Concept for new Phone Model with E-Ink Display

Dear Fairphone Company,

I’m looking for a minimalistic smartphone but didn’t find any on the market.
Phone Concept:
Compact Screen Size < 5.5 inch
E-Ink Display ( increases battery life to several days)
Smart Phone Capabilities ( Whatsapp, Email, Google Maps)
Finger Print Sensor
Retail Price around 200$

That’s it. Simple, functional. Just a robust phone with very long battery life which gets the work done and is not full of distraction.
Camera is optional too.

Please build something like this.

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May sound simple, as an end product, but the design and manufacture would be an enormous load to carry. I imagine that Fairphone have enough on their plate to keep them stuffed over Xmas and for a few years, but it’s the thought and spiirt that really count, yet the price is not in the components of a low spec phone but paying the workers a good wage whatever the product so I doubt you’ll get a £300 phone let alone $200

But hey! It’s Xmas and you never know what miracles could happen but I could do with one that sorts out the need for consumption from birth that should get rid of the cold and hungry…

So if the Angels :innocent: are listening please get off your clouds and get down to Earth there’s a lot of expectation here.

My feelings go out to all Fairphone and other readers if this seems a bit flippant but then I just don’t know what to say, maybe I should just :zipper_mouth_face:

There are some nich Enterprises that sell minimalist phone. Actualy I don’t remember the name but sure well fit your desire. I suggest you to put your key-words in Google Search. Best whishes!

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I like this idea, but I think, the possibility of realization on side of Fairphone is zero.
Or of any other company, cause I think, the expected market size is super tiny.

But I could think of a community mod of the FP2 as a result of open hardware.

My dream is, that Fairphone will release all hard- and software specifications of the FP2 one day. With open hardware it would be possible to modify all the modules, like changing the display with an E-Ink display, with open software like LineageOS it would be possible to implement the driver.

Realization depends on

  • Fairphone releases all hardware specifications of Fairphone 2 (maybe, one day, cause it isn’t sold anymore)
  • hardware enthusiasts find/modify an E-ink display, to fit with FP2
  • software enthusiasts modify extend LinneageOS to work with the E-Ink display

So a lot of people and time is involved and in my experience in open source projects it’s hard to bring these people together, but always depending on open hardware specifications.

There are some phones like the Light Phone on indiegogo ( raised 3.5$ ), but its display is too small and hard to use.
Theres also the HiSense A5C, which is quite good, but too big and much more like a regular smartphone.
Compact Phones are dead right now and i dont get why, because they are so easy to use and literally handy.
I want a simple modern work phone with basic functionality which is easy to use.
Theres a market for such phones, but its still stuck in the 90s with products like the new Nokia 3310 and so on.
Phones have too much mutated to some kind of entertainment system instead of a compact easy to use communication device with internet capabilities.

Theres a need for such a product.

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An e-ink screen for the fairphone would be amazing!

There are already several smartphones out there that support an e-ink screen as a main screen.
They allow you to set the refresh rate, and you can even take pictures and video’s with it as the refresh rate is okay nowadays.

Some inspiration / phones that already have an e-ink screen:

  • Hisense A7 (greyscale) / A7CC (color)
    Hisense A7 6.7 inch 5G E INK Smartphone Review - Good e-Reader
    Hisense A7 CC – Color E INK 5G Smartphone Review - Good e-Reader

  • Hisense A6 (dualscreen e-ink)
    https://goodereader.com/blog/reviews/hisense-a6l-dual-screen-e-ink-smartphone-review

  • Hisense A5 (greyscale) / A5CC (color)
    https://goodereader.com/blog/reviews/hisense-a5-e-ink-smartphone-review
    https://goodereader.com/blog/reviews/hisense-a5c-color-e-ink-android-smartphone-review

  • Lightphone 2
    https://www.thelightphone.com/
    Also supporting sustainability if you read https://www.thelightphone.com/projects
    Maybe fairphone and lightphone could collaborate into making a sustainable e-ink screen

  • Onyx Phone
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyBPpwcDJgQ

  • Mudita pure
    http://mudita.com/products/pure/
    More of a minimalist phone

So as you can see, it is possible! And if you search for e-ink phones on google or on forums, even this forum, there is a lot of interrest in these kind of screens for a phone.

I hope there will be support on side of fairphone, it can be a module to swap a display for an e-ink display. But is probably will require some software update

So fairphone if you’re listening, don’t hesitate to contact us or involve us in developing such thing :slight_smile:

p.s. Sorry guys, i wanted to put clickable links in this post, but the forum only allows adding 2 links for new users

Hi @Luuc15

Reposting the URLS as links:

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