New slim back cover

Thx, but I still cannot tell if the turquoise cover has the buttons of a different shape or if it is the same.

(Slim) Covers, rims and Buttons are interchangeable. Itā€™s called #rimswapping and itā€™s the hottest trend among the kids these days. :smiley:

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I know! I hope Iā€™ll find someone to swap my rim with in Italy (Rome or Genova). Maybe we should create a topic for this purpose (like the second hand unofficial shops but only to swap with locals).

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Sorry, seems that I just read half of your questions - I guess it was just too early in the morningā€¦ I am going to upload some pics of the indigo case in comparison to some other blue things in my flat, I guess than you will get a better idea of the shape.

As promised:

Sorry for the bad lightningā€¦

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There already are local Italian communities:

You could even start your own in Genova! :smiley:

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Thank you so much! It seems to be kind of blue!
I like it but I am not fully convinced of the black ribbon.
I think I would go for the turquoise! I wouldā€¦
If just the slim covers were available.

In facts, the good part of the story is that the answer to my support request was super-fast (I wrote them last sunday and received an answer monday morning).

The less nice part is they told me currently they only have the blue matte cover available for replacement.
Black cover is nice (it is the one I already have), but Iā€™m afraid it will have the same issue as the one Iā€™m asking to replaceā€¦

I asked them how long I should wait for getting a slim one; currently waiting for another (hopefully just as fast) answer.

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My update: had great and fast support by Fairphone again, and the new slim cover is constructed much better than the old one. I very much like the buttons which are easier to handle, and the case feels sturdier overall. Still hoping for transparency though :smiley:

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Just as an update.
They answered to me very fast and stated that they understood my point and therefore offered me a slim cover (I could also choose the color). The slim cover was delivered in less than 48h and I have been using it now for some three days.

Overall very happy with support, although the ā€œwe only have the old cover available, but if you really insist we can send you a slim oneā€ was a bit weird).

The cover is really nice, I like it very much and waiting for #rimswapping (I still donā€™t get why the put blue buttons on turquoise cover)!

Well done Farphone!!

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i donā€™t understand why the defacto standard color of black is still not available as slim cover. i would rather die before i let myself get caught and called out with an Apple white case.
i would like a dark or signal colored see through over the mindless color, too.
on a side note, the general tone of shared support replies and periodic lack of parts does appear suspicious.

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What happened to transparent covers? And (why) isnā€™t there a transparent slim one?

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I got the slim case in coral red through a special action of Fairphone and KPN for the release of the slim cases, which gives you a coupon code with your new Fairphone.
I could choose any colour and did not have to pay anything, even though the price for the cases seems to have risen from 25ā‚¬ to 32ā‚¬ (couponā€™s worth was 25ā‚¬, but still covered the whole price).
It arrived just two work days after my order and I am really happy with the design. It also is way easier to put on to the phone than the regular cover. But I am still unsure if it is as resilient as the regular one. It feels thinner and also as if it was made out of harder plastic, which might not fit the phone eith suspension that well. Also I noticed that my charger does not connect that well through the slim case. The contact often breaks and it does not charge properly. I did not have this problem with the regular case.
But I personally like having both covers as options to choose from and the slim cases definitely have some advantages and look amazing. But especially because of the charging issue I will probably use the regular cover more.

###My review of the slim covers.

Yesterday was the first rimswapping event hosted by the austrianfairphoners. I had ordered some spare parts for on-site repairs/exchanges/tests and a lot of slim covers for everybody who wanted one.

The order arrived a few days before the event so I had some time to get to know the covers, fell in love with the white and turquoise ones and decided to keep them. :heart_eyes:

More pics here.

Here is what I can say about the Slim Covers so far:

  • The mechanism is really well done and taking the (back of the) cover off is now easier than ever. This nearly makes up for the lack of a transparent version as you can show everybody the insides of the FP2 in seconds.
  • I didnā€™t experience the reboots issue as I switched Power and Camera buttons right away. It sure seems like itā€™s simply a mistake that the cover comes with the button that has a relief as the camera button. @Douwe did the tests you arranged bring any results?
  • As expected the white cover gets dirty easily, but you can just remove it, wash it at the sink and put it back dry and squeaky clean. :thumbsup:
  • I believe lots of people will get more than one color so they can adjust the color according to their daily mood or outfit. The fact that there are 4 cover colers, 2 button colors but just one rim-color will probably result in some spare rims laying around at home. Letā€™s hope the rims are the parts of the cover that break the easiest! :wink:
  • People at the event yesterday agree that Fairphone should release the design files of the slim Covers so people can print their own designs. The actual back-part of the cover is probably easily printable and if done in good quality can work together with the official rim and buttons. ( @Douwe what do you think? )
  • Maybe a artisanally talented person could try to repurpose a regular coverā€™s plastic part as a slim coverā€™s back-part. ā†’ DIY Transparent Slim Covers! :smiley:

All in all I believe the slim covers are a great upgrade, will hopefully be even more personalizable in the future and truly incorporate FPā€™s message:

PS: White slim-covers are also a great canvas!

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People at the event yesterday agree that Fairphone should release the design files of the slim Covers so people can print their own designs. The actual back-part of the cover is probably easily printable and if done in good quality can work together with the official rim and buttons. ( @Douwe what do you think? )

Iā€™m a big fan of the Idea of printing the back case by our own! I am even willing to pay for the design files (possibly a license fee of 5-10 ā‚¬), if money is the reason why this idea should not work.

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I am wondering about the print process you have in mindā€¦
Do you know a way to print something that lasts on the current used cases?

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I just had shapeways.com or materialise.com in mind.

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Am I the only one to find 30ā‚¬ EXTREMELY expensive for a plastic case ? :scream:

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This shouldnā€™t be a big problem.

Even with typical home-printers (reprap/FDM) the back covers most likely will come out usable with enough support material (or some minor changes in design). Iā€™m still using my self-printed cover made on a very cheap printer but Iā€™d like to try it on the original CAD-files as well. +1 for releasing the files!

BTW: Iā€™m curious for what might actually be the reason for not publishing the CAD-data? FP did it with the FP1 - so why not with the FP2 where it would make much more sense due to itā€™s ā€œopennessā€.

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ah yeah. I thought you meant printing a pattern on the existing covers.
But of course you could also print your own.

Iā€™ll ask around and see if I can find this out for you.

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Somewhere in the forum I read that people have problems with charging their Fairphone 2 in the new slim case. Do you guys have the same issues and if so how do you work around that?