Any device which has a battery which is easily user replaceable is a plus. Maybe it isn’t good enough for you, but every device I have where I can replace the battery is one I am able to use longer than one where I’m not able to replace the battery.
Fairtrade is another level, another playing field. The Fairphone buds aren’t, btw.
The omission of the headphone port seems to have become a consensus across the industry (for all the wrong reasons IMO), and I agree it’s a shame that FP are going along with it, though I do understand why they have: omitting the audio jack saves cost and won’t matter much to the majority of people, and more crucially, it has no impact on the fairness or sustainability of the device - it may even improve the latter a bit, as it’s one fewer port to break. It’s a dealbreaker for me too so I won’t get the FP4 even if my FP2 exploded right now, but I understand the decision.
The buds use Fairtrade gold.
Fair & recycled materials
Innovating where it counts with Fairtrade gold in the supply chain and recycled plastics.
TWS Earbuds | Fairphone
No mention of factory workers, maybe it’s all auto machine assembled?
How about the IR port, do people also miss that one? 
I used my Nokia 6600 as a TV remote to freak people out. If the Fairphone 4 doesn’t have an IR port, I won’t buy it!!! Common, let’s move on. The 3.5mm jack has been dead for years. By now you must’ve bought a new set of earbuds, because those cables don’t last long. You didn’t buy an USB-C one, and now you blame Fairphone.
I get it is annoying but…
One complaint I have seen a lot on the forum is that the device isn’t dust and waterproof enough, and this helps make it more dust and waterproof and Fairphone has provided a workaround for those who do want that feature.
So, they went out of their way to address a common complaint without completely leaving people who need this feature in the dark.
So… honestly… in my opinion they did well.
The Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is the device which mostly resembles the Fairphone 4, as discussed here. Using the comparison by UPPERCASE with slight adjustion gives the best comparison: Compare Samsung Galaxy A52 5G vs. Fairphone 4 - GSMArena.com
Sound
Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers Yes
3.5mm jack Yes No
Body
[…]
IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins) IP54, dust and splash protection
MIL-STD-810G compliant
Bold is A52. They were able to achieve IPX67 dust/water resistant with a 3.5mm jack. How come Fairphone wasn’t? I’d like to know. I wish I knew about this before, I’d loved to have asked this question during the Q&A.
I think the water specs is not to do with the jack, so they could have kept it, but more down to the modularity and user removable parts
Didn’t they say in the one hour pre-release interview that they didn’t include a 3.5 mm jack to obtain the IP54 rating?
But the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G with similar specs has 3.5 mm jack, and the Fairphone 3(+) has IP54 rating.
and they have glued everything possible, so most likely the jack is the only way for water to get inside, whereas the FP is modular and thereofore more ways for water to get inside. With the jack they removed 1 option and probably it was required to receive the ceritifcation, based on the rest of the phone? You can hardly compare Samsung glued phones and the Fairphones I guess…
…but the Fairphone 3(+) had IP54 rating…?
Its that plus this:
And the fact the A52 5G which has a better IP rating (IP67) + a headphone jack which got me puzzled.
when I read the FP support page (see link above provided by thelastproject) the FP3 had no official certified IP 54 rating…
We are happy to share that Fairphone 4 (FP4) is the first Fairphone device to receive a certified IP (Ingress Protection) rating from the IEC.
It makes us very proud to get an IP certification while respecting the right to repair and allowing our customers to fix their phones by themselves.
From an old post that seems contrary
Some misunderstanding maybe ??
Busted 
official shop mentions IP54 certification: Fairphone 3 | Fairphone shop (Archive.org Wayback Machine from 30 August 2019)
The next snapshot of the English shop page is from 17 Sept 2019. It doesn’t mention IP54 anymore. Didn’t check other languages such as FR or DE.
Nice find, so they may have to say that was a mistake
As soon as there is any water inside, it is a “game over scenario”…
RE. water ingress through a jack socket to the phone, they can be 100% water tight, but then there is a casing which adds to the size.
Still without a plug water can still get into the socket and degrade it, especially sea water, but that’s true for the USB port too.
The alternative would be to have a sealed phone with only wifi connections as in WiFi, Bluetooth and wireless charging.
It should be possible to have a modular phone with seals at a cost.
But this is about wanting a jack not alternatives. So it would be a sealed unit with a plug for rainy days.
For the glued Samsung yes, for the modular FP no
The trick with the glued smartphones is to not open them up for as long as possible (you’d notice battery deterioration after ~500 cycles, with a breaking point below 80% at 1000 cycles after which it rapidly goes down. For a daily driver, that means in 1,5-3 years it is time to replace). You can try to reapply the glue, btw. For example, the iFixit repair set I bought for an iPhone 8 included it. But it was tricky. And sticky. Perhaps it requires a serious repair of a glued and a modular phone to truly appreciate the latter.
The thing with repairing the completely glued phones is, that its nowadays easy to by repair kits however its really dangerous to try it when you have no technical/electronic skills and I guess its the majority. A friend of my mine who has the skills and already replaced IPhone batteries are n the past, almost burned the house when he tried o replace an Iphone battery the last time. So I myself would never try and would never recommend to “normal” people.
Be careful, that looks like a recommendation, and whereas security may have been a bone of contention for you elsewhere, encouraging someone to act in a way that may burn the house down is rather more of an issue, some may think.
Of course I may be misunderstanding you as you clearly did not say anyone should replace the battery.
