What is the status of other smartphones from an ethics and repairability point of view? I read around that like the Fairphone there aren’t many valid alternatives… unfortunately.
Do you have any experiences to share?
I have only experience with Fairphone.
I know that there is a Shiftphone. I don’t know anything on fairness, performance, self-repair, etc. of a Shiftphone.
Here’s the website … Sustainable technology from Germany | shift.eco
Yes, already read something about that project, it seems a copy of Fairphone idea… but I found only few reviews in German
I dont think its fair to call them a copy of Fairphone. The first phone was already produced in 2014. They have a different approach, no marketing, no investors and therefore are not that wide spread and yes its a german company mainly sold in the German Speaking market, however could be bought in other EU Countries as well.
Teracube on their detail page about the 2e model from 2021 call it the “next evolution of sustainable phones”, their Indiegogo campaign lists “Replaceable battery | DIY repairable | Built with Recycled material | 4-yr premium care warranty” as the main selling points.
I haven’t paid close attention to them, but back then my impression was that the 4-yr warranty and replaceable battery were the strongest USPs. And IIRC working conditions and livinge wage were completely out of scope.
So my impression is that they are definitely behind on what Fairphone and Shiftphones are doing.
But maybe someone else has more knowledge/own experiences.
Ok, sorry, I just Say that’s a copy due the fact that they use the same word for the marketing (I remember some advertising online but it could be an incorrect association with other brand? ) and sold some device common to fairphone project, but mine it’s just a quick look… And it’s not my first language, also English…
I own a Shiftphone, it is similar from the fairness and the self-repair perspective.
The differences:
Fairphone is much bigger than Shift. This means they can invest more resources in updates, etc. They were also out of the teething troubles phase earlier. Updates on Shift devices usually take a lot longer.
Advantages for Shiftphone: I would say the support feels much more personal, you can even make feature suggestions (e.g. in the forum) that are respected and partially implemented.
I have tried to follow shiftphones (translating stuff to English whenever necessary) but got confused. they seem to be selling two phones at the moment, one is on Android 10? and the second in the preorder stage, with some amazing specs and good price, and expected shipping in this August (!), but the status page suggests the phone production/design has not even been completed/finalised (eg. the certification)?
Yes the current model (Shift 6mq) is on Android 10 but will allegedly be updated to Android 13 soon.
(They had some trouble with the chipset because Qualcomm doesnt provide support anymore but they are mostly solved.)
I’m not very sure if the new model (Shiftphone 8) will actually come out in August or will have a delay. But Updates will hopefully be easier because it has the same processor as the Fairphone 5 with longterm support.
The coming Shift8 will have the same SOC as the FP5… However it comes a year later and on the other hand with better IP certification e.g.
I think the biggest obstacle still is the fact, that they are extremly slow in software updates or upgrades.
Else they have other interesting projects, like a reparable laptop, BT speaker…
Well that soon is promised since way too long time and in the meantime there is A14 with A15 in beta…and no security patch upates for ages while they worked on A13…and I’m focusing on this, as many FP user start complaining when there is a 2-3 month delay…
SHIFT6mq-Status - SHIFT - last weeks update says they got the big blockers solved and have just small regressions for newer tests yet thst didn’t exist in the past. Guess their small team got it done
The status pages is def something I like about Shiftphones.
Overall the struggles of Shift show how good FP already is with their update policy, even if people surely complain as its never good enough…
Since both the Shiftphone8 and the Fairphone5 use the same SoC, the combined power of both companies alongside the efforts of qualcomm and the PostmarketOS community can bring most of the device specific driver stuff to the upstream Linux Kernel and make updates a lot easier.
As long as they don’t see themselfes as rivals that is.
I have a Shiftbook (formerly called Shift13mi) and it’s a very good convertible laptop / tablet PC. It has all the features I want to see in a laptop (touchscreen, long battery life, stylus), ships with Linux (or Windows if you want to) and is fairly made. Overall, great experience so far and a good companion to my FP4.
I need a new laptop for work and I have considered that one. Or perhaps waiting for shiftbook 2.
Yet how easy is it to connect the shiftbook to work beamers? Can you get any HDMI-usb connectors?
Waiting can take several months, or in worst case years, just that you know…
They sell a Hub including HDMI Shift Shop | SHIFThub
You can operate both USB A and USB C devices as well as a monitor or any other HDMI device at the same time. This makes the SHIFThub the perfect addition to your SHIFTbook workstation.
I decided to get a Shiftbook 1 because its bugs are mostly ironed out and its hardware is very mature by now. Depends on your budget and your intention to work around smaller hardware bugs. I can’t say anything about its compatibility since I never used it like that, but it should work considering it’s got 4 high-speed USB-C outputs, two of which are Thunderbolt ports.
I am really curious about the Shiftphone 8. The specs are almost too good to be true but the phone is still in the production stage. The update page still suggests shipping in September while the main production has not even started yet and the certification has not been completed.
But they brought the first Shiftphone 8 to this IFA event in Berlin, at least that was the plan. Has anyone seen it?
I am not planning to switch, just very curious about whether all that has been promised is in fact feasible