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.
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.
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.
Vanishing letters was an issue with FP2 already, but at least they hold until warranty ended .
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
clean the letter area very thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol
make sure nail polish is very well shaken
clean the brush and cut it with scissors at a 45° angle to get a fine tip
gather a drop on the tip dab the drop carefully into the letter, starting at one end. Too little is better than too much.
let surface tension do its thing to get to the edges
once the whole letter area is wetted, go back to the end you started on and fill it slowly up
pro tip: skip the A, R, and P. Gather XP with the other letters first. Then go back to face the boss letters.
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.
if you’re a patient one like me, do it a third time.
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
Cool - I tried this when I lost the first letter (I), but obviously I lack the skill…
I might try again though, following your precise instructions and I might actually level up my RPHON back to where I was 2 months ago (FARPHONE, which I thought was quite nice)
The nail polish is holding on really well; hasn’t even started flaking, so one could even consider lifting out the stickers and going straight to full polish!
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