Hi there,
I never used a smartphone and it looks like I will not do so in the next years. But I’m looking for a good quality phone, may be a fairphone ? But I just need to give calls and send text messages. Does such a product exist ?
Thanks for your help,
Martin from Colmar in France
feature phones are already a tiny niche in the smartphone-dominated world, so I’m afraid it’s going to be difficult finding one that’s driven by goals similar to those of Fairphone.
the fairphones are full featured smartphones, so investing in one just for calling and texting seems super wasteful. Maybe the Lightphone or Nokia’s feature phones suit more your need. Plus, their batteries last longer. Though i find the lightphone unnecessarily expensive for what it does, and according to JerryRigEverything it’s really fragile, so personally i’d prefer nokia.But if you plan one day to use smartphone features, then the fairphone 3 or 4 are good
If you want to invest ~650,-€ for phone and SMS why not.
It’ s your choice
I would actually look into used phones in your scenario. One key thing you will need to make sure though is that the phone uses networks that are not switched off yet. The keywords here are 2G, 3G, 4G and the like, I don’t know what the situation in France is (I guess in your location you might need to consider the German situation, too).
Welcome to the forum.
Whereas I understand your simple requirements one thing leads to another.
You can buy simple phones at most ‘high street shops’ but the salesperson will always try to up the anti.
If the idea of Fair Trade is some thing you want to invest in then the FP3 is really the only option.
If you treuly want a simple non-smart phone i.e. not internet savvy then
or for ten times that price and putting your foot in it ~ the FP3+
If it’s quality then what is that.
???
I would go for a used phone. Feature phones already produce much lower carbon emissions, so buying one used is a lot better for the climate than buying any new phone, even when it is a feature phone or Fairphone.
Used is always better than new.
Hey there,
I agree, that a used phone is a good idea.
But a simple mobile phone, if featured or not, has much less data protection issues than any smartphone.
So I would go only for a used smartphone, where you can use a de-googled rom. Such as LineageOS, GrapheneOS, /e/ or similar.
Just to keep your data.
Best
peace
That’s all right.
But which data should be kept? 
Well the title specifically mentions a ‘fairphone’ so the FP3+ is the better of the ‘new’ options and I wouldn’t recommend a second had FP2 or FP3.
@peace Regarding data and protection, as mentioned, what is it that is in need of such protection. Whereas I don’t like feeding the data hungry monsters they gobble up what they can. The best I can do is not lay it out on a plate.
To that end many ‘degoogled’ options are ‘reduced google snacking options’ and let’s face it once it out there someone will find it if they search hard enough no matter how well encrypted or ‘privately’ stored.
Hi everybody,
thank you so much for all these answers. I didn’t expect so much attention from you all 
All you said confirm that it is impossible to find a fair trade featured phone made from quality products and repairable.
In the end I guess I’ll go for a used smartphone that will allow me to have a camera, which will already be a revolution for me.
I like this idea. How can I know that ? Are these OS similar to Linux ? I already use linux Xubuntu on my computer.
Merci for your advices !
Hi @Martist
LineageOS, GrapheneOS, /e/ or similar are based on AOSP
AOSP itself is based on linux kernel. (Btw: All Android systems are based on it )
So in general your assumption is right.
But don´t expect it to look or feel like a linux you know from a desktop station or similar. Most of these AOSP-“derivates” look and feel more like a (more or less) enhanced Android.
Often you got more options and settings (with more freedom comes also more responsibility for selecting the ‘right ones’ for you ) or they offer better privacy, security, etc.
If you already got some experience from Xubuntu (or other linuxes) - that´s good.
If you also don´t run away when it comes down to use some console commands - even better! This can be handy during some installations.
Expect some learning curve when you flash and run such a customROM the first time (but don´t fear it)
Like with most other linux systems: RTFM … carefully … and enjoy the voyage!
Best
DonFnord
For protection of your personal data, the best way in this case is just not connect to the internet. SMS and phone calls don’t need it.
It is an advantage for used phones, if the system doesn’t get security updates any more. It should be rather save, just use any old smartphone as featured phone - without internet connection.
Of course this is not possible, if you want to use any messenger like Signal or Whatsup… ,-)
My (used) Fairphone 2 / LOS 18.1 does this job up to now very well and additionally I can use some Messenger or internet browsing, even with Tor.
But important is this:
Up to now I didn’t had problems, but I don’t now about the future. And I hope with just one SIM card, this should last some more time.
Best peace
Take a look at here:
Ungoogled, refurbished smartphones with one of the best android ROMs
And you can support a small team that are doing a great job.
on the other hand, SMS are sent in plaintext and are definitely not a secure means of communication.
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