Fairphone 3 gets seven years of updates, besting every other Android OEM
Fairphone 3 gets seven years of updates, besting every other Android OEM
Fairphone proves the usual excuses for ending Android support aren't valid.
I hope they bring the Fairphone 5 to the US in a reasonable amount of time, because the 4 is just too old for the price being charged.
The Fairphone 4 costs 649 here in Sweden so it doesn’t seem that different to me. Plus if it too gets 7 years of updates, that doesn’t seem like a bad price to me.
The main reason I moved to iOS over Android is because I hate changing phones every year, not even Google supports their phones as long as Apple does.
This is a good move by Fairphone. Hope they succeed.
Why did they bring the Fairphone 4, but not the Fairphone 5?
There is no Fairphone 5 released yet in any regions.
The fairphone 5 isn't out yet
The company actually skipped Android 12 to deliver Android 13 due to all that "build the BSP yourself" work. Monthly security updates probably don't arrive all that regularly either.
This might be a dealbreaker for many people.
Yep. 7 years of updates is not worth a lot functionally if the updates are months or years behind. Almost as bad as them not getting them to begin with.
My last android phone was the Xiaomi Mi A1, supposed to 3 years support under Android One. The updates were delayed and it was a very bad experience overall, imo.
This is what made me leave android for iOS, just tired of having to change phones every 1-2 years and having several issues like the above.
*Cries in Poco X3 Pro*
Updating may very well brick your phone. (or cause other unpredictable issues) So I am staying with MIUI 12.5.5 and 01/01/2022 security patch. But it's also known to randomly brick itself due to motherboard issues, so there's that.
I'd buy this in an instant if they would have included a headphone jack. What an idiotic design choice to make especially on a device like this
Just to clarify, this is about the 2019 model Fairphone 3, which does have a headphone jack.
The Fairphone 3 still had one.
Honestly, the headphone jack days are gone and there's not a lot we can do about it.
And honestly? Wireless Bluetooth headphones/earbuds are good enough now that I don't see a need for wired ones though so I don't see what the issue ism
I'm glad that it works for you. Doesn't work for everyone, unfortunately. There are still a few brands out there that release new phones with the jack. Supporting them demonstrates that there's still a market out there. I find Bluetooth buds, even the great ones, a frustrating enough experience that I don't want to rely on ONLY that for music listening.
Same thing with small phones; there aren't many out there, but I show my support where I can. I may not be the majority but I think the jack is a large enough "niche" that it will absolutely be out there for a long time. In fact I suspect as people get tired of the $200/year (for good bluetooth buds) hamster wheel the jack will actually increase in popularity. But it takes time for all of those bluetooth buds to break down on people, and for people to decide that enough is enough.
I use my headphones on multiple devices. Pairing them every time I want to switch is a pain in the ass. Also, my current headphones are still good and will hopefully last for a very long time, as I specifically went after headphones that are study, easy to maintain, and repair. So I have no need for Bluetooth headphones, and I have no desire for Bluetooth headphones. I just want a jack to plug in.
I hate the fact that so many manufacturers removed it that I refuse to buy a device like that purely out of principle.
My current device has a user removable battery aswell and seems like EU is going to make it mandatory for new devices so my next device will probably have it too. I can imagine someone saying the same thing about removable battery that you're now saying about the headphone jack. Time will tell.
7 years. Wtf!!!
This is the way! Hope competition does its thing and others will follow. Today's phones have great hardware. If apps and android releases in the future won't require much more power for no reason, I can see sticking to phones for that long.
wen fairphone 5?
I got few years left on my current devices but ready for the switch
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Why not? If the phone is physically still functional, and receives software updates, why does it matter if its 7 years old?
I need good pictures for my job. I have an s22 because the wide angle camera is incredibly useful, and I need a stylus from time to time (also for my job).
However, barring a huge leap in wide angle camera, a sharp drop in performance/battery life, I'll run my s22 for as long as it lasts.
If a fairphone with the functionality I need becomes available (in Canada) sometime between now and when I need a new device, I'll switch in a heartbeat.
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I'm currently using a Oneplus 5T. Released in 2017. Slapped LineageOS on it, and that bad boy is still my daily driver and one of my most prized possessions. I dread the day when it will break, but it's not yet showing any signs of weakness
I'm also using a OnePlus 5T (with LineageOS from day 1), and plan to replace it with a Fairphone should it die and there's a good model available with US bands. I'm fine with importing the newest Fairphone should it release by that time, but the Fairphone 4 is also available directly in the US as well.
I think what's impressive here is the first party, OEM support for feature updates on Android lasting as long as it has for this phone. That's really not something you tend to see even on Google's flagships (though security updates are still regular and better than what the Fairphone sees officially).
IMO, smartphones have basically plateaued in the past at least five years - a flagship model from 2015 should be sufficient for basic usage today, assuming the battery and modem hardware was somehow kept up to date and software updates were provided as well, and flagship models from like 2018 onwards were a better deal than today's flagships, providing comparable real-world functionality at a lower price even if the spec sheet pales by comparison. I don't think most other OEMs have the incentives to provide that kind of long-term support on older but still usable hardware, but Fairphone absolutely is.
I recently gave up my 6t for a Pixel7 and it was the worst decision I'd made in awhile. I miss it so much, but the newer OP phones just aren't any good from what I've been reading.
Nokia 6.1 from 2018 with LineageOS. Good phone still.
My phone is 4 years old and still going strong. I can easily see myself using this for another 2-3 years.
Why?
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