This is golden! Thank you!
Hi,
I really like most the specs. Few things I don’t like, but that’s my personal opinion:
- 5" screen is to big for my taste
- weight and thickness: I really hoped for something lighter than the brick the FP1 was
- which brings me to the tool-free display-unit replacement: it is truly a great concept, but I assume it comes at a price: weight and thickness
And as I hope, that I won’t have to replace the display-unit every other week, I really would’ve prefered a lighter and slimmer device, where I would’ve to use a screwdriver in the seldom need of display replacement. - NFC : As I assume that’s one of the technologies to become broadly used in the coming years (e.g. mobile payment) I really would’ve liked to see this as one of the built-in features. Yes, I know it might be added using the expansion port, but that is then blocked for possible other useful extensions…
And last but not least: the price was quite a shock. Of cource it’s a great phone with great components and features, but I was really not expecting someting above 500 Euros. This will be quite an expense, where some that would like to support the cause just aren’t capable of financing. Others will think twice, if they aren’t better of buying one of the major players …
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Yes, these are all valid points. However I’m not sure about NFC:
The extension port is a standard USB interface. USB has the ability for several devices to share one connection (USB hubs and such). Maybe this is also possible with the expansion port.
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I’d say you put your finger on it.
I statet a few commends above the same thing AND I did some research for myself. And sorry FP, but I’ve found a phone that suits me more AND for a humongous better price. I’ll have a z3 compact for myself - as soon as my FP1 (1st Ed) will have found a new owner. Sadly - that phone won’t be produced in the same way as FP will produce, but it features all the things many of you mentioned. Smaller screen, long lasting battery, NFC, smaller, lighter, same cpu/gpu/memory… plus waterresistend (IP67) and 200 bucks cheaper…
Sorry FP - but I’m out… nevertheless - I wish you luck for the FP2 and maybe - there will be a phone one day and I’ll return… because the FP1 is a real good phone - except for the OS 
Okay, if that works, it would be less a problem. But still would things make more complicate. e.g. you would have to find a cover that features NFC and the other feature you would want to have.
dammit - the more I think about it, the less I like the new FP2.
Some of my personal key wishes where not met: no bigger but lighter.
The FP2 is longer, wider and more or less as heavy as the FP1. Okay, it’s got an itch thinner, but it gained 20 mm in length and 8.5 mm in width!
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If you’re only getting rid of your Fairphone 1 for the lack of OS updates, you might just want to hold on to it for a little bit longer. There seems to be hope for such an update.
Edit: That’s exactly what I’m doing btw.
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I was really, really motivated to go down the Fairphone path.
I like the overall specs. My current Samsung S3’s screen is only a hair smaller, which is a good thing as I consider 4.7" an ideal size; 5" isn’t that much bigger, so that’s okay with me.
Now I’m trying to adjust to the news of the price. I didn’t expect it would cost that much.
I also agree with most posters here that the likeliness of the phone still being relevant in 5 years seems a stretch, unless we’re only talking calls and sms. I’d say my S3 (which I’ve had for 2 years) is still going to be working at least another 2 years without major issues with the tasks I expect from it these days.
I think I need to re-focus on the fact that buying a Fairphone equals choosing to pay more for what would cost us less with a big brand phone; as Fairphone reminds us [here][1],
with the Fairphone 2 we are investing in a significant amount of research and development to create new designs that are exclusively ours and reflect our goals and ambitions. Compared to other manufacturers that might produce millions of units, we are producing a relatively low volume of phones. Because of this
we don’t get the price breaks attached with high volume commitments.
(passages highlighted by me)
So I have to decide if I can revive that initial motivation to NOT have the LATEST technology, the fastest and sexiest possible phone I’d want, and rather pay quite a lot and know all the ethical pros (which always were my first and main motivation to pass on yet another new phone by Samsung who professes a mild interest in making ethical phones, as do pretty much all constructors making phones I like…)
I’m about to simply renew my contract with my carrier without a new phone and enjoy the small but nice financial advantages that I get for not switching to one of its competitors.
It’s a good thing that we have until september to decide about the Fairphone 2. I need to sleep on it.
[1]: https://fairphone.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/204642739-Why-is-the-Fairphone-2-more-expensive-than-the-Fairphone-1-
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Welcome to the forum. You mention valid concerns. We would all prefer a cheaper phone. Many on the forum complain that they cannot afford that high price.
However keep in mind that your current Samsung Galaxy S3 was more expensive when you got it. Yes, you’ve paid that high price in monthly installments, but that does not reduce the cost. Fairphone 2 will also be available from some resellers among them telcos which will probably offer it with a subscription. That means you might even be able to get it for a similar deal as your current phone. If not, you could still save on your contract and thus make up for buying a Fairphone 2.
One thing confuses me. Concerning the expected lifetime of Fairphone 2 you write [quote=“fedtho, post:256, topic:6579”]
the likeliness of the phone still being relevant in 5 years seems a stretch
[/quote]
but at the same time
So you expect your S3 to run for 4 years “without major issues” (5 years after it was released in 2012) but having a Fairphone for 5 years would only be possible with very limited usage (calls and SMS are not what smartphones are made for).
This seems strange. Why would you expect Fairphone 2 to last shorter than a Samsung phone although your S3 was not built with longevity in mind but Fairphone 2 is?
