Question regarding long term parts (battery) availability

I’m shopping for a five year phone. I’ve previously used Lineage on other devices, and finding fresh batteries is a constant struggle. Typically batteries for an older phone aren’t available newly made, and the stock on the shelf is dead after a few years.

Is Fairphone committed to providing NEW batteries over a several year lifespan? Could I expect to find working batteries in four years time?

I’m considering the FP3+ with /e/ preinstalled.

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All the noises are yes.

Fairphone still sell batteries for their old FP2 which was released in Dec 2015

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Fairphone, as a small company has to rely on their suppliers. So it might happen, that no one wants to produce new batteries in small batches, as for the FP1, for example
The FP3 is sold in bigger numbers, than FP1 and FP2, so the chances are better, that the supply will last longer, but, you never know.

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I do appreciate that there is prior evidence, and that the future is variable.

I’m asking does Fairphone have a policy somewhere of a minimum timespan that they intend to offer parts? When I buy IT equipment there is a roadmap which says something is supported through X date…

The plan when the final new FP2s were sold by Fairphone was to have all sparts available for at least another three years. As you know, the bottom module is now selling out after just two years. The other modules are still available, although both top and camera module only in their original incarnation with lower camera resolution (8/2MP vs. 12/5).

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Great find. Key quotes there “This groundbreaking device has now been on the market for a record three years and nine months”, and “We’ve stockpiled spare parts with the purpose of having them available for a minimum of three years after the last Fairphone 2 is sold”.

That’s pretty solid. There is certainly reasonable expectation that the Fairphone 3 should follow the same path.

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For a more definitive answer you could ask Faiphone, this is only a user forum. Either email them on support@fairphone.com or use the link below, don’t expect a quick response :slight_smile:

https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

@formerFP.Com.Manager

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Really I was hoping I just missed a policy or a goal in all their docs.

Maybe something like this:
https://impact.fairphone.com/impact-data/

Longevity is one of our core values, designed directly into our phone. We aim to help people keep their phones for up to five years. The Fairphone 3 is fully modular, repairable and robust, with a lower environmental footprint than ever before.

Software updates are also crucial in helping people use their phones for longer. As of 2019, we offered software support for the Fairphone 2 for over 4 years - becoming a role model for extended support for Android software.

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The same reason why you are hoping to find explicit policies (to have guarantees) is the reason why they don’t have those written out in exact terms. They risk litigation if they can’t fulfil their promises, which is not a risk a smaller company can expose itself to. History suggests they do act in good faith despite a few past disappointments.

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I had to ditch my old phone for the same reason…
It would be interesting, for an even longer life, that you could also use the phones without a battery, attached directly to the power supply.
My old phone would not turn on the FP2 turns on but reboots constantly.

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More than interesting it’s a good point to make :slight_smile:
All there has to be is to design the power chip to to provide the 4.4V it outputs for charging to the phone.

Regarding the battery alone, I think we should also mention that there have been and are third party batteries both for the FP1 and the FP2. in the case of the FP1, they are just “somewhat” fitting, but there have been third party batteries exactly fitting for the FP2 as well.

Of course, those were certainly produced without any Fairphone involvement (and knowledge). And we can assume that those third party producers are not doing it for charity reasons, so they must have seen at least a good chance to make some profit from their endeavour. Given that the FP3 is selling at a considerably faster rate than the FP1 and the FP2, I would guess there is a good chance we will see third party batteries for the FP3 as well sooner or later. So that might help to prolong the availability of acceptable batteries (although you might expect third party batteries cutting a bit into official FP3 battery sales).

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Regarding you note that it would be interesting to be able to use the phone without the battery I have started a topic on that issue. Thanks for bringing up the point.

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For your information, I have an FP2 since the beginning of 2016 and they are just now stopping now to supply the bottom module (there is still some stock online though). So that’s 5 years + in and I still can buy all the spare parts as of today.
So I think it’s pretty safe to say that they will provide parts for the FP3 long enough especially with a bigger user base.

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For everyone who replied, I’ve gone ahead and purchased an FP3+. Overall the information indicates they support long term maintenance, certainly better than any other phone vendor. Guess I’ll post again in five years.

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