I think this is an opportunity to bring up @Leo_TheCrafter’s great project again:
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Adding to that, I have a bunch of broken bottom modules lying around, either with USB plug issues or with a broken microphone (or both), so it would be great if one were able to repair them - I just don’t know how.
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I also need a new one every six month on average due to broken microphones.
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If that’s the case I apologise, but I’d hope that this would be announced on Fairphone’s website for the attention of second purchase users and so on.
I found this sentence the most upsetting / difficult to understand, especially after reading your post!
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I’ve immediatly written to them.
This is not acceptable.
I’ve had to change in average my bottom module once per year.
They’re directly sending FP2 to the trash with this decision.
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There are decisions at Fairphone which I just do not understand: They release Android 9 and cease spare parts for a device that might need them the most to run the OS for the next few years.
But yeah, the news about longevity have been spread already. Well done, Fairphone…
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I’ve had my FP2 for 5 years now and in that time I needed to renew six or seven bottom modules (lost count for obvious reasons), all of them because of a broken microphone.
Maybe it’d be a good idea to produce better bottom modules instead of none.
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I guess that the issue is caused by the frame that does not provide enough stability to almost all modules…
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From what I know, I would agree to that analysis.
The FP2 is “trouble by design”, as it is quite modular, very flexible and the display, that could lend stability is fixed by click and snap only.
The bottom module is most likely to break, as it is stressed not only by the flexible design. The USB cable connection is adding lots of stress/movement as well. And even more so, when one is using the phone while it’s plugged in; e.g. as navigation device in the car or playing while charging.
While I fullheartedly share the frustration and annoiance with the end of production, I have to admit, that it kind of makes sense businesswise.
More and more users, that are experiencing troubles, start looking for a new phone instead of spare-parts. That’s even visible in this forum with quite a few threads to that regard.
Please don’t tell this to my phone that within 4 years and 4 months has needed a new display as the old one became unresponsive and I gave it a new battery in that time. Everything else is working just fine. However I could imagine that the micro USB connector could be a candidate of failure in the future simply because it has the mechanical stress that you mentioned already. And given this it’s a pitty that exactly this part won’t be available anymore.
On the other hand it seems like this part has always been the one that was replaced most often and therefore is sold out now while other parts are still in stock because these are leftovers from the last production batch - just guessing of course…
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High time to take the stress off it with a magnetic adapter.
My Fairphone 2 is still on its first bottom module since 4 years, by the way.
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I too want to voice a slight disappointment. I’m aware that supply chains are difficult and all that, but at the rate that bottom modules fail for me (and quite a few others), I expect my phone now has less than a year left. 5 years is certainly not bad, probably the longest I’ve ever done with a smartphone, but equally I haven’t found an incentive to upgrade. Whatever my phone does today is sufficient for me. And with Android 9 in the pipeline, that could have lasted long enough to bridge the gap between the current 5G roll-out and mainstream 5G, one that I was hoping to skip over. Today new would just be for the sake of newness.
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Seriously? In my FP2 the microphone is always broken after 5 to 6 months and I need to buy a new bottom module. What good is a phone, one cannot talk with? I am very disapointed, this is not sustainable.
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Mine too, even without magnetic adapter (yet).
But then, I don’t carry it around that much (and only occasionally & very briefly in trouser pocket).
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+1
Canfigure out why blue print can’t begive away to world community :-/
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You know who would repair them. Meanwhile I have the mics available. A USB issue is mostly just a brokes solder joint.
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Answer from the support of my questions.
Not enough for me. Still disappointed and I’ve lost the majority of my trust in the mission. I demand more details on the cost/benefice according to them to not have a solution for users who need to replace regularly their bottom module
Dear Alexis
Thank you for taking the time to reach out to us. My name is from our support team, I’ll be happy to help with your request.
In general, our aim is to support our products until roughly 5 years of life counting from the launch date. Hardware and software are important sides of this support.
Since the launch of Fairphone 2 in 2015, we’ve been working hard to ensure module availability. Spare part sourcing will always be a challenge, especially as a small player in the electronics industry.
Ensuring the availability of spare parts becomes an increasingly delicate balancing act once the manufacture of the phone stops. You can read more about supply chain and sourcing Fairphone 2 spare parts in our blog post
We stockpiled parts based on future sales and refurbishment projections - while keeping in mind our environmental footprint and minimising e-waste by not producing more than necessary. However, since 2019 sales of the bottom module have been higher than projected.
Despite needing to end sales of the Fairphone 2 bottom module, it’s still possible to extend the life of your Fairphone 2 device and we recommend to check out the [Market section] of our Community Forum. Our community is very actively involved in our mission and arranged a second-hand market place for Fairphone products, including the bottom modules.
We remain committed to supporting all Fairphone users and other Fairphone 2 spare parts are still available via our [webshop]
In case you have no use anymore for your Fairphone 2 device and would like to give it a 2nd life with us, while also keeping in line with your values then you can consider upgrading to Fairphone 3/3+. In exchange, we are happy to offer you a discount through our upcoming recycling programme. You can already sign up and be the first to know about our new recycling programme on our recycling page.
Thanks for supporting us on our journey towards fairer electronics and please let me know if you still have questions.
Have a good day!
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I quite agree with you. The Fairphone reply links you to a blog post from 2017 which includes the quote:
“While we still can’t guarantee that manufacturers will continue to supply the specific components we need for five years, in the event that a component is no longer available, modularity gives us room to modify the design to accommodate a different part. In the coming years we will also have more working capital available, thanks to increasing sales and new investments. That means that finances will play less of a role in our longevity decisions.”
So where is that modification, where is the flexibility? A commitment to five years support for a product sounds groundbreaking, but if Fairphone 2 was launched in 2015 and ceased production in 2019, then it’s only one year post-production support. Not very impressive, particularly to somebody who bought a phone in 2019 and is having a lot of trouble with it.
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Exactly.
I feel like I’m not the one really impacted by the decision as my FP2 has been there for a long time (5 years) .
But what about the most recent FP2 acquirers ?
i’ll share here their next answers to my questions
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