Bumper and protective case

Hallo, I’m going to buy an fp3 and i have a doubt.
Is the protective case necessary? it’s not cheap and i prefer to buy the screen protector.
Is the bumper enough to protect the phone ?

and using the bumper togheter with protective case makes the phone too thick?

thank you for your answers
Antonio

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Hi and welcome to the forum…

  • Do you mean you want the FP3 not the FP3+?

You can not use both as the bumper or the case each fits to the phone not on top of each other.

The bumper does do something but I would argue the case is better, well I wanted the case and I’m not sure you can buy the bumper but apparently it does come with the FP3

https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047987352-Bumpers-Back-covers-and-Protective-Cases-FP3-FP3-

So you can show of the innards a bit with the FP3 as the back cover is transparent and the bumper doesn’t cover it.

However note that Fairphone state, “The Fairphone 3 ships with a protective bumper. The Fairphone 3+ does not need one.” so I wonder why that is ??

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Unlike the FP3, the FP3+ performed well enough in Fairphone’s drop tests so that the FP3+ didn’t require the extra protection the bumper provides. As far as I know, this can be attributed to the fact that dropping any transparency in the FP3+ made for better shock resistance (something that long-time Fairphoners remember well resp. badly :wink: from Fairphone’s repeated attempts to reconcile transparency and durability in FP2 cases).

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thanks

I think i think i’ll buy the fp3 it seems the only difference is the camera, that is not my priority, and reading your replies fp3+ seems to be more resistant, but the bumper that comes with the fp3 should be enough to protect the phone, for sure the protective case is better, but it’s really too expensive (that back cover sold in the spare parts section is cheaper).

…and I think I like this transparency.
I think I’ll go with fp3 to save some money

Thanks four your replies

Antonio

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The new back cover, which is 25€, and does very little except maybe it’s less likely to crack if you drop the phone, but it doesn’t protect the phone and the price is crazy. The case at 35€ is also unexpectedly high. Each is just a dumb piece of plastic.

There are also a few views that the camera upgrade isn’t very good, so you may have the best idea.

Hope all goes well. You may still be interested in:

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Hi @antonio1 ! I’ve had my F3 for 1,5 years now and I’m satisfied with the F3 and the bumper. One month ago I forgot the F3 on the roof of my car…I drove away and after 5 min I heard something from behind. It was the F3 falling down from the roof into the paved road in 80km/h. Oooops! A few minutes later I found the phone beside the road. Still on and only a small scratch on the bumper! No cracks!
Just before that I had ordered a new case https://en.barksweden.com/ I got it last week, it’s in elm wood, very nice and exclusive! Makes the phone a little bit bigger, but nicer! And hopefully, with good protection.

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They really look gorgeous!

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Hey @Alis,
that wooden case looks very promising to me, I love the idea of a wooden phone case. Would you mind posting some photos that show how well the case fits the FP3? That would be greatly appreciated!

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Hi! Hope this photos is what you were asking for. No quality photos though. The case fits very well. You get info about how to take it on and off.



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It looks very well crafted and I assume the haptic feels very even. I cannot make out any splinters on the corners, openings or edges. Seems absolutely worth the money.

Just ons remark, as you put your finger on the camera for removing the phone, one should wash their hands before removing and perhaps wipe the camera clean of fingerprints.

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thank you @Alis , the wooden case is very nice, I will maybe reconsider my choice, I work in a very dusty enviroment (red clay…tennis court) and with the wind or if the phone falls…you can imagine the result. Maybe a cover is what i need, luckly I can easily open the phone to remove dust.

Hi @antonio1

The Fairphone case protects the power and volume buttons, which the wooden case doesn’t. I also have the usb port covered as that is very vulnerable to collecting dust and denigrating charging ability.

As I work managing land, I too have a dusty, and damp work place. Currently I use gaffer tape to cover the usb but have ordered a magnetic cable.

See

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@anon9989719 that’s true, but that wooden case is so cool :), anyway your’re right. I already saw those magnetic cable, I’m not aware if they works good or not, but they seem very practical to connect the phone.

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I was wondering if I could fit a thin layer of silicone over the buttons that would be held in place by the wooden case. The magnetic cable should sort out the usb port.

Read the post linked to, the user @AnotherElk, is an old Fairphone hat, I’m sure the cables are absolutely fine :slight_smile:

I’m buying some made with Fairtrade metal etc. from Syllucid, but they are not available until September

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I only bought adapters without cables for use with my existing cables (with the right adapters it doesn’t matter whether the cables are micro-USB or USB-C), and yes, they are totally fine.

USB-OTG doesn’t work for me with the adapter but I can remove it from the port if needed.

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I’m impressed and the price is within reasonable £50. I guess if it snaps on impact you could glue it back together?

The wooden case is still alive and has survived the hole summer. I’ve accidentally dropped it a few times. No problem, no cracks or scratches. Yes, I suppose you can glue it toghether.

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For those who are looking for a Fairphone case, I have found an ideal one from Sweden at https://en.barksweden.com/shop-1 , quite wonderful and with no plastics.
It is made out of hardwood (ash) robust yet elegant; it has a
natural feel to it and a great touch to the hand.
The design of the case is so sophisticated and fits the Fairphone
perfectly. It is made by a couple in the countryside of Sweden,
where they have reclaimed old fallen trees, protecting them from being used as fire
wood, a delightful way to recycle.
I’m very happy with it and highly recommend it to other Fairphone users.
P.-A. Toronto, Canada.

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That makes two good reviews for Bark wooden cases in this topic … seems legit.

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