wipe the files on all devices 😱
Wait wtf. This kills transfer speeds to prortable SSDs.
Lame-ass decision, welp, never considering a fairphone untill they start making better decisions.
I mean, you’ll be able to upgrade the usb port later, but I get your issue.
What is the use-case for fast USB transfer to/from a smart phone?
Are you using your phone as a computing platform / data transfer device? Just honestly curious why this is a showstopper for you.
I use my phone as my main computer.
In fact, most people don’t really have a desktop/laptop computer anymore, its just their one smartphone
Most people? Where do you live? Somewhere in the remote African hinterland? (No disrespect) I’m having a hard time thinking of someone I know who doesn’t have a computer.
This kills transfer speeds to portable SSDs.
How many people transfer files from a phone to a portable SSD? Not that many. That’s also probably why the feature was cut in the first place.
Fun Fact: The FP5 (predecessor) has USB3 but it’s effectively useless for file transfer as the internal storage has USB2 like speeds.
Ethernet over USB, too
And even just regular file transfers. I got used to passing files over KDE Connect because fucking WiFi is faster than the USB 2.0 on my phone.
Unfortunately, only works with the “Share” or “Send to” rather than file browser which for some reason caps out at 5MB/s.
I haven’t used my phone’s USB port for anything but charging for at least over a decade so I hadn’t even checked the port speed before or after buying.
Super cool! I have a 5 and my partner is hoping to get a 6.
How’s it feel? I went from a pixel to the 5, and she’s going from a pixel 8 to the FP6. I’d say my biggest complaint is that the 5 is large and heavy.
Pretty good, similar to a Nexus 5 or a Z10. I’m coming from a Pixel as well, an 8 Pro, if I don’t find any showstopper that is. 😄 I actually like how big the 8 Pro is but I don’t mind the FP6 size.
Why switch from a Pixel 8? It’s still fairly new.
Good question, and it’s actually a 7 (I just didn’t pay enough attention). It’s like a ~1 year from now plan probably
How did you take a picture of your phone?
We’re not doing this again
I’m invoking the mirror clause immediately.
I was there as that unfolded. It was a beautiful thing, and made me love that place in the early days before The Donald and all the corpo-bullshit.
Same. The good old days.
You hold your right index finger to your right temple and blink both eyes.
Noobs. Bet he doesn’t even use Linux.
What is their plan to provide long-term support? How long do they say they will support it? I had the FP1 and after a few years there were no more firmware updates from I think Qualcomm. Google eventually stopped supporting the chip for newer android versions, and fairphone didn’t have the resources to do it on their own. Then there was a major security vulnerability. I don’t remember which one, but basically remote code execution was possible just by visiting a website. With no updates for the FP1, it was unusable from then on for everything remotely private.
The hardware worked fine until the end, but this mess made it unusable. In comparison, my recently bought Pixel 9 gets updates until 2032.
Fairphone 6 will get updates until at least 2033
PS: A ton of questions in the comments here can be resolved by a simple web search…
Google eventually stopped supporting the chip for newer android versions
The chip was made by MediaTek and Google just provides Android and usually no firmware support in the first place… So how exactly is this related to Google?
I don’t remember which one, but basically remote code execution was possible just by visiting a website
That sounds like a browser issue which is unrelated to the OS.
The hardware worked fine until the end, but this mess made it unusable.
Uhm what did you expect from a 1st generation smartphone made in 2013? That the software will always be up-to-date even 10 years later?
The chip was made by MediaTek and Google just provides Android and usually no firmware support in the first place… So how exactly is this related to Google?
Newer versions of Android were not available for the FP1. Older versions didn’t get the security updates. That was the issue.
That sounds like a browser issue which is unrelated to the OS.
No, it was not a browser issue. I don’t remember which one, maybe heartbleed, or any other of the famous vulnerabilities with a logo and a website.
Uhm what did you expect from a 1st generation smartphone made in 2013? That the software will always be up-to-date even 10 years later?
Well, that is exactly the claim, isn’t it? “The one that lasts” implies for me that it doesn’t randomly become unusable after a few years, even though the hardware is technically still fine. Smartphones have now reached a point of stagnating innovation. We already have most functionality we need, so it’s in theory a good time to produce phones that last until the hardware falls apart.
Good question.
There was an announcement about QC extending SD 7 and 8 support for up to 8 years but they say it depends on the OEM. Maybe FP is part of that deal. Maybe not.
Now let’s look at the Pixel’s update support from another angle. The problem I see is that the hardware may not last that long in practice. Specifically due to the lack of parts or the prices for those parts. For example a replacement for my Pixel 8 Pro’s battery is currently CAD $160. That used to be $80 when I had a Pixel 5. The screen repair cost is very high. Over the year-and-a-half I’ve had it, its battery capacity has gone down to 92%. A battery I have almost never fast charged. If this degradation rate continues, it’ll need replacement by year 2-3 of the device life. That’ll be $160-200 for another 2-3 years. Then there’s the parts availability. The Pixel 6a, supported to 2027, has a fire-hazardous battery defect requiring battery replacement. Our extended family has a couple. We checked with the authorized repair shops and it turns out they no longer have those batteries. That’s 3 years into the device’s support lifespan. This means it’s quite plausibe that I won’t be able to replace my Pixel 8 Pro’s battery next year, let alone in the 6th year of its 7-year support lifespan. In other words that long of an update support is only meaningful if it’s supplanted by the necessary availability of parts, and ideally the ability to replace them without specialized tools. I’ve tried replacing a Pixel battery in the past and I broke a screen. I’m sure I can get the hang of it if I had the requisite hot plates, high end suction cups and a few spare devices to practice, but that’s not practical for most users.