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…so, why not hang on to that S3 for those two years, and then switch to the Fairphone 4? Prolonging the life of your existing phone has a number of ethical pros at a fraction of the cost. Fairphone recently even tweeted about this Huffington post article and mentions it on their lifecycle page:
We’re designing the Fairphone to extend its usable lifespan, enable reuse and support safe recycling. But we like to say that the fairest phone available is the one you already own, so we’d like to encourage you to keep your existing mobile as long as it works.
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I for one am very glad they decided to go for a more upscale product, as I am personally not satisfied with the functionality of my FP1 (which I thought was fairly cheap). The pricing seems quite appropriate to me, if FP2 manages to keep its many promises.
(btw: my mum is getting my FP1, so I’m still being sustainable :P)
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I seem to be in the same boat as you. Looking to replace my FP1 later this year. Reasons: poor GPS performance (I use my phone for in-car navigation + geocaching) and lack of OS updates / alt. OSses. The contest more or less is/was FP2, Z3 Compact, Galaxy Alpha. The Alpha is out, which leaves the FP2 and Z3. Both basically equal hardware. Both ‘open’ (one confirmed, though there is a warranty issue, one promised). The Z3 is 'bout 100,- € cheaper though… I’d like to continue to support FP (my FP1 has the “first edition” engraved cover), but for 20% uplift vs. the competition, it had better be a stellar device. So like you, I’m leaning Z3 right now. But will reconsider when FP2 review start to pop up.
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I am really disappointed…I have been waiting for long time for the new fair phone, holding on to my old not very well functioning phone, just to find out that I cannot afford it!!! It is really too expensive. I had been adverting it within my friends and family, but I’m pretty sure nobody will be willing to pay that much for a phone…
Depending upon your country, Fairphone do have some partners and they will be selling through them again. This may mean you can access the Fairphone through a contract rather than buying it outright. But you won’t be able to pre-order at this point.
I think it’s too expensive and too big.
I can see that some people may prefer phones of this size, so my question is:
When will the FP3 come out? Will it be smaller and cheaper? You could to a tick-tock policy, releasing expensive brick-size phones in odd years and cheaper handier phones in even years…
You’re making much more sense than I do 
This contradiction is actually revealing that I wanted to buy that Fairphone 2 so much!
It even would be an upgrade from my S3 in terms of speed, internal storage etc. So it would actually still feel like a new phone like I was used to get every 2 years.
But I’ve unintentionally given myself the reasons why I should stick my S3 if I’m commited to being ethical!
Just to clarify some points: I’m in Europe, and got my S3 almost for free (I cost me a one-time payment of about 40 Euros and no increase in my monthly fee.)
Going as long as possible with my current phone will mean getting out of touch with new, too resource-hungry apps - but I’ve actually grown accustomed to the limitations of my phone overs the past 2 years (when I bought it, the S4 was already on the market and the S5 announced).
Not being able to run certain apps and games made me rethink how much time I was spending with that phone, which is a good thing.
Thanks for pointing out my contradictions to me
P.S. if someone knows about Fairphone having any partnerships in Switzerland, I’d be really interested )
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Must be an oversight: No micro USB listed under connectivity.
Well, at least I hope it’s an oversight…
Okay, that’s quite on the point, thanks !
Now I just need to show my dear carrier that he should offer the Fairphone as a bonus for renewing my contract.
Here’s an anecdote about recent news in the swiss cellphone world (my homeland), just to give everyone here a good laugh.
In Switzerland, there used to be only three legal carriers in the first 5 years when cellphones became available to the masses (from 2000 on). One of them, ‘Orange’, was my first carrier, and I’m still with them after 15 years, as they always had the offers that suited me most, with relatively few bugs and issues.
It’s a real mess understanding that Orange Switzerland isn’t actually afiliated to Orange France anymore since 2012; a certain Mr. Xavier Niel (who already owns ‘Free’, a french, hugely succesful low-cost carrier scaring the sh*t out of the big players over there) then bought the rights to the name Orange; he left the hard work to the actual operator and only cashed in on the royalties for the name. A couple of months ago, the owners of Orange Switzerland decided to buy the company for about 2.7 billion Euros (!) or 2.9 Billion USD to be able to rebrand it. ‘Orange’ then became… wait for it… ‘Salt’. What, and pepper, right? Very clumsily, that new name wasn’t explained during the much hyped event held live online to celebrate the new identity of the new operator, and it appeared only after some time that ‘Salt’ actually stood for “Swiss and Lichtenstein Telecommunications”. Maybe they factored in to be ridiculed for the name, as any attention is better than none at all, but I doubt that…
Anyway, I’m now with ‘Salt’; after numerous bumps and incredible misfunctionings, things are running more or less normally now. The new brand offered a bunch of new contracts, among which a number of “all-year passes”, implying you pay a fixed fee once for the whole year and can use everthing as much as you want.
I’m guessing that might be attractive if you’re a heavy user. I myself am their nightmare of a customer, they make very little money with me: I rarely use my cellphone to make calls and have 60 minutes included in-country; I have unlimited text messages in-country (which is what I use the most, I’m an addict), and 1 Gb of data, which I never, ever use to fiull extent, the whole thing for about 42 Euros per month. That might sound expensive depending on where you live, but Switzerland is one of the most expensive countries in the World, and Geneva one of the most expensive cities, so it’s actualy a very good deal
Hope this was a little bit entertaining to some of you 
It is clearly there under “Interface and Connectors”.