Be honest! Why did you buy a Fairphone?

Discuss The Industry
1

Hey!
I opened this thread, because I’d like to know, what Fairphone(s) you own and
why you bought it. And please be honest!

I make the beginning.

I bought a Fairphone 2 because of the modular design and the easy repair.
The connections between the modules seem to be very robust, not such folios
only. I saw, which spare parts are available and the prices are ok. The battery
is changeable without problems. I wanted a device for a longer use.

The second reason is, that I like free software. I use free software wherever I
can. And there is either the possibility to use an open variant of the FP software,
or to flash a completely different system like Sailfish OS. And for now, the FP
seems to be the most suitable non-Jolla device for Sailfish OS.

The fair production was not the primary reason, it was a minor point. The FP is far
from being 100% fair, but on the right way. For me, supporting fair electronics is
only a side effect. Ok, I feel a little bit better.

The reason why I was ready for paying that high price is MY freedom. The freedom
to do whatever I want with my device. The freedom you don’t have with devices from
several other manufacturers.

I forgot: As @paulakreuzer said, please choose a persona that fits you.

My persona is something between “The Thoughtful Critic” and “The DIY Techie”. The
second prevails.

2

My main point was, I read about Fairphone2 on a random going through some news and it was getting more interesting for me to look out for my first smartphone ever.

Key attributes like replaceable battery, reparability (modularity - maybe some day upgradability, who knows) - longevity and specifically dual-sim were mandatory.
Dedicated sd card slot was an extra plus.

Supporting the idea of conflict free/fair supplies I also see as important point. I can afford it in many different ways (like buying fair traded cocoa/chocolate).

Freedom is a nice idea, but this was not in my focus. I do not like testing if there is a risk of loosing data. Therefore I am considering to purchase another device.

I also was in the mood of funding this product. as I just at that time started off being enthusiastic about (crowd) funding on Kickstarter, and Indiegogo where I meanwhile have got some very nice items sold.

Now I have my FP2 and I am very satisfied with it.

3

@mase
I bought it for nearly the same reasons.
I’am fed up with the commercial approach of Apple and MS and was looking at a Ubuntu phone. But they were not available. Then I remembered the FP2.

  1. The FP2 is rather expensive but the freedom of using different OS-ses is important for me.
  2. Open-source software
  3. Good working conditions
  4. Fair materials

The long lasting design was not that convincing, my previous phone was a iPhone 4 I bought in 2010 an used for 6 years. It is still working but I find the screen to small.

I hope FP will use the modular system to develop items that keep the phone up to date. Like a wireless charger back cover

4

I decided to buy a Fairphone 2 because:

It has a well working Sailfish port
Fairphone is an European company
It has a modular construction
The company tries to reduce electric scrap
It is 'fair’
And it has a transparent cover!

5

This might be a great opportunity to finally hand out some persona badges.
After reminiscing about the reasons you bought an FP read this blog post:

and add your persona to your post. I will grant you the badge.

PS: Everybody only gets one badge, so chose one persona.

I for one am an ethical pioneer, so my reasons to buy a Fairphone were all the good things they stand for.
I had been looking for a fair smartphone for a while, since I decided never to buy an iPhone anymore and my 4s was dying, when I first heard of Fairphone.

At that time I also considered buying a “Geekphone”, running Firefox OS (now #b2g) but then decided that the freedom of the workers was more important to me than the freedom of my phone. Only when I got my FP1U in my hand I found out that it came with a quite free OS and the Google anti-services were only optional. I’m very glad that Fairphone decided to go even more into the FLOSS direction (even though GMS is preinstalled on FP2), but the main reason why I love Fairphone is still the bigger picture! :heart:

6

Because i like the phone and the concept behind :rocket:

7

In part because the repairability is key. I like being able to order a spare part and replace the components of the phone for years to come - something which was not possible with my iPhone 5 (and, I am told, would have reduced the resale value).

The ethics of the company were a big part of it as well.

8

I bought the FP2 because of these points:

  1. SailfishOS Compatibility
  2. Modularity
  3. Parts are easy replaceable
  4. Open Boot loader
  5. Open Source and Fairness as a company philosophy
9

You could also look in my “Which mobile phone did you use before the Fairphone 2?” thread. Question 6 asks why the users have chosen a FP2 and not another smartphone.

Bad news for public transport users in Dresden without a smartphone/without data plan/without data volume left: The SMS service I mentioned there was shut off on 11th December 2016 - too many users have a smartphone nowadays. (I think my Twitter-to-SMS script would still work if I turn it back on.)

I think the best category for me would be the “No-nonsense user” category.

10

The fairer production was the main reason for buying a Fairphone 2, other stuff was secondary. I also found a used one cheap so it wasn’t too expensive.

11

After my Samsung S3 mini started playing up (running CM), I decided that I needed more power under the bonnet of the phone for my work. The “Fairphone” brand came to me by word of mouth and it was the combination of modularity (I hate black boxes), ethical production, choice of operating system and using The PhoneCoop as provider together with a performance that suited (and still suits) my needs that attracted me.
In terms of personas: I am both a Thoughtful Critic (I love this forum and it’s lively debates!), and a devout DIY Techie.

