Fairphone in your pocket? (Is FP2 too big)

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Yesterday a new blog post appeared with a photo that to me is the first time I saw a Fairphone 2 actually in use:

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I’ve seen photo’s before of the Fairphone 2 in someone’s hand, but this photo made me realise how BIG the thing is.

I wouldn’t know of another safe way to carry a phone but in my front trouser pocket.

In the rear pocket, it’s easy for a pickpocket to lift it, plus you would crush the phone on your bicycle saddle. Put in the pocket of a jacket or coat, you might lose your phone as you either forget to take it out or you take it out of your jacket and have to lay it down somewhere where someone might grab it and run away with it. When put in a bag, the phone can get stolen if you put the bag down (and I don’t carry a bag continuously at my side, nor do I always have a bag with me). The only safe place is the front pocket of a trouser, I conclude.

But how is the Fairphone gone fit?

So my question is: if anyone has experience with 5" phones (my only experience is with a tiny Nokia 1100 and an even tinier Alcatel 311), how easy is it in your pocket and if not in your front trouser pocket, how do you keep it safe from theft?

It’s this worry among others that kept me from buying a smartphone (that is, until the mineral trade policy of FP tempted me to join the movement, not to have a huge lumbering phone, but to make a statement consumers want fair mining and are willing to pay up for it). I asked a friend once to try out his smartphone, if it would fit and it did, but I did not fully realize there’s so much difference in sizes of smartphones and this baby would be so huge.

P.S.: there’s also the topic What about a smaller Fairphone? but as FP didn’t make a smaller one, that question doesn’t answer the question of where do I put this 5" thing? Help appreciated.

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It depend if you are a woman or a man, man’s front pocket are quietly large, even 5.5 inchs phones can easily fit inside, my only concern is about the thickness, but its not that different from a standard phone with a case.
If you are a girl, a saw some of my friend having a lots of trouble to fit their phone inside the tiny pockets of slim jeans ans shorty…to finally put it in their purse

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One of the possible problems with getting this in your pocket is the integrated cover/back of the phone. Without a cover big phones slid in to your pocket easier as they are just hard plastic/glass/metal, my previous experience of using covers is that they grip the fabric of your pocket more.

I guess we will have to wait and see.

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I am a man. And as a man I have never understood why fashionmakers create pockets in women’s clothing so tiny, that women have the need of a purse to carry everything. The main problem being, a purse gets stolen far easier, than wallets or phones carried on your body in your trousers.

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14 posts were split to a new topic: Is radiation tronger, when a phone looks for a connection?

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Unfortunately, for me it is clear that the FP2 won’t fit into my pocket. I am planning on either buying or sewing a fitting bag on my own which I could attach to my belt for the same reasons you already laid out in your original post. I nearly never take a handbag with me - even though being a woman - and certainly not in the office and/or lab but I wear trousers (with way too small pockets…), so I think the belt is my best solution. Don’t know if it’d suit you.

However, I did not find any bag of this kind on the market for now - but honestly, I did not look into this very much either because I have some other stuff to do right now. If you see something like this, I’d be happy for suggestions though :wink:

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Frankly I think you need pants a bit on the baggy side and preferably avoid bending your knees whilst walking to be able to carry even just the FP1 (not to mention the FP2) in your front pocket in the long run. I occasionally put the FP1 in my back pocket whilst walking, having found that a jeans-wrapped buttock works miracles cleaning the display :wink:

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I will definately sew a bag for my FP2. Adding a loop for the belt won’t be a problem. Should I share my efforts?

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Yes, this would be great :slight_smile:
In fact, I already tried out something (another view and the rear view but please consider it as a very first draft just to get an idea of the dimensions etc. I did not stitch it neatly nor in a way to make it last - and the cloth is certainly not the kind of fabric I would really use, neither in design nor in strength. Anyway, it gave me an idea.

I added buttons to close the bag and I now think that it would be better to add 2 slightly separated belt loops for better stabilisation of the phone instead of only 1 in the middle.

