Aaahh… Folks, it is just that easy: If anyone is in favour of a smartphone featuring an audio jack, the FP4 might not be in favour of that person. There are pros and cons for and against the jack inside a phone, so I can understand both parties well.
Why not put a banner with this statement on the FP4 product website?
Attention: If you own any smartphone that still works perfectly or can still be repaired, please refrain from buying the new FP4 for the sake of the environment.
You are missing a feature you would like, and you don’t want to use an adapter to still have the feature, and now you inflate this objectively relatively minor (subjectively for you very major) detail of built-in headphone jack or no built-in headphone jack way beyond any proportion to justify some feeling of betrayal of what Fairphone stands for.
Does the headphone jack not being built-in anymore take anything away from Fairphone
offering modularity?
treating workers more fairly?
sourcing materials more fairly?
increasing recycling efforts?
How does this compare to what Fairphone actually do to change how smartphones are made?
This doesn’t come across as mature in any way to me, to say it mildly.
You don’t like it. I understand that perfectly. Every smartphone I have/had features this jack and seemingly opposing to popular experience my wired headphones seem to last and last and last without any cables breaking, so I like to use them.
You don’t like to use an adapter either. I can understand that, too.
I have a different problem. I’m using magnetic adapters in the USB ports of my phones to make charging connections more convenient for me and less stressful for the port. That wouldn’t go well together with a headphone jack adapter mechanically.
Luckily I don’t have to consider buying the Fairphone 4 for the time being, because my daily driver Fairphone 3 works just fine, and my backup Fairphone 2 still works just fine. Else I would have some thinking to do.
But whatever, I wouldn’t start some kind of crusade how Fairphone somehow betray what they stand for in the light of how minor the technical detail I dislike is compared to what Fairphone really stand for.
Just don’t buy it if you can’t make buying it work for you somehow.
I feel like @ElKrasso and others here. I didn’t even read all posts in every Fairphone 4 topic, but how often I’m just (virtually) shaking my head in disbelief about what gets said and how with what I read so far is kind of surprising to me, at least here in this forum.
But well, I’ll just correct my expectations, in the end my expectations are a failure on my part.
I’m 74 and can well understand younger people being upset, if @CapuaS is younger, given they are aware that phones used to have jack sockets for headphones, what an outrageous idea.
I see no crusade to pressure Fairphone or garner others to complain, did I miss the call to arms??
Yeap that’s about as close to maturity any of us can get and it can take a long time to get there.
Poor @CapuaS having people complain about them being a complainer in the topic created to identify the new species ‘homo complanis’
I also was initially concerned when I read the headline “no headphone jack”, however on closer scrutiny I found that there are lots of USB-C to headphone adapters available (even from Fairphone), some of them even with a socket to connect the charger, so you can even use the headphone while charging (only limitation is that you cannot do data transfer via USB at the same time). I am using headphones with cables as well as earbuds with my 5-year old FP2, depending on situation. Yes, the FP2 has its quirks, but often there are workarounds, or they are minor and can be tolerated.
According to other people here more knowledgeable on this subject than me FP4 has USB-PD. It can therefore likely use a charger together with a 3.5 mm socket at the same time.
Yes a lot of fiddling that a jack could have avoided.
Though I would prefer a jack, I don’t use headphone a lot so practically I can do with out, probably do without a USB port too and have wireless charging.
Maybe a couple of magnetic ports, totally sealed from moisture and negligibly susceptible to stress.
Hang what am I complaining about, Ah! the weather I don’t like that I have to take the phone out of my pocket to look at the screen, especially when it’s raining. I miss the built in chip that relays straight to my optic nerve.
Does the headphone jack not being built-in anymore take anything away from Fairphone
offering modularity?
treating workers more fairly?
sourcing materials more fairly?
increasing recycling efforts?
You do realize wireless earbuds have:
Significantly shorter lifespans than wired headphones
Contain a lot more materials that are hard to recycle (like batteries)
Directly contradict modularity (there are modular wired earphones you can make wireless, but none exist the other way around as far as I know)
Are very cheap products that are quite worker unfriendly to make (not everyone will be buying Fairphone’s model)
So yes: Promoting wireless earphones as THE listening experience on your phone contradictory to their values in more ways then one (next to the worse experience for people who have wired headphones). It is a stupid decision they should be ashamed of. I find it extremely disappointing so many people are blindly defending them. If you want them to keep straying, then by all means continue to be free PR for them, I’m sure they’d appreciate it.
They allow an alternative via USB-C <-> 3.5 mm or even USB-C <-> USB-C (I bet the latter works on e.g. Sony WH1000XM4 cause I was able to get a Logitech dongle working as well).
I actually got a gaming headset (Logitech) which can work wired and wireless. However, it requires a dongle, and that ain’t my cup of tea. Its also too bulky for on the go. Heck, its too bulky to have a baby with head on shoulder.
Every time I need to walk in my house, I don’t have to care about any wire. Do you know how much more safe that is? Do you know I actually damaged the screen of my FP2 because of the bloody 3.5 mm wire in like the first few months? You can’t get stuck with your wire either, cause it ain’t there.
Let me give a counterpoint to your point. Smartphones. They have significantly shorter lifespan than PCs. They’re far less powerful, too. They contain Li-On bombs. Promoting smartphones are THE computer experience contradictory stupid decision ashamed its promoting terrorism yada yada.
Still good to get it off your chest, the last thing anyone wants is a load of $#
