An update on Fairphone 3

Originally published at: An update on Fairphone 3 - Fairphone

As the saying goes “all good things must come to an end”. After a successful two-year run with the Fairphone 3, we are ending the sale of this phone. But just like what you’d expect from us, we will stick to our longevity promise to provide software and hardware support for five years from the phone’s launch. So, there is no need to worry and no need to buy a new phone or toss your Fairphone 3 into a drawer.

A look back

We started Fairphone with one thing in mind: to change the electronics industry from the inside and push for more sustainable products, including fairer working conditions. We are disrupting the “take-make-waste” short-term way of thinking and working toward a more circular economy that encourages the long-lasting, in the end even continuous, use of products and materials. With every phone we make that remains in use, we’re getting closer to a fairer and more sustainable electronics industry.

The launch of the Fairphone 3 in August 2019 was a great step forward for us. It combined the latest technology with our principles for fairness. With the Fairphone 3, we were able to close the gap that existed between choosing a sustainable smartphone or choosing one that delivers excellent performance. We combined both so you don’t have to choose one over the other. With its launch, we proved to the industry that it’s possible to take a more sustainable approach to electronics and it allowed us to expand our reach across Europe.

Fairphone 3 forged a path

We achieved many milestones with the Fairphone 3, including:

  • The launch of Fair Cobalt Alliance, which supports a greater range of responsibly sourced minerals
  • We developed the living wage bonus program that improves the working conditions and welfare of workers in our supply chain
  • We scored a perfect 10 on the iFixit repairability index, one of only two phones to receive that score!

In addition to the above, we onboarded many new sales partners, developed collaborations with key partners such as /e/OS, and collected e-waste from Africa with Closing the Loop.

End of sale does not mean end of life

While we are ending the sale of the Fairphone 3, it does not mean it’s the end of its life! In fact, because of our unique approach for our Android phones, you can still upgrade your phone with camera modules and spare parts. We are also planning to update the Fairphone 3 to Android 11 in 2022.

We continue to prove there is a market for more sustainable electronics and you, our users, help send a strong signal to the industry that change needs to happen sooner rather than later. By creating a more sustainable smartphone, we’re demonstrating the endless possibilities for a fairer future – for everyone.

Do you own a Fairphone 3?
If so, we would like to know how helpful you found this update. Give feedback >>

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Well that looks like an FP4 on the table then

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It would be nice to include an explicit statement about the FP3+ :wink:

Edit: scroll down to this post for an answer

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The FP3+ seems to remain offered:

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I suppose there a bit of stock left ?? but yes! the statement could have read, no more FP3+ and end of line for FP3

Mind you it does say ‘ending’ not ‘ended’

This is so baffling.
Somebody writes this article, somebody approves it, it goes online with the CEO’s picture.
Nobody in the process got to the point of “Wait a minute. We have the Fairphone 3+, too. Might as well prevent any confusion and say something about it. We know people, we know the internet.”?

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I am quite convinced the FP3+ will stay (or rather become again) available for quite a bit if the speculated 700 Euro price tag for the upcoming new “thing” is true. It would seem very odd that Fairphone introduced the FP3 at a significantly lower price tag than the FP2 and then totally reverse that approach and make/leave only an option available that’s 250 Euros more expensive than the predecessor model.

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So only 3.* from latter buyers ~ not at all impressive, best not even to speak about such a poor future, but then I didn’t promote 5 years as a selling point.

It’s good job there’s the forum and people like @Leo_TheCrafter who seems to have a longer support mentality.

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But still more than compared to an average Android phone :wink:

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Let’s not overlook the delay of Android 11 to next year. This will certainly apply to FP3+ as well.

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Maybe I am reading carelessly, as I often do, and the FP3+ is still going to be available, and no FP4

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I would take this as a warning. If the same software engineers located in China provide Android 11 for the FP3, some issues that are going to appear will take forever to be fixed by them. They seem to have absolutely no reliable quality assurance…

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I was about to buy a second FP3 for my mom.
Guess I won’t do it then.

The FP3 is still available and maybe the FP3+ soon, both use the same OS and have the same support.

Sure. I own the FP3+ and I’m happy with it.

But why would I be buying something EOL?

There’s no EOL for support that has changed, just no more FP3 being produced

grafik

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Changes by the day/hour/minute ??

So
FP3 Discontinued
FP3+ Out of stock (for some time now)

Looks like a logistics mess.

Not being produced = EOL

Nevertheless this is a PR train wreck lol

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Not quite correct:

An end-of-life product (EOL product) is a product at the end of the product lifecycle which prevents users from receiving updates, indicating that the product is at the end of its useful life (from the vendor’s point of view).

Source: End-of-life product - Wikipedia

But you are right, Fairphone press is a mess…

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