I want to order a Fairphone 3+ (my ooooooold FP1 died, and the update in camera is a real plus for me). I realized there’s no bumper in the FP3+ box, but there’s one on the FP3. Where can I order one ? I cannot find it in the store… am I missing something ?
Nothing definitive about this so far, but I strongly think it won’t become available on its own. Maybe it will be discontinued altogether at one point.
If you want one, I recommend you place a search (“Buy” subcategory) ad in this forum’s market category. People who recently “upgraded” their FP3 with one of the FP3 protective cases (also available in black) might be happy to part with the bumper they no longer need/want.
With no bumper and the screen protection sold out, the Fairphone store isn’t really sexy those days. ^^’ I guess I’ll follow your advice - thank you for it !
I was just on the tipping point of hitting “buy”, then I also noticed there was not bumper with the 3+. So another 40€ for some kind of protection… Mmmm… Now I’m back to thinking about it again.
Welcome to the community forum!
If you have a local Fairphone community or a local #fairphoneangel, you could ask if anyone has a bumper that they don’t need. You can check this in the community #addressbook .
Or you can open a thread in this forum or have a look in the category “Market”
But - from my own experience, the bumper does not equal a protective case/cover.
It’s totally ok, but does not protect the back. And it is rather loose fitting, since it has to be removable. I wonder, how long it will last, especially, when the phone is used a lot and carried around in bags etc.
So, I guess, it’s not really comparable to the protective cover (though I have not seen this to be honest). And I personally would not make this a dealbraker.
Yes, I’m a huge bumper fan myself. I carry the phone in my trouser’s front pocket, where it’s just a bit slimmer without a full protective case. It still looks nice and scratch free after a year (minus the white “FAIRPHONE” letters, which I removed after the first one had fallen out - those would have certainly been better protected by a case). I can’t really understand why the bumper was discontinued (and never was availabe as a spare part either).
What I would guess:
Maybe most buyers considered the bumper to be less useful?
It adds to the size of the phone in all 3 dimensions, collects and is not exactly stylish.
Without the bumper the phone has a much more elegant appearance and is looking more like any other phone; which many might prefer.
And maybe it was not sold as an accessory (different colors were another demand, if my memory serves me right), because a) demand was not heavy and b) it could not be made from recyled materials, due to the necessary flexibility.
The FP3 housing did not contain any post consumer recyled materials, while the FP3+ housing contains 50%. My bet would be, that the bumper would have reduced that percentage.
And offering the bumper as an extra accessory would depend on demand. Most likely this would be limited besides the protective cover. And the less they can sell, the higher the cost for production. The higher the price, the lower the sales etc. etc.
But since this is just guesswork, maybe it was just, that Fairphone themselves did not like the bumper.
It might have helped if support for the bumper had been expressed a bit earlier.
One point that makes the bumper less convincing for the FP3+ is the FP3+'s lack of transparency. The FP3 protective case that covers the whole backside would cover the transparency, but that isn’t a problem anymore with the opaque FP3+ backside.
The in-box instructions for 3+ customers need to be updated, and remove the graphic instruction (no.1) showing bumper removal. It’s not obvious and I nearly ruined my new phone, trying to get the surrounding edging off my phone, before stepping back and watching the youtube instructions. Or a note to ignore the ‘remove bumper’ instruction, perhaps?
Has anyone spoken to Fairphone themselves about the bumper? Only received my new Fairphone 3+ today, and I am a bit ennoyed (honestly, it is about myself, not considering this part is not standard with the 3+) that there is no bumper. I’ve had the Fairphone 2 nearly 4 years and my boyfriend has the Fairphone 3 and it has this amazing bumper. Honestly I hadn’t done proper research about this particular part, but I am so dissapointed it hasn’t got a bumper. I would say that a bumper improves the longevity of the Fairphone, which would be good for sustainability? Unless it is about selling parts… (Which I hope it not)
It doesn’t seem to be about selling parts, since they don’t have it on the spare parts or accessories list.
So your friend (and me myself by the way) won’t be able to get a replacement should he lose it or should it break; which it hopefully won’t do.
Just thought about it; ist still might be about selling the protective cover either.
Still, I rather believe, that it’s about reducing waste and increasing the percentage of recyled plastics.
Judging from the forum alone, there has been lots of demand for a protective cover, which they now offer. So maybe the bumper was dropped due to a lack of demand or because market analysis showed, that a cover was prefered.
To cut it short:
Try the market place; and ask there for a bumper.
Some already have been successful this way, as FP3 users, that bought a protective cover might have one to spare.