12

A colleague mentioned Fairphone and I liked the idea immediately. After talking alot about it, my father bought a FP1. But I still had a working piece of fruit. When FP2 was annonced, I started reading the Forum and liked the possibilities presented with the FP2. Owning the whole phone, which is not really possible with said fruit. So the Community and the help among users played a great part in choosing FP2. As for a persona, the community inspired me to go All-In and use FP Open OS - so I would say I’m a DIY techie (But I still have a lot to learn).

13

I’m clearly an Ethical Supporter.
I got my FP2 because my FP1 was really unusable (I had to reset the phone once a month, support couldn’t find a solution).

For both phones, the main reason was the approach towards conflict materials: it’s not perfect, but at least they are going in the right direction and, even more important, proving it is possible.
As for the FP2, modularity was also a big advantage. Working on the circular economy every day, this is really an exiting product design! And of course, it’s a really great conversation opener at conferences: I can’t keep track of how many times I have dismantled it to people staring at me like I was showing them a time-traveling machine :grinning:

14

Fairphone 1B user here. Bought it because I needed a new phone and didn’t want to give my money to the “big players” and the ideas behind the fairphone was motivating: fairer to everyone, more open, etc…

Of course it isn’t perfect but it’s usable and it’s a start.

I don’t see myself getting anything else than a fair phone if I can help it because I don’t consider this phone to have any decent concurrent.

15

I’m an Ethical Supporter, too! I got my FP1 back during the crowdfunding campaign and didn’t think a minute before placing my pre-order, because I knew I had to support Fairphone. I didn’t even care for the specs and what the phone could or could not do. I don’t need the latest technology. For me, a fairer production along the whole production chain as well as a more thoughtful handling of resources are most important. I’ve written studies on raw materials scarcity, unfair and hardly sustainable mining operations etc. myself, so I knew it would be hard for Fairphone to reach their goal, but at the same time I was amazed by their determination and decisiveness.

Though I must admit that lurking the forums has pushed me a bit towards the DIY Techie. Thanks guys! :slight_smile: I’ve never been the one to try to repair or even modify the things I bought and I knew nothing of Android, alternative OS’s and all that back then. I do see the importance of open software now. I’ve been running my FP1 without Google for three years now, and if there was an official port of Sailfish OS I’d buy an FP2 and install it immediately. (Plus, I switched to Linux Mint on my PC two years ago.)

16

I am an Ethical Supporter too. :slight_smile:

17

I needed a new phone because the old one was an unrepairable blackbox.

Also I was in the situation to extend my contract with t-mobile but there were no phones in the corresponding shop that I was interested in; except the FP2 which would be way too expensive for me if there wasn’t the contract-extension offer (about 100€ for the FP2).

So the main factors for me were:
)modular design
)low price
)open source OS with security fixes on a regular base (the latter I didn’t know when buying, but I was very positively surprised about it)
)android with as few customizations as possible - still that swipe menu is rather annoying.
)not samsung/apple/… and therefore the hope for a more open, fair and honest communication. But I expected too much on that point.
)upgrade to android 6
)hardware upgrades
)more or less fair production

But I’d never have bought it for the full price. To be honest the FP2 is a pretty flawed product in my eyes (stability/sw-bugs, mediocre hardware specs, very bulky, cover won’t last for a long time,…) but I’d recommend it for the 100€ I paid, maybe even for 150€.

18

Came from iPhone 4s, wanted to have a more ethical and environmentally friendly smartphone. Unfortunately, FP1 and 2 are both quite unreliable, and Android is slow, so I’m back with the iPhone 4s. Waiting for FP3 with iOS.

19

I am an ethical supporter.
I have known about Fairphone for a while but have only recently bought one. Prior to that I had an iphone 4 which was my first smartphone and a hand me down from my sister (far more sustainable to have one no longer needed rather than it being thrown away :grinning:). But the iOS could not upgrade and I couldnt run a lot of apps so the FP2 was a natural choice for a new phone even if it meant switching away from my iPhone, iPad, MacBook (another hand me down) connectivity!

I love the idea as a movement but am a bit disappointed about the instability of the FP2 and am currently reusing my iPhone 4 while I wait for my replacement FP2.

20

At the bottom of the article I saw the 10-point quiz, so I’ll follow that format:

7 - Thoughtful Critic
2 - DIY Techie
1 - Proud Pioneer
0 - No-Nonsense User
0 - Ethical Supporter

My posts may or may not reflect it, but I put a lot of thought into making this purchase and I am highly critical of it. The critiques I made were based on one, my personal use patterns (here’s the DIY Techie bit: I don’t need the latest in cameras or gaming tech on my phone) and two, knowing that I had a way to minimize my personal investment (should the FP2 turn out to be a total lemon). I am annoyed that there are problems with the device. I do look for solutions to them, and I will be making fixes as they become available.

Though I sympathize with the Ethical Supporter, I’m not warm and fuzzy enough and I’ve spent too long seeing the dark underbelly of idealist causes. I have a lot of points in common with the No-Nonsense User (need reliability, etc) but I will not do it at the expense of losing (more) control of my data and belongings.