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As regards size, the Verge’s handy article already gave me time to get comfortable with the idea of a bulkier phone:

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There are three good tranportation ,bags’ for the FP1 on offer by RunGPS, I am sure there will be models for the FP2 as well.
ok, they are really for people that run :wink: - but they (esp. the belt) also work just in everyday life / office / lab / disco etc.

tune belt Run.GPS Shop - Tune Belt Neopren-Hüftgürtel "IP5" (has a little additional pocket for key, money etc.)
tune belt arm band Run.GPS Shop - TUNE BELT Sportarmband "AB84"
and bike case Run.GPS Shop - Ibera Bike Case IB-PB9 mit Lenkerhalterung für iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S2 und andere Smartphones

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Another idea (which I wrote already 2 years ago for FP1):
pockets from feuerwear.de in the round:
Handyhülle Mitch aus recyceltem Feuerwehrschlauch

It even exists one fitting to FP1 (as I only read), each is unique, made from recycled firehoses, have a belt clip and are very robust.

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Cheers, Robert
Edit1: webshop also in english
Edti2: Just some crosslinks to similar forum topics:

mostly for FP1:

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Wow, I didn’t expect this question to pique so much interest. The belt pouch might be a very good idea. I’m not crafty enough to create one myself and not proficient enough in German to feel comfortable ordering from a German webshop, but I’ll try to find Dutch webshops that provide belt pouches and if I find any, I’ll post a link.

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The case topic ist most likely that highly disussed, as many people of the FP community are very eager to use ther FP2 as long as possible without doing damage to it…so they are thinking of correct handling and cases and pockets and so on…which I find quite good!

I did some edits to my post above…
Cheers, RObert

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Sorry, my mistake, the page exists in English as well
http://www.rungps.net/product/blt017/Tune-Belt-Neopren-H�ftg�rtel--IP5--?language=EN
I’ve had this belt for 1,5 years now, it is really great, also in rain (I use it for running but also when I am going somewhere on my bike, or don’t want to carry a bag). In the first few weeks it smelled a bit because of the neopren, but the smell disappeared completely after that.
I just sent them a request regarding FP2 and which model will fit for that. As soon as I have an answer I will post it here.

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What I thought ;). I’m using a (slowly-dying) Xperia mini at the moment, which I bought because it is just that.

Re: Cases: I was also considering Feuerwear. I like the whole concept and the design as well, but their cases do add bulk, which isn’t exactly what I want for for this behemoth of a phone. So I’ve been looking at (tough) paper sleeves and narrowed them down to paprcuts and mapbagrag. The big Paprcuts sleeve is just about the size of the FP2, just a wee bit smaller on one side. Might be a fit, might have to squeeze, might be too tight. I think once I’m over the sticker shock I’ll probably go for a custom-sized Mapbagrag. A custom Mapbagrag “open” is €37 (just mentioning this because their EN website seems to be broken; I can order a custom “open” model on the DE website just fine, on the EN website this option appears to be missing).

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Great Information, I was unaware about this.

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Yes this is a real important topic (especially for men). I wear my FP1 always in my trousers because I don’t want any bags etc. Over the time the On / Off button of the Fairphone became more easygoing. As consequence it reboots sometimes in my pocket. It would be better to place the On / Off button at the side and not on top. As a consequence of my problems I decided never to buy a 5" smartphone although the FP2 would be exact what I need (2 SIMs, LTE, sustainability). I’m still looking for a 4,5" smartphone with Dual SIM and LTE and good quality …seems I have to wait :frowning:

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I don’t know about LTE but the other two criteria are met by your FP1 :wink:

Regarding your problem with the on/off button: does it occur when the FP is upside down, i.e. the switch pointing in direction of your feet or the other way round or both ways?

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I did some searching for a belt case and didn’t find any from recycleable materials alas (Feuerwehr didn’t have Fairphone sized belt cases, most things I found (be it from felt, bamboo, reused bycycle tires or like Feuerwehr reused firehoses) where pockets or sleeves without a clip to attach it, so you’d still need a pocket to put it in.

The 3 belt cases I did found are on regular webshops (I was explicitly seeking for Dutch shops, or at the least with a Dutch interface and payment methods). What I’ve come up with, I posted in the Cases and Sleeves topic: