In my opinion, the only thing that Fairphone still did not understand is that battery replacement really does not matter! I use my FP3 since 6 years now and do not really see any significant degradation of battery capacity! I had to replace the bottom module (USB charging). This is also what I hear from people using “normal” phones for longer times: battery life is not an issue; charging plug, broken screens, evolving technology (mainly better cameras) is!
So, I guess, fairphone could design much “slimmer” phones if they used pouch batteries instead of packing batteries into an additional plastic case
Well, yes, batteries luckily usually last a lot longer than two years now - that is certainly good!
But they are still a part that can and will break at some point. So while I agree that it gets less important, it’s still good to be able to change it easily.
Also, the FP6 went the way you suggested by removing some casing in favor of a bigger capacity and made the battery a little harder to replace. If you search the forums, there are certainly plenty of people who got unhappy enough about that small change and don’t share your views:
EU regulations will mandate user-serviceable batteries for smartphone starting from 2027, anyway, unless the phone has specific features that make the requirement hard to fulfill.
In principle, I agree with you: user serviceability is not a huge issue, but it’s one of fairphone’s selling points. And the thickness is likely not just due to the battery, but to all the components being designed for user replacement.
I adore the old Nokia style battery on the FP5. Something about being able to remove it on demand feels good. Even though it’s always a party trick, and not once have I made good use of this feature.
People merely want user serviceable and replaceable batteries. Meaning, no glue that holds onto the battery for dear life, or proprietary screws. I’d argue the iPhones with their 9Volt battery softening adhesive do qualify for the user replaceable quality (ignoring the fact that you still need some dexterity and a prayer before you start removing the screen and back cover).
I’m fully on board with the FP6’s battery style. Held in securely, but you have the tools at home to get to it. Not any more complex than changing batteries in a tv remote, that has an iddy biddy screw holding the access hatch securely.
THAT SAID, the holy grail of battery would be a Fairphone 5 style removable battery, a battery charging thingy of some sort, AND the phone’s ability to operate from the wall, with no battery inserted. Sadly we were never given a battery charger, nor does the FP5 turn on without a battery inserted.
For everyday use a phone nowadays (banking, paying, e-documents, …) needs a reliable fingerprint sensor and IP67 rating at least. Sensors in the powerbutton and a replacable battery reducing environmental protection do not meet these requirements. I absolutely dislike disposing off and replacing devices instead of repairing them if reasonably possible. But after using Fairphones for years (beginning with FP2) I had to accept that the recent models are not the tools anymore they have to be, working day by day without unpleasant surprises.
Conventional phones with specifications comparable to FP5 or FP6 (but with aforesaid requirements) are available from below 200,-€. Using one of that kind and having another one already configured as a backup is my unsentimental approach. It simply doesn’t make any sense to swap parts or wait for repairs lasting weeks. That kind of stuff works until it has to be replaced. Period.
My (Google) Pixel4a battery suddenly degraded after 3 short years - partly through Google’s ‘upgrade’ intervention. It’s a perfectly good phone, yet unusable because it requires > 3+ charges every day.
That’s when I decided no more ‘sealed’ obsolescence. Fairphone was naturally my next choice.
Fairphone’s ‘upgrade’ intervention (plus parts availability and customer service quality) degraded my (and my wife’s) FP5’s general functionality within around one year significantly. So why worry about batteries?
Non replaceable batteries allow sealed housings, increasing environmental protection, reducing risk for water accidents significantly. As I said before IP67 should be minimum nowadays.
Fairphones are not protected to that level because batteries are replaceable. You see the vicious cycle?
My 11 years old Samsung galaxy S5 has a removable battery and is IP67… So it is perfectly possible to have environmental protection with removable battery. Still this race for the highest IP rating is a bit of non sense for me. I get it: some people really need a sealed and rugged smartphone for harsh environments as part of their job. But for regular users, what is the point? Do we really need to take our phone to the swimming pool? In that case, get a 5$ waterproof zip bag for these occasions. Fear about dropping your phone in the toilet or in a pond? Yes that could happen but common… First a little bit of caution in the first hand can do wonders, and second, look how many people around you have cracked screens: a lot! That is incredibly more likely to happen and with a sealed phone, noone is willing to pay half the price of a new phone for such repair, or trust the guy who would replace it for you at the shop. Hence everyone lives with a IP7645 Iphone with a cracked screen that is probably not worth IP45 anymore. A sealed battery has some benefits in terms of capacity, thinness etc but everything is a tradeoff. The FP6 aporoach looks good to me in that respect.
