Lineage OS is running quite well on Fairphone 2, but is work in progress, too. (E.g. FM radio does not work, yet.) It is a community port, not supported officially by Fairphone.
I do not want to discredit all the effort for the great work done on Lineage OS, but point out that if Fairphone are not going to officially support this port, developments of Fairphone Open OS and Lineage OS could take different roads…
I was in a similar position to you recently; and purchased the FP2 from Ecosto (Finland?) and they delivered to me in Ireland.
If you don’t want to wait until September, I recommend contact Ecosto to confirm FP2 in stock and delivery to your country.
“i would consider buying a second-hand Fairphone 2”
That was my first thought, but I had to notice that people pay almost the full price (at ebay) for a used FP2… And even the FP1 still sells well.
And yes, the modularity is great - at least, if it is possible to get modules. I wonder why it is so difficult to design a new camera module. Maybe FP should give the information about the current module to the community - then we can design or at least help to design a better module!
Well, a pair of days ago I finally bought a fairphone!! There are two things that I didn’t like very much…
Because I waited a bit now I have to wait until 31 october to receive my Fairphone, instead of 1st September…its only been a few days!!
You have to pay all the money to make a reservation…I do not think that that is pretty fair, they should ask for a part of the money now and then when I receive my phone the rest.
Anyway, I am pretty excited to get a fair phone!! I hope I like it when I get it!!
It seems they get a shipment of a certain number of phones every one or two months. They keep track of when they’ve sold all the phones in a certain shipment and then update the delivery forecast accordingly. This means delivery forecasts for new orders will appear to jump by quite some time. Existing orders shouldn’t be affected, unless you’re specifically notified about delays.
A small consolation for the increased wait is potentially that the rumoured improvements to production (and quality control) will have been implemented by then.
I would then suggest Fairphone to include some kind of message like “only a few left!” or a counter (“100 left!”) so that costumers know what to expect. And also pay a part of the price only since it is a reservation (I understand the phone has not been build yet).
It’s not a reservation, it’s an order. And to my understanding the money is then used to manufacture the devices.
From my point of view, you order something when it already exists (except for food…unless it is fast food xD). If I order any other phone it has already being produced, and the production costs are an investment. I understand Fairphone is a small company and maybe it is too risky for them to produce a batch in advance, but I think they should pay in advance at least part of the production costs and then get it back when they ship the phones.
For instance, if Fairphone suddenly disappears, I might not get my money back. Or if there is any problem with the production and the delivery gets delayed.
That is my opinion at least.
When buying customized Laptops or a MacBook in high demand, it’s quite common to pay before the device is even produced ;-). I have to say that the usual waiting time is much lower then – 1 to 2 weeks instead of 4 months,
But, from a economically and ecologically, it makes sense the way it works now: Produce the phone in batches that are presold ensures that Fairphone does not produce Fraiphones above the demand. For a company of limited size and probably funding, that makes totally sense.
Surely the waiting time shows a high demand.
If the long, long order time is a permanent state, I think many potential customers will not place an order. In my case, I ordered a phone because I needed one and couldn’t wait 3 months.
You can always buy from one of the many resellers, they often have devices in stock.
On one hand i’m happy to see that there is such a big demand for fairer electronics.
But on the other hand i need a phone NOW, and can’t wait 4 months for my fairphone to be produced.
If fairphone adjusts the production to the demand, and ships from stock, they will get even more orders (including mine).
You can buy a fairphone 2 used from this forum and new at several retailers, depending on where you live.
While I’m waiting for a new battery for my FP2 I’m back on my dad’s old iPhone 4. And I have to admit I was shocked about the difference in quality (feel and use), even the iPhone 4 is quiet old now. I’m satisfied with the FP2 and I’m a fan of the modular concept, but you have to say that it can’t even compete with an 7 year old iPhone. If you buy an FP2 you have to make cuts in design (ergonomics), performance and you have to take in consideration that smaller or bigger errors in software and hardware appear on regular basis. And it can happen that your broken part is out of stock at the moment you need it and you can’t get it for months. So make sure you have a working second phone to get back to. I’m also a bit in a conflict with the sustainability aspect when I see how good the iPhone 4 works after 10 years and 8 years in usage without any repair. I’m not sure if my FP2 will work in 10 years and how much moduls I’ve to replace.
I’m not sure if I would buy a Fairphone again, I think would rather go with an used iPhone.
According to Wikipedia and my memory, the iPhone 4 came to market in summer 2010. So it’s seven, not ten years. Your point might is still valid, although you have to admit that there are no updates for the iPhone 4 since years and there will be more and more apps not compatible anymore.
I have a similar feeling regarding sustainable alone, but by buying a Fairphone you also supported their goals in raising awareness and funded their research on ”fair“ sourcing of minerals. For me, that is most important aspect and the reason for Fair in Fairphone.
As all plans Fairphone has regarding longlivity of software updates and spare parts are very hard to reach of a company depending on suppliers and software development at Google and chipset vendors, maybe Fairphone should focus their communication more on these goals and be very careful with promises on longlivity.
Yes, you’re right. iPhone 4 was released in 2010. My mistake. But anyway a old phone. Yes, there are no updates and you won’t get happy with it in a long term but I’m quiet convinced as a short term solution until my battery arrives. And I was really delighted by the feel of the phone when you hold it in your hand.
I think Fairphone should also work on longevity and delivering a better quality to avoid replacements. Using a product as long as possible is the most sustainable way. If I have to replace moduls due to malfunctions regularly and I can get them only the next 3 years, I really don’t know why I as a consumer should accept a much weaker product (software and hardware) compared to the market. An iPhone will also do it’s job for 3 years. If I buy a used one I can also live with the sustainability aspect as I “consume” less scarce resources due to repairs.
I agree! And in that regard, the FP1 did not deliver everything that was promised and you would be better of if you bought an iPhone 5S which cam to the market at the same time and still recieves the next major iOS update. I would have cost you more then double the money at that time. In case of software long-livety, it will be hard to beat or even match Apple |- an that is a big point.
But i wanted to emphasize that the Fair in Fairphone is about Fair minerals, better Working conditions etc as well. And i think if these issues are important to you, buying a Fairphone is still worth it.
I think there is a trade-off between design and repairability involved. Imagine that you go to Apple’s website, order a battery, wait for it, open the phone and replace the battery. And all of this without having any experience and without having to use any screwdriver. Hardly believable.
In my opinion, one of Fairphone’s goals, namely repairable phones, will be reached when Apple makes that dream come true.
PS.: For a deeper look into the design differences between iPhone 4 and Fairphone 2, check out their iFixit Teardowns (iPhone 4 | Fairphone 2).
A post was split to a new topic: 
Einige Probleme mit meinem FP2
Well, as @Stefan already mentioned, the design and feel of an iphone comes at a price, considering repairability (at least by you, the customer) . Furthermore I deem it inappropriate to compare the handling of a 3.5" phone to a 5" phone. Of course it’s an extreme difference, with the outcome of the comparison depending on the size of your hands.
Failure of modules of course is a problem. I just guess, that they are caused by a less severe quality control of the manufacturer. While for other (big money) phone manufacturers a supplier throws batches of modules simply in the bin, because they have a high error rate, he most likely will not akt likewise for fairphone. Therefore the new display has been improved hardwarewise as well as it is made by another supplier (if I got it right).
In my opinion it’s equally unfair to compare Fairphone to Apple. 