Yes, good point. One time I got a replacement battery for my FP1 at no costs IIRC. On the hardware side it’s definitely an advantage to have replaceable parts.
FP1 and 2 were really bad compared to what the new models offer. They now use LTS chips designed for IoT devices and promise new Android versions and Updates for at least 8 years. Ive used a FP3 for many years before I sold it (it still recieves updates) and now happily use the FP5.
They now use LTS chips designed for IoT devices
This is no longer the case for the Fairphone 6. It uses a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which is a regular SoC for mobile devices. I believe this is because Qualcomm finally extended support for these chips past 5 years.
Oh good to know!
yeah it’s not like google ever abandoned any projects
Unlike FP, Google at least Manages to provide security updates that are not more than 1,5 months old or even more
And that is for the FP5, since launch day.
Why is this post FILLED with AI not comments? Are the corpo platforms so bitter about federated they want to just poison it?
I thought people were just trolling since OP said “Ask me anything”, are they really bots? 🤔
Eh, 50% of the internet is fake anyways, not too surprising if this is the case.
Wait…am I fake?
For real, I think the question about “should I eat a whole chocolate cake” sort of opened the flood gates to people asking anything.
Meanwhile, OP said ask them anything - they answered like 3 questions. Answers were never promised, just the ability to ask anything.
That’s trolling not ai
Ah. Ok. I guess that could be of some comfort. Like 0.00% oz of it.
No questions, but I’m so fucking pissed that Fairphone is on their 6th generation and still doesn’t offer them globally.
I have to replace my wife’s dying phone, and it kills me that I’ll end up buying some garbage, probably from Google, that will end up as garbage in a few years.
Please, bring these to Canada! 😭😭😭
Buddy, I’m in Torontario guy. Bought from Clove UK for 1016 Canadian peso final-final, after DHL blood sacrifice.
I don’t want to import, I want to purchase from an authorized local dealer with warranty and parts available in Canada.
Even clove says that you’ll need to send the phone back to the UK, at your expense, for any warranty related work. That’s not only incredibly time consuming and costly, but it would negate any environmental benefit of owning the phone!
I can’t imagine how expensive and delayed parts would be, again, missing the point of having a repairable phone.
The demand for at least North American consumers is there. I wish Fairphone would just do it already.
Got it. Yeah it makes sense for the warranty. I assumed I could get parts in Canada though. I might have jumped the gun on this one. I thought iFixit sells them and they do but I can see their site says “Not sold in Canads” for a few parts I checked just now. Hmm.
E: It seems that Clove also sells parts. I see some FP4 and 5 parts. No FP6 parts yet.
Murena is an official authorized seller of Fairphones, but they come with e/os (you can reinstall the original if you have a computer)
Edit: Damn its available for the US but not Canada.
I bought my FairPhone from Clove too. It was easy and the phone works great here.
I know Fairphone would probably be quite expensive even for the price it offers if it ever came to my country, but for the update cycle they offer and repairable build (looks at my broken screen of old Nokia), it actually makes sense. I don’t particularly need the highest end specs, I just need a mid ranger phone that’s sufficiently fluid and Fairphone fits the bill.
In fact, I was more intrigued by their earbuds. IIRC, they are the only one with a replaceable battery. For a set of wireless ones, that is a huge step. I don’t think their sound profile was/is as good as Sony’s or Sennheiser’s but the simple fact that they don’t have to end up as e waste makes them way more value for money in the long run.
I know Fairphone would probably be quite expensive even for the price it offers if it ever came to my country, but for the update cycle they offer and repairable build (looks at my broken screen of old Nokia), it actually makes sense.
This is why I got a Framework laptop, and why I wouldn’t mind getting a Fairphone. I’m tired of planned obsolescence, and the e-waste it needlessly creates.
It is insanely expensive to get network certification and pay for band licenses, and then build an antenna array that can cover it all well. Myriad of frequencies outside of dealing with mafioso policies.
Cell phones need to be the new landline. Just works. But that takes regulation and design patterns.
Opening up their market to another 400 million to multiple billion people would make those expenses worth while, though.
We need ethical, environmentally conscious, future proof options for smartphones in the Americas. 😫
And towers. You live where I live, very low population density and thick forest make cell phones iffy at best. Many places I go have absolutely no cell service and probably never will. I will be dead before we get access to 5G here.
I will be dead before we get access to 5G here.
I have the opposite problem! 5G is being forced on us here (Ontario, Canada), and my mobile provider just closed of their 3g network, and are making 4g more expensive. I don’t need 5g. I don’t even need 4g, and to have to pay for it just sucks.
The US closed out 3G a few years ago. So 4G/LTE is the default now. When we had 3G, the reception was even worse. And 5G is supposed to be the thing. But even in the nearest big town, (Pop. 15,000), the 5G reception is very spotty. But at least my bill hasn’t gone up.
In any case, even my new Pixel 9a only shows one bar where I live. But at least I can send a text reliably now.
I don’t think they’re handling their current scale well just in Europe, even. VoLTE works on a limited number of carriers even in Europe. e.g. only T-Mobile is recommended by FP in Poland, but it’s just one of the four large telcos. I wouldn’t expand if I was at that point. Plus, they’re busy with making their support less horrible (see post on their forum) for now.
edit: damn fp6 doesn’t support any Polish carrier, a step down from FP5 https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/9779766652689-How-to-set-up-4G-and-Wi-Fi-Calling
That’s disappointing. They’ve been around for over a decade, and still have these “growing pains”?
Even phones from much smaller, more niche companies (i.e Pinephone) have had global availability and work on global bands.
Are they finally going to update software like other vendors or do you have to wait for years?
