Buying FP3 main module / coremodule

Hi,

I have a FP3 on the repair for someone in France. The unit fell in a child bath for a small time, got rescued, dried and turned on again. Its working, except for the screen, that stay black.

The LED indicates battery loading, the phone vibrate when starting up, the person said she could answer calls, but with no image on the screen.

The person contacted Fairphone support, and bought a new FP3 screen module on their advice, but the problem remains even with a new screen module.

The person sent me the module, I disassembled it, and cleaned the small soap spots I could seen on the components but with no success for the moment.

My question : is it possible to buy a new FP3 main module somewhere ? I did not found it on shop.fairphone.com. Are those modules on a temporary shortage ? Where they available for once ?

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FP3 core modules have not been directly available so far, and from FP2 experience, I would not expect that they will become so from Fairphone themselves (vireo.de used to offer FP2 core modules, but no FP3 core modules). All that is known is the repair price list (prices include repair service etc.):

P.S.: Note the ā€œFP3 Rear Moduleā€ that we might usually think of as an integral part of the core module.

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Hi, thanks a lot for your answer.

I note that FP3 camera module is listed here at : 89ā‚¬ ; and there at 49ā‚¬.

Idem, screen module : 129 / 89,95 ā€¦

Iā€™ll continue studying the situation (and Iā€™m trying to treat the hill with the hill, to remove soap spots everywhere at onceā€¦

In the text of the repair page:
ā€œWe want to be sure that you are aware of the costs involved in a repair - including material, shipping, and handling costsā€

Headline of the 3rd column of the repair price table:
ā€œMaterial + repair and shipping costsā€

In the shop you only get material costs, shipping costs are added at checkout, and no repair costs there obviously :wink: .

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Hi, now 3 years later still no option to buy a core module?

Hi and welcome to the forum.

The core module isnā€™t a user DIY module, it is ā€˜the phoneā€™ It has the IMEI nos. for example.

Curious:

  1. This is the first time youā€™ve posted and yet talk about a three year old issue ??

  2. What gives you the idea that the core module would ever be available ?

But yes you can sent off for a repair which may include the core module.

  1. I bought a fairphone to use it as long as i can . I had a FP2 for 5 years, I wanted to use the FP3 even longer, but now I dropped it in a swimmingpool, my bad, but the whole idea is that I want to adhere to the mission of FairPhone by using the stuff al long as i canā€¦

  2. Why not? I replaced my camera, I replaced my screen once, so why should I not be able to replace the coreā€¦? A new FP4 is now to expensive for me, I have bought a refurbished Samsung S10.

Whereas using stuff for longer may be a popular idea the whole phone concept is really only an application to promote fair trade for miners and factory workers ~ that has to be sustainable, phones do not have to be.

  1. Why not,

well you can but not DIY ~ Fairphone will use a third party.
Modules are warranted for two years, allowing a DIY replacement of the core module would put Fairphone at a high risk of failures and continuing cost.

So thatā€™s why ~ I imagine.

The S10 maybe waterproof so you may be able to drop it in the pool but . . . fair . . .

Because it is basically the whole phone and the most expensive part. I can understand, why you would like to buy one, but holding all parts on shelf for a phone means holding back complete phones from the market.

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Yes I do understand there are limits to what can be done from a business perspective and that is understandable. And you are right there is more to the concept of FairPhone then me using it for a very long time. I love the Fair part in FairPhone, I may rethink and send it in for repair anywayā€¦ Itā€™s just that I do not like to walk around with a phone that is so expensiveā€¦ Is there any thought about a FP5c (c for cheaper) Or is it just the ever increasing demand in specs that spirals competition towards these pricelevelsā€¦?

Yes not a cheap option but that is exactly the point, the expense is the fair trade aspect and of course the small company cannot make a lot of profit , hence the need to produce a ā€˜newā€™ and more attractive product, clearly with enhanced specs.

Every time I think of the cost of products sadly most goes to the in-betweeners too not even reaching the real workers, but I wouldnā€™t do any of those jobs so Iā€™ll pay the asking price.

Crops I can grow, rain I can collect, but phones . . . thatā€™s beyond my abilities :slight_smile:

:om:

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