The Fairphone 3 was sold with a a protective sleeve that went all the way round the phone.
This was a very intelligent feature as it was very sufficient to protect the phone, thereby reducing both the total cost (which was already high for this phone range) and waste.
My Fairphone 3 is dying and I think that I will soon replace it by the new Fairphone 6.
But it doesn’t seem that the Fairphone 6 have this kind of protection sleeve, is that the case?
In other words: is the Fairphone 6 bluit-in protection sufficient, like for the Fairphone 3, or should I buy a protective case?
We have both Fairphone 5 and 6 in our household. If you’re a careful person, going without a case can work for both phones. However the case does give some protection against losing volume buttons, it creates a plane backside of the phone so it doesn’t tilt when being used lying flat on a table. I have seen the FP5 case and the FP6 case and I find the latter one much more convincing than the one for the FP5 as the edges reach a bit above the screen, so if you lay it flat on the screen, the screen won’t touch the table. Except for that we also lost volume buttons from the FP6 case I think it is well made.
Long story short: There are threads in this forum discussing different kinds of protective cases, you can read about all advantages and disadvantages there. For the question if you need it: The FP6 with the (original) case reminds me much more of the FP3 than the FP6 without. If your FP3 still looks like new you are probably careful enough to go without protective case (what I do with my FP5). But the FP6 is a bit smaller without case than the FP5, so with a case around it still has an acceptable size.
I don’t have FP6, my FP5 is regrettably bigger but I still mostly carry it with the case. The frame is not user replaceable.
With FP6 I would imagine my main (additional) reason for a case would be the users complaint about losing buttons.
Thank you everyone for your quick answers. If I understood right fp6 is not sold with sufficient protection like FP3.
I am quite disapointed that Fairphone started the shitification process by removing useful features to sell more accessories. They caught us with promising products and now they’re taking advantage of our commitment.
Anyway, I think that it is still worth it yet. I just hope that Fairphone is not becoming the new Apple.
Ah, come on, people want to have small, slim phones, so they get that (and the strategy seems to pay off for Fairphone). And as in the non-fair smartphone world, people then add their bumpers and have bulky phones, just like what Fairphones used to be anyway. Nevertheless, I’d see the positive aspects: You can choose your protective case, not only from Fairphone but from other companies, so that doesn’t have to be a disadvantage only.
What an exaggeration … Isnt FP currently selling the FP6 with protective bundle? FP stopped to sell with case with FP4 and maybe even with FP3 when they changed from bumper to the full case
I also think the FP6 cover is not too much to protect the back of the phone. In my family there are two FP6 and we have recently buy covers from here: https://casecompany.it
As a very satisfied FP3 owner that only recently switched to the FP6, I wholeheartedly agree. Then again, I bought my FP6 on a third party retailer for a lower price (Gomibo), so if you can get a protective case in a bundle with it for the same MSRP, then it’s alright. However, I never bought any case for my FP3 and was extremely satisfied with how well its shell handled all the falls. My FP6? In the second day on a very light fall, it already got a bump that made me sad. I am using now a cheap Amazon flip case and it’s very well protected now.
I also wish I could use the FP6 without a case though.
I bought the protective set from Fairphone. Although the screen protector was a little tricky to install, the Fairphone protective case is the best phone case I’ve ever had. I also like the feel of a phone without a case. The Fairphone case provides protection while still leaving the back panel open, so you can enjoy the feel of the phone without compromising on protection. Since the case is the same colour as the phone, it feels as if it was designed to be this way. Fairphone also makes the same case with an added front flip part, but I haven’t tested that.
TL;DR: Buy the official Fairphone 6 case — it’s great!
Thanks for all the answers!
I am sorry if I sounded bitter, I found that the FP3 bumper was very effective to protect the phone from chock and thus eliminating the need for a basic case (off course someone that wanted extra protection would still have had to buy one). I think it was a great added value that fitted perfectly with the Fairphone philosophy. So I am a bit disapointed that they chose to abandon this.
Companies that break through with a promising concept often end up losing sight of it as they grow. I think it’s important to stay vigilant and hold our standards to ensure Fairphone doesn’t fall into that trap.
There is still a lots of great good reasons to chose a Fairphone (the 5 years warranty on top for me) and now I know that I have to add 30$ to the final price. Thank you.
The original FP3 launched in late August 2019 got the bumper (without a back) added in a late stage before launch because Fairphone had found the FP3 on its own (without a bumper) was not performing well enough in drop tests. When the FP3+ was launched one year later its housing was made from slightly different material (opaque instead of transparent) that did better in drop tests, so the FP3+ did not require the bumper and was delivered without one.
… Isnt FP currently selling the FP6 with protective bundle? FP stopped to sell with case with FP4 and maybe even with FP3 when they changed from bumper to the full case