maybe you would like to read the initial post again. it indicates that first issues started only after 6 month or so. And it seems like the TO was idealistic enough to bear with reoccuring hazzle for more than 2 years. my respect for that!
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Yes it seems that after six months the problems were serious and Fairphone were helpful. I suppose the problem arose once the warranty expired, although as the OP said serious problems every six months was happening.
Still after nearly three years with two FP3 and no problems it’s not that Fairphone is not keeping their promise issue.
It’s impossible to know the user history, but there’s no doubt the OP wanted a phone to last longer, who doesn’t.
There’s a choice to buy the phone and it doesn’t work out how some expected, Although mine are fine I wouldn’t recommend a Fairphone to anyone that is not focused on Fairtrade.
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Each person has a different tolerance level and I ask that their opinion is also respected. It can not be, if one is of a different opinion, that one downplays these things. This is not a respectful way. I can understand the frustration and yet I will not convince him to stay with FP. The problems can be read here in the forum. So there are more than enough of them. So no need to keep looking for reasons either. As of today, I would also not buy a FP and would not recommend it and go straight to a Pixel device. Of course, a company has completely different resources than FairPhone. Self-explanatory at the size and have thereby also completely different possibilities. At the end of the day, everyone has to be happy. Life is too short to be annoyed with things that make you unhappy.
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Who’s trying to do that?
"The problems ?? " I wasn’t aware that any problems were defined as to say they “can be read here in the forum”
Some problems by some users isn’t indicative that the phone is generally problematic, as I have no problems 
But as I said although I wouldn’t recommend the Fairphone to anyone except a fair trade freak ~ being one though I’m more than happy to stick with with Fairphone and am looking forward to a possible replacement when the FP6 is available or maybe the FP9
So I don’t have any problem with someone saying goodbye to this experiment in applying fair trade to a phone. It’s a risk,
I avoided the FP1 and FP2 whose users, were, and some still are, extraordinarily strong and brave, or just plain crazy.
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Yes, I have often. With all the problems with the FP, I tried to get help here. Why do you ask?
I’m sorry to hear that - I just realized that it is three years since I last visited the forum here - because my FP3 is just running flawless since I bought it. What made me return is some minor issues I have due to the Android 13 update - which was to be expected. I personally do not regret buying the FP3 a single day - not because I’m a hardcore ideologist, but because the phone has not shown what many phones did that I owned before: Getting worse over time - slower, battery deteriorating, outdated, unsupported. Only a few weeks ago Fairphone sent a survey on how long I intend to continue to use my FP3, and I answered 3 years without knowing I’d get the Android 13 update, and I would not be surprised if it will be five years in the end. Admittedly, my demands are not very intense - I do not do 3D games or so, just phone, mail, internet and GPS, but for that it is fast and stable to the day.
Still, I’m impressed getting the A13 update - came as a pleasant surprise, and is really not a minor feat on the Fairphone side - I know from other sources that the SOC manufacturers really just stop supporting their old SOCs at some point, and Fairphone will have needed to work out all the details themselves. In that sense, me having just one minor issue after the update feel really happy, and want to repeat a big THANKS to Fairphone to staying true to their promise of long support.
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Problem is…this needs to be said to Fairphone…
I spoke with a guy who said he heard of some problems but return rates are crazy low…
But if you read here seems 1/3 off users have seriously big problems
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According to this FAQ:
https://forum.fairphone.com/about
there are 29.4k signups to the forum and 1.7k active users in the last 30 days. Since the beginning more than five hundred thousand Fairphone have been sold:
so how can you say, that one third of them has ‘seriously big problems’?
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All of this already has been said to Fairphone. I can’t speak of the FP3 but the FP4 had known day 1 issues for over a year before they even acknowledged said issues.
I would recommend the FP4 to no one at this point and in the coming weeks I’ll probably be replacing it. I’m due for a new work phone and I might just switch entirely to that instead.
Say what you want of Samsung but at least their devices work without major issues and that’s really the only thing I’ve ever asked of Fairphone. And so far they’ve failed to deliver on that.
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Not the flagship product S23, that has a major flaw with the camera, that is still not really accepted by Samsung and not solved after months.
I don’t say, that Fairphone has no problems and communication is often a mess, but other manufacturers have their issues too.
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Obviously, but it kind of makes sense that Samsung has issues with their phones seeing as they are supporting like 30 of them at a time.
At this time Fairphone is supporting 2, 3 if you count the FP3+ separately and they still can’t figure out the dimming issue in 1,5 years.
We are talking about the flagship of Samsung, not a 100€ phone. And this company has probably more gate keepers as Fairphone employees.
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Well… how many people having no problems at all would write a forum post about it (or even bother to join the forum)? Forums are always strongly problem biased…
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Of users HERE Pffff what is it about this phone that saying it has major flaws makes people defend it like a religion…
It’s clear …it has a lot if problems and crappy customer service
To be clear…I wish it was different…it just isn’t
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customer service i actualy good. yes camera software is bad but you can juat use goofle cam mod. maybe they will get good enugh when fp7 release
Applying oneself and ones wallet is the only thing that will help ammend these issues so that others may face fewer issues and better support.
Be the change plz.
I was promised…weeks ago to get a replacement phone.
And this is not through aftersales…it seems slow reactions and promising stuff and not doing it is a company wide problem in Fairphone staff…pitty, this is going to end them in time
After 2.4 years of use I have also decided to relieve my Fairphone 3+ from its duty. It will still stay with me for a few more years but only as a backup and without any heavy apps.
I appreciate the support and responsiveness of the support team, just like the OP does. Unfortunately I’ve come to the breaking point where I cannot cope with the slowness and energy-inefficiency I have been tolerating for the past three months. (After the A13 upgrade)
In addition to software issues, my FP3’s bottom module needs replacement now. The slowness combined with battery draining has caused excessive use of the charging port, which seems to have increased its wear and tear.
For the future products at Fairphone, I would like to suggest two more things with regard to product design.
-
Devices designed to be kept for longer need a bigger internal storage which apps can use. Not a card slot for bigger but unencrypted storage.
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Need wireless charging. Wired charging limits mobility, may cause more wear and tear of the charging port, and tangled cables could knock over other objects on the table. I know the counterargument concerning energy efficiency, but why not just give the user the option to decide when they use it? For example, I would use wireless charging for short periods of time during the daytime when I need to move around more. I would still use wired charging for overnight full charging. Besides, penny pitching on daytime electricity will be less appealing to solar panel owners when “de nieuwe salderingsregeling” comes to effect in The Netherlands.
See you in a few years, when newer Fairphone models evolve to be more practical for intensive use.
Sincerely,
Shaakunthala
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Hello, I bought a Fairphone 3 because I liked the philosophy behind, the idea that I could switch pieces if needed, and even if it was more expensive, it was supposed to last longer than my previous smartphones.
However, it’s maybe the smartphone that I kept the less time, not because it was broken but because it became so slow and outdated so quickly… Maybe I should have followed some advices found here and not accept to upgrade to the last Android version, but it became barely unusable after that, taking several seconds to react to each action. Even after cleaning and resetting it with factory default.
So sorry, even if I liked the idea, I had to switch back to other brands with higher performances, maybe more that what I need now, but I will keep it longer…
Or maybe I can come back if Fairphone pushes the concept further : it could have been great to upgrade only the motherboard with a Fairphone 5 for better performances and keep the case/screen/battery/camera/etc. (even if I’m now happy to have at last a good camera, but that’s another story… )