Fairphone

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Back cover woes

Help FP3
#139

Sorry to disagree here.
But Fairphone has on more than one occasion explained their way of production/delivery and how they are waiting for a new batch of phones to arrive. While the phones themselves even might be produced in a constant stream, the shipping is organized in larger quantities and therefore unlikely to take place every other day.
Take a look here:

This stays this way until a batch of Fairphone 3’s arrives at our distribution center and we can assign an FP3 to your order.

Try searching for the term “batch” on the Fairphone homepage and you will be presented with lots of results. In my opinion you will hardly find any company, that is more transparent about all the things they are doing and the ways they are going.
While I am myself often are really curious about one thing or the other, I understand as well, that there are limits to being open about everything. Maybe it’s even the fact, that Fairphone is so open about so many things, that one expects them to explain all they do and everything that happens.

Regarding the “back cover woes” you are quite correct.
That’s just speculation on my side. But the fact, that they discontinued the lettering with the FP3+ tells something. I doubt, that this was due to a change in optical preferences. :wink:

2 Likes
#140

Regarding the “back cover woes” you are quite correct.
That’s just speculation on my side. But the fact, that they discontinued the lettering with the FP3+ tells something. I doubt, that this was due to a change in optical preferences.

That is the only thing I takl about. :slight_smile:

Because the rest of the phone is perfect.

#141

By the way, some quick first hand/sight impression: While the new opaque black back covers come without white letters anymore, their black letters still stand out somewhat because they are shiny. Almost looks a bit like some liquid transparent glue was there.

IMG_20200921_123836
IMG_20200921_1238361500×2000 1.12 MB
IMG_20200921_123829
IMG_20200921_1238291500×2000 1.15 MB

6 Likes
#142

From the comparison documentof FP3 vs. FP3+ (linked on the page with the FP3+ FAQ

Back cover black
This spare part for your Fairphone 3 and Fairphone 3+ is built with durability in
mind. The sturdy back cover protects your phone’s inner workings, is detailed with
a glossy embossed logo and comes in solid black. It’s made with up to 40%
recycled plastics, making it our most sustainable back cover yet.

Not exactly an explanation how they are doing it though.

#143

Let’s just wait until the gloss falls off :smiley: .

(I still haven’t lost a letter, by the way.)

4 Likes
#144

BTW for everyone wondering why the cover for the new FP3+ is not transparent anymore, this Sueddeutsche article (German) explains it:

Beim neuen Modell ist der Anteil an recyceltem Kunststoff im Vergleich zum Vorgänger mehr als viermal so hoch wie bisher. Das ist auch der Grund, warum die Rückseite des Fairphones nun wieder schwarz ist. Zuletzt war sie stets transparent, um das modulare Design sichtbar zu machen. Doch das ist mit mehr wiederverwerteten Kunststoffen nicht mehr so einfach möglich.

English (translated with DeepL):

In the new model, the proportion of recycled plastic is more than four times higher than in its predecessor. This is also the reason why the back of the fairphone is now black again. Lastly, it was always transparent to make the modular design visible. But this is no longer so easy with more recycled plastics.

4 Likes
#145

In my opinion, if, despite of less recycled plastics in it, they want to continue producing the transparent case (which, to me, has a better look), without having problems, they should paint the letters on it like on the protective covers.

Is there such an evolution to be expected, @rae?

#147

Vanishing letters was an issue with FP2 already, but at least they hold until warranty ended :wink:.
My new FP3 starts losing letters after only 2 month now.
My opinion is, that a warranty request for a new back cover, only because of some missing letters, contradicts with the principle of sustainability behind Fairphone.
So I removed the remaining letters, fetched some color pens and this is the result, like mentioned above.

FP3-Rainbow
FP3-Rainbow1500×2000 281 KB

20 Likes
#148

I’m generally very happy with my FP3, although I was disappointed when most of the lettering from FAIRPHONE 3 on the rear case peeled off. I got the impression that it might have been a heat related issue during charging. Has anyone else had this issue? I get the impression a full charge doesn’t last as long theses days although I haven’t measured its longevity.
Dave

#149

I see your post has been moved here.
Please have a look at the topic, this is a known issue with the FP3 case. If you want a new case with all letters, Fairphone support will provide you a new one. Or you can follow the tips to fill them as mentioned above, as that’s probably more sustainable! :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#150

What pens did you use? I need to do that!

#151

Do you have to return the old back cover when ordering a replacement?

#152

I did recolor my logo too a while ago (although single colored) and can confirm that permanent marker (Edding and such) works great. U can use some masking tape and a cutter/scalpel to precisely color in the letters.

2 Likes
#153

No, you can keep the old one. :slight_smile:

3 Likes
#154

I used some chalk pencils I had available. The ink is very liquid and can be easy applied with a small paint brush or a tooth picker.
But sadly it’s not very durable, maybe a transparent lacquer on top can make it more resistible.
I think model paint could work better, the color palette is great and colors are bright and shiny.

2 Likes
#155

I was thinking about model paint in silver!

#156

I can recommend nail polish!

1105×1105 180 KB

4 Likes
#157

I have the exact same letters, respect!

1 Like
#158

Got any tips as to how you did this exactly? This result is a million times better than mine and I wonder if I’m doing something wrong.

1 Like
#159

Here is how I did it:

  1. clean the letter area very thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol
  2. make sure nail polish is very well shaken
  3. clean the brush and cut it with scissors at a 45° angle to get a fine tip
  4. gather a drop on the tip dab the drop carefully into the letter, starting at one end. Too little is better than too much.
  5. let surface tension do its thing to get to the edges
  6. once the whole letter area is wetted, go back to the end you started on and fill it slowly up
  7. pro tip: skip the A, R, and P. Gather XP with the other letters first. Then go back to face the boss letters.
  8. once you’ve filled every letter once, you’ll notice the first one doesn’t look full: it lost volume through evaporation. Time to put the second wet coat on all of the letters. The color will really begin to pop.
  9. if you’re a patient one like me, do it a third time.
  10. wipe away overspill with nail polish remover. I used non acetone remover because I was worried about the plastic. I’m not a chemist lol
8 Likes