cheaper than dropping 3 FP5s into a rocky icy streak
lihgter than a FP5 + 2 power banks
you can actually use it for photography
different customers, more income
less charging and downtime
less waste at battery and device replacement
Customers:
Nature enthusiasts & wildlife professionals
First responders
Industrial workers & engineers
Medical field…
Techies?
Price acknowledged:
less selfie camera
less speakers
weight and size
x2 - x4 €
Cons:
technical challanges at ethical sources and size design
significant price raise
Proof:
There are already 20K+ battery 100MP night vision phones.
There are already IP68 phones with removable batteries.
There are already environment & human friendly phones with higher customization.
We can not fully grasp, how much work it is to balance in between the market and technical / ethical standards.
Please let us know if a project like this is possible, or if you are looking forward to give 1700-1900 for a fully prepared hikers phone.
Just wondering, would designing a proper, waterproof, shockproof case, fill some of the needs mentioned?
I guess it could be easier to do.
I know it doesn’t address photography thing.
Not sure how big a phone would have to be to contain such a strong battery
Thanks for reflecting on the issue,
I know designing takes a lot of resources,
and it would definitely satisfy the need for a FP6, but I do not want to switch down ethically for other brands.
After 7 hours of hiking and listening to music in light rain the battery dropped to 51% and the camera fogged up from the inside, rendering it to completely useless.
Do we have to recharge every day? There are no wall sockets in the forest.
When I zoom slightly to the other side of the road, the picture gets pixelated, while some phones take detailed pictures of the moon!
A cca. 16MP Night vision would be adequate for wildlife population control, whereas the thermal imaging would require probably 20MP to do meaningful house inspection work (most of the energy = CO2 is wasted due to lack of proper isolation in residential consumption).
I would expect +50% weight and thickness / depth growth. That has a stabilizing effect in photography.
This has nothing to do with the IP rating. This happens because of a temperature difference which produces some water condens. My GShock watch with a 300 meter dive rating has this too when I leave the house on a cold day.
IP55 is fine for moderate rain. Night and thermal vision sounds cool. But FP isn’t really aiming for that market. The battery isn’t great, but you can buy a spare one.
Overall the FP5 is impressive, especially compared to the previous models. So there is progress, and the bar will always be set higher, but it’s a general purpose phone. I don’t think it’s realistic to talk about those very specialised use cases for a FP.
I’m afraid you’re barking up the wrong tree. “Tough” kit is, as previously noted, a very specialized, low-volume market and has nothing to do with Fairphone’s main target (the clue is in the name).
CAT has a rugged, thermal imaging-capable phone (Cat S62 and S62 Pro). It’s not even very expensive, but obviously there are drawbacks: Very rugged yes, thermal imaging yes, but glued-in 4000mAh battery, weak CPU, small memory, 48MP camera. It’s a pure work phone…
What you’re asking for is technically possible, but commercially not viable: It would be too expensive for gadget-loving geeks, and professionals would prefer specialized kit (easier to justify to their bosses).
Besides, industrial workers would rather go with CAT, the brand they already know and use, same for first responders, not to mention both couldn’t afford Fairphone’s “approximate” software quality: They need kit that works reliably all the time, there are lives on stake…
Condensation can be prevented by vacuum sealing, although we can cathegorize that as a feature for professionals.
But what holds the team back in creating a 6, 10 or 15.000mAh battery? Technology? Metal resources? Concept?
Even general users complain about the battery. This is about battery-screen size power drainage ratio mostly. I do not feel like further increasing the screen size or front camera resolution is reasonable.
Replacing batteries at charge and under use wears the connectors out and quite annoying, when you have a protective case.
But we do appreciate the progress!
Same time, releasing a product less often with more significant development would be my taste.
Maybe wait for other customers if they express similar demands and try a limited edition of an X series to find out if it gets sold out?
I am not advertising, but there are other brands with both cameras featuring a 6200 mAh battery.
I guess it would be less idealistic to buy a non-removable 22.0000 mAh 100MP night vision phone for 450€.
Thanks for your feedback, we will see if it changed anything.
Those pins don’t wear out in the lifetime the FP5 is used (max 10 years). You won’t exchange your battery daily. Also, in 20 minutes you can get a 50% charge. Okay, when you are in the outdoors, then that’s difficult. But then you can swap your battery if needed. It’s really not such a big deal. It’s so much easier than a powerbank.
FP support can tell you the details of why this phone has the capacity it has. I suppose the answer is that a modular phone that’s easy to repair requires more space, thus the battery is smaller. Also safety is a thing. We don’t want overloaded batteries that may explode.
I’m sure FP did their best and for every decision they researched the viable alternatives. But please contactsupport and let us know their answer.