Pros and cons of buying a FP2

Pros and cons of buying a FP2

Hi,

I own a FP1 and after 4 years it have arrive the time of replace it: it’s has become slow, in 3-4 hours of normal use consumes the battery and some of the applications that I use are not longer supported with Android 4.2.

I’m writing a pros/cons list and by the moment the cons are winning.

PROS:

  • Ethical reasons
  • Modularity: I really love this concept and the opportunity that offers.

CONS

  • Specifications: most of phones in the market offers the same or better specifications by the third of FP2 price.
  • Software support: It’s great that Fariphone released two OS major upgrades for FP2 since 2016, but will be able to upgrade to Android 8? I don’t want to get stucked again in a legacy Android version.

The pros are really important to me, but I don’t want to buy a phone designed to last for years that should replace in few years because it has become obsolete.

Is Fairphone preparing a new surprise that could change my mind, like release a new core with better specifications? How long it will take? should I wait?

Thank you for your opinios and help.

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Hi,

are the phones with better specs required for your daily use? For me not, also don’t mix up prices of the actual phone and prices with you “buy” with higher contract costs of your telco provider.

One important fact for me is also the bloatware many phones contain. Some may even come with spyware. I am happy to use Fairphone instead!

3 Likes

How would we know, if it’s a surprise? Hahaha

Fairphone learned from its experience with the FP1. As you know, it lacked monthly security updates and upgrades (mostly because a non-friendly SoC manufacturer). For that, they chose Qualcomm for the FP2’s SoC. Thay way they can provide monthly security updates (and they do that for the two official OSes).

Furthermore, they upgraded to Android 6, and after some never-seen-before battle against obsolescence, they fought for providing Android 7. The scene looks quite different from the FP1-era.

(The following paragraph is opinionated because there are no fact about the future)

Android 8 is not guaranteed (official statement quoted above), but you won’t be left back as with the FP1 because Android 7 is still pretty new. At the official Google chart of Android distributions, you can see that up to a 20% of phones still run Lollipop, so app developers won’t ignore 1 of 5 users, because that means a really huge bite to their income. Once the number of Lollipop phones decreases, you still have quite a margin, because there’s Marshmallow in the place of Lollipop then.

But the most important part for me is that you will still receive security monthly updates on your FP2! This is also unprecedented in the industry. Only Google did that in the past with their Nexus and Pixel families, but only for two years.

4 Likes

Just for the record …

Other users solve that by using a generic battery …

Other users solve that by using the Android 4.4 alpha …

These are no long term solutions, and there are of course also good reasons against employing the both of them, but if you perhaps just want to buy a bit more time to decide, these could help :wink: .

About your pros and cons …

Understandable, but I’m honestly curious now about which phone you want to buy if you would have to buy it right now in this moment.

Android 8 is more unlikely than Android 7 already was.
But software support also encompasses regular delivery of security updates. Fairphone absolutely deliver in that regard up until now, not many vendors do the same.
If you prioritize the sole Android version number over that, I guess you are not in the target group.

Your call. Nobody here has a way of knowing just now (probably).

2 Likes

You missed a few (unless you don’t care about those):

  • awesome community that gives great support
  • ability to livingwogoogle, to use alternative OSes and modify them without loosing warranty.
  • Related: If and when Fairphone can no longer provide security updates for the FP2 then the community probably will (for one or more OSes).
  • It’s a storytelling device. If you put it screen down with a transparent cover on it you can be sure 9 out of 10 times someone will ask you about it and you get the opportunity to brag about how fast you can disassemble your phone. :wink:
  • Oh and did I mention the great community yet? Do you know any other technical company that has a community manager and supports the community with infrastructure and resources?
4 Likes

Well, that one needs a bit of an asterisk :wink: . I’m a bit sceptical that the community will be able to solve any kernel/driver related problems, but it’s not impossible if the repository is public. Don’t rely on the community to fix security problems in any of the firmwares employed though after Qualcomm stops supporting them. Nobody in the community has the source, the compiler, or the means to test solutions. Unfortunately, this is where most security bugs are found as sandboxing and process isolation prevents interference between apps, which means that bugs in the android user-space rarely escalate to become security bugs. Of course, the community should be well equipped to provide fixes to issues in the sandbox and Android user-space! :slight_smile:

Also! Dual-sim was the selling point that made me decide in favour of the FP2. Living abroad means I can be contacted on the number I had in my home country while using a proper plan in the host country on a day-to-day basis. Granted, it’s not the only dual-sim phone out there, but plenty weren’t when I was faced with the decision.

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@Amber

are the phones with better specs required for your daily use?

Maybe not, but I prefer to invest 200 € in a phone with 4 GB than 525 € plus shipment cost in a phone with 2 GB: in my opinion it will work better in two years and in concecuence prolong it useffull life. Four years ago the 1 GB of FP1 looked enough and now it has become insufficient.

For me not, also don’t mix up prices of the actual phone and prices with you “buy” with higher contract costs of your telco provider.

It’s possible to find free and competitive phones.

One important fact for me is also the bloatware many phones contain. Some may even come with spyware. I am happy to use Fairphone instead!

+ 1 pro

@Roboe

How would we know, if it’s a surprise? Hahaha

A new core :star_struck:
That will give me more confidence in the possibility that Fairphone release officially Android 8 since they will have better opportunities

I agree that Fairphone achievements with FP2 are incredible and said a lot about their compromise aginst techonology obsolescence and with FP2 owners.

But that tendency probably couln’t continue indefinitely and maybe if bought a FP2 in two year I would have an Android SO with no support (2 years ago Android 4.4 ran in 31,6 % of Android phone and today only in 10 %)

@AnotherElk
Thanks for the tips!
If I it weren’t for the performance issues and knew how much time I should buy I would try, but currently the performance is sometimes desperating.

Understandable, but I’m honestly curious now about which phone you want to buy if you would have to buy it right now in this moment.

I would by a device with Android One. It would give a few years of update and a pure Android

@paulakreuzer

awesome community that gives great support

+1 pro

Related: If and when Fairphone can no longer provide security updates for the FP2 then the community probably will (for one or more OSes).

I need more than a probbably

It’s a storytelling device. If you put it screen down with a transparent cover on it you can be sure 9 out of 10 times someone will ask you about it and you get the opportunity to brag about how fast you can disassemble your phone. :wink:

:joy::joy:
That is cool, but better not because I’m a little clumsy and probably I will ended loosing a screw

I would also like to have this visionary capability :wink:.
a few years - maybe two years, but as the market actually works probably less.
Maybe it´s true for Google mobiles.

In regards of (security) updates I also posted my experiences and some facts here.

Sounds contradictive to me compared to the top statement. At last nothing is assured (beside death :thinking:).

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