A CPU upgrade would practically mean a new phone because all peripherals (camera, microphone, etc.) are adapted to the CPU. Changing the CPU means changing all other parts of the CPU.
That’s in the worlds of legends (Fairphone 3).
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I’m not quite so about the theoretical possibility. Since the new SoC would be more powerful, it should be fine with the older camera. Adapting the microphone and screen should also be possible. The layout on the PCB would have to be similar, but I don’t think that is impossible.
I still think Fairphone should keep the screen and as many modules as possible compatible. If they keep the modularity 
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I couldn’t agree with you more!
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Unfortunately it is very likely that such backwards compatibility is going to hamper further innovation.
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I would say yes and no to that (just my opinion of course).
It might be a hindrance for development, if you have to keep things compatible.
But it might also stimulate creativity if you have to search for solutions, that fit into an existing frame.
And starting things new or from scratch - as the FP2 shows - almost always comes at a price. E.g. the troubles there were with the first displays might be repeated, should the next phone use a new one.
As long as the FP2 is not yet a phone developed to perfection, the way should be continued. And if it’s just to iron out all the errors and mishaps, that come with the modular design.
Sometimes a newer version of a hardware product is actually a direct iteration of the previous device, without massive changes (“overhaul”). You can notice this for example in the MBP series (with a clear next step in 2016 versions due to touchbar, keyboard, etc) but also in smartphones such as iPhone (and there are legio examples if you look at Nokia N96 being an evolution of Nokia N95 for example but yeah these are older examples). If it is a next iteration, it has less changes, so keeping backwards compatibility it easier then.
It is also a question of the original designer still working at Fairphone (I do not know).
Looking at software development, one of first things LibreSSL developers did after forking OpenSSL is removing backwards compatibility with ancient legacy systems.
But its difficult to compare! No comparison is going to be accurate because Fairphone’s situation is unique. Phonebloks hasn’t delivered a project, and Project Ara is RIP, although you could say Jolla’s “other side” and Motorola’s Moto Mods are partly modular. I don’t know how they do it regarding backwards compatibility and modularity?
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Fyi, Phonebloks was never about delivering a project. They were just a design study that aimed to inspire other designers and manufacturers and raide public awareness.
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Lineage OS 15.1 aka Android 8.1 has been released today.
We hope to see soon the version for fairphone 2.
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