Partially I agree with you.
Here I can clearly express my very positive experience with my No. 9601.
I never had a “need to be fixed/replaced” case, but only the unreliable 8MP camera which did not always focus properly. As I for my expectations and needs mainly bought a mobile phone and no mobile camera this was not a big issue for me.
Anyway I though it should work more reliable although it would not deliver high-class images, so I replaced it on warranty and passed on the old module to fairphoneangels. By that time I wasn’t aware of the internal foam by the lens being the main cause for the focusing problem, otherwise I also could have fixed it without replacement.
So my overall experience with my first ever smartphone actually is quite satisfying.
Yes, I would again buy another next model, probably also of the first batch. I somehow have the impression my first batch quality seems slightly higher than later/now. #?? (considering the full product…hardware&software - the 12MP camera raises too often connection issues and the bottom modules seem to be a bit more fragile, my old Lollipop generally performs much better than todays Android 7. I can switch off each sim card and the phone by software. Will a higher security level have a positive influence on this?)
“an outdated OS with open security vulnerabilities”
I have serious doubts.
But who knows, maybe it’s my personal treatment as I usually keep many things for much longer usable than many other people I meet.
My words. FP is in business and slowly doing better. I am sure it could learn a lot
meanwhile. With each product iteration more knowledge and advancements can be put in. So reliability and longevity should increase steadily. FP is still too small for “the big leap”.