So finally there are some comments from the Fairphone team in this thread. And yet not a single word is said about the actual question that initiated it.
The Fairphone2 is still available for order on the site now, and we have no idea how many of these next batches of phones are broken in the same way. I really did want to be a keen evangelist of this phone, but the longer this goes on the more I feel us early backers have a duty to warn keen people to look beyond the rosy facade here. No matter how fair the production of the FP2 may be, it is really not fair to new potential buyers to pretend things are fine and that they will get a working phone delivered.
It really bothers me how the current site gives the impression that everything is fine with the FP2. At least we who crowdsourced it were aware that we were taking a big gamble with our money when backing the project, and knew we couldn’t be sure if it would sink or swim. But now that the phones are out there, the current state of things should be communicated with a big disclaimer about what to expect.
Many who would like a Fair Trade phone probably have a way tighter budget than I do, and I think it is important to be honest here and let these people know that - in contrast to what the site is telling them - they are not really buying a working phone with their money, but a buggy test kit with almost as uncertain a future as back in September.
There is more than one way to contribute to the fair trade fair goals, and my recommendation to anyone considering the FP2 would be to instead buy an unfair phone that actually works, and invest the money they save into some charities that promote Fair Trade standards in the world. At least for now.