I am sure, that 's minimizing the plug/unplug forces on the usb-socket…
Yet, I wonder if it helps against the forces from moving the cable when you carry it around while it’s plugged.
Might reduce the forces as well, as the magnetic conection possibly breaks sooner than the movement can be damaging the socket.
Actually it’s not so good for charging on the go because it looses connection soon. But for the same reason normal USB cables put a lot of stress on the USB socket: because it wiggles in all different directions.
The problem with this discussion is a lack of accurate data. Fairphone the company likely has a better view of the data because they know how many spare parts have been ordered (either via warranty or aftersale). What also skews the data is: we don’t know if and how much of the issue is user fault. My gf complains about her smartphone rebooting, and its a known problem with that smartphone, but geez she let it drop so often (even has a physical dent). I cannot, with a straight face, exclude the possibility its her own goddamn fault. That’s a problem once you invoke warranty, but its also a problem for statistics like these.
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As for using magnetic power cable (akin to MagSafe): very good idea (and MagSafe rocks), but some of the pictures have large adapters sticking out of the phone. The danger lies in that pushing on the microUSB connector due to physical force, thereby actually breaking the port. I recommend that whatever you use sticks out the least as possible!
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Which pictures are you referring to?
As I use such an adapter for over a year now I can assure you that this worry is unfounded.
The small part that actually sticks out of the phone is a very firm fix, you would have a hard time to break the port with that adapter in place even if you wanted to 
.
Having any normal cable plugged in instead is more dangerous for the port by magnitudes.
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This one here:
The bottom one is np, its totally fine. The top one however, poses issues. They can occur when you have it in your bag, or in your case, or just when its lying on your desk.
Furthermore, the port should be able to endure some normal stress. If it does not, that is a design flaw.
The top picture just shows the long part of the adapter that magnetically connects to the short part of the adapter fixed in the port.
The long part is on the cable you want to connect, not on the phone.
If you would put some pressure on the long part in the top picture, it would just lose its magnetic connection to the short part and come off, and the short part would still be in the phone, doing nothing to the port.
That is the actual purpose of the whole thing .
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Ahh they’re part of the same solution thanks for clearing that up I didn’t get that
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I came on this forum for the same question. I have already changed twice my primary microphone (bottom module) and it is out of order again. I think it is almost every 6 month witch is a lot considering a smartphone life cycle. No problem with charging but with just speaking which is the first thing I expect from a phone.
My battery is although becoming very short now and I have to charge it about every three hours, and it warms up a lot. So I was wondering if there was a possibility that the microphone fails by heating ?
I also had to replace the bottom module twice.
I think the issue might the USB port, like others mentioned. In my case, I used to use the headphones and charge the phone with a battery pack while it’s in my pocket. Because those cables are on opposite ends it bends a lot and that wiggling visibly loosened the connector for the USB.
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Just a side note: Recently a friend couldn’t load his Samsung anymore because the USB was acting weirdly. I told him that, like with the FP1, the USB is soldered to the main board. If the USB breaks, the motherboard breaks in effect.
All Fairphone 2 owners should be glad that the model can simply be exchanged which prolongs the life of the phone. Imagine you’d have had to buy two new phones because of a broken USB port.
The bottom module makes up only 1.7% of the overall CO2-equivalent emissions during production of the FP2. (Source)
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The first bottom module worked a little over 2 years, but the replacement only for 4 month… wrote customer support, but no reply, so I just had to order a new one… I really hope this is not gonna be a quarter-annual thing…
haven’t heard back yet (about a month ago)… but i saw somewhere i this thread that writing here is the way to reach them ?
Thanks… I’ll try that… Or give them a call…
gotta. hold of support - thanks for your help!
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I have the same problem. I am currently in contact with Fairphone about my bottom module. That would be the fourth in two years. My first bottom module (which came with the phone) broke down after a year. The second one 10 months after arriving. The third one, which is currently broken, arrived about five months ago. Every time it was the primary microphone that stopped working.
I’m glad the previous times, fairphone had a great service. So I’m hoping on that once again…
Might anyone have any tips on why my bottom module keeps crashing, please let me know! (No, it doesn’t happen after dropping the phone)
I had the same problem. Changed the bottom module already 3 times within just over a year. Luckily the 3rd time I contacted the support and got it for free!
Reason remains unknown. Each time the microphone wasn’t working. The 3rd time the USB socket broke as well but some time after the microphone died.
So as I read here it must be really a common problem.
Edit:// seriously my 4rd microphone is broken now!
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Same problem here - me and my wife we both bought the FP2 before the release and had problems with the bottom module since start.
Guess together we replaced around 8 bottom modules - while my wifes gave it up meanwhile. We had the FP sent in and got a new bottom module but it was broken after a month again - and support wants it back again. No idea how often you can do without your smartphone but she decided to change it now. Today the bottom module on my FP is broken again - out of nowhere - same error as always - microfone not working and i’m really think about finishing the “Project: FP” too.
One word to the support: Last time i bought a new bottom module i was inside the warranty - so i asked for a refund - i said i can sent the broken bottom module - but the answer was, i cant without sending in my smartphone and do without it for over 2 weeks again, cause i need it for work is out of the question, so they rejected the refund.
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Just reporting in: 3rd bottom module over the period of 2+ years…
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