Implementation of ASHA protocol to enable the Fairphone to do phone calls with hearing aids
The FP5 is Asha compatible already.
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Caveat emptor: contains nothing new:
- Better thermals are a must
- Letās resolve the battery life next time, shall we?
- A more powerful, optimized processor, please
- A wireless charging option would be a nice extra
- A physical 3.5mm jack makes sense for a phone like this
The first three are in direct conflict with each other. If you want a long supported smartphone, #3 is out of reach. #2 is in conflict with more power, as is #1. Given the device is user serviceable and the battery user replaceable, you cannot compare that with whatever smartphone which does not have such quality. Same with conflict-free materials. You need to put these factors into consideration. #4 is in direct conflict with #1, as well as #2. #4 and #5 can be solved with an USB-C adapter. Instead of 3.5 mm and wireless charging, add another USB-C port and these people have nothing to cry about anymore.
The nice thing about the whole device having long-term support, as well as being user serviceable, is the resale / handmedown value. I gave my kid a 1st Gen. iPad Pro from 2016 (handmedown from grandma, back then it was flagship) but it no longer gets updated. I dismantled the camera and mics but still, it does not feel right.
2 Likes
I think the FP5 was great. They should continue on that path, but then improve some things.
- Better screen, with AoD and tap to wake without issues.
- Better light sensor, to have a pleasant auto brightness experience.
- Better hardware to save battery power, especially with 5G.
- Instead of a TOF sensor, a telephoto lens.
- Maybe a better IP rating.
- WiFi 7.
- Maybe a bit thinner.
- A higher quality stock protection case.
I really hope they wonāt go for a smaller and cheaper FP. This for sure will have a negative effect on the quality, since a bigger phone has more space. And of course a more expensive phone cuts less corners in terms of quality.
4 Likes
I also think FP5 was great.
- Screen for my use case was bright enough, but it could be more scratch resistant (didnt take many days for it to be scratched)
- Faster and more efficient CPU. I had pleasure of testing pixel 9 and my fp5 seemed like 10 years older hardware compared to that. I know this one is hard one since chip manufacturers like to sell chips with shorter support to get people buy new devices again.
- Wireless charging. I know this is somewhat against FP ideology, but lets be real: Especially those with car donāt want extra wires and if FP does not have any wireless charging option, those buyers will go elsewhere.
- Fix UI bugs. I am still having issue when i press icon on the menu that it lauches different app than what i chose (mainly when you pressed wrong icon, go back and press correct one and it always opens wrong app). I reported this, went through requested steps and even sent video about it. I understand that the team is small but this seems like major issue in the phone.
I would say: OpenBaseband with access to detailed information about celltowers, network, algorithms .
Based on that: ImsiCatcher warnings when the network is doing suspicious things.
Iām being 100% serious when I say literally the only thing I want is to add a headphone jack.
Faster CPU? OLED screen? better camera? I donāt even care about any of that. If you made one phone that was literally just a FP5 with a headphone jack, and another with a CPU 5 times as good, an 8k OLED screen, the best camera in any smartphone, and water resistance that worked at the depth of the Titanic, but no headphone jack, Iāll take the one with the headphone jack.
1 Like
It is not so much about speed anymore, but endurance , data privacy and security.
Make it run longer, bigger battery, more efficient hardware, less bloatware.
Use modern chips with security features and try to ship as little binary blobs as possible.
Protect each sub system from the others, develop upstream first. Release monthly security updates and the newest Android Quarterly Release.
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LCD Screen option. There is undeserved growing group of OLED PWM sensitive people that have been left behind with industryās shift to OLED screens.
Itās impossible nowadays to find a phone that will be using newer tech and offer LCD display. Since the fairphone is a modular offering it should be the most straight forward way to offer without forcing everyone to an LCD display option.
Doesnāt DC dimming help with that issue?
Its rarely implemented fully, some ranges of brightness are refreshing on different frequencies. There are still no options that are universally symptoms free as regular IPS display.
Did you try an OLED screen, itās difficult to return on a LCD screen when you use a phone since long time with OLED screen. For the CPU, they have no choice to update it because app requires ever more resources.
Yes I have. And I donāt care whether they use an LCD or an OLED. I care about whether it has a headphone jack.
Note that I am not telling them what CPU to use, Iām saying I donāt care what CPU they use. Having a headphone jack is more valuable to me than a faster CPU.
Why you donāt buy an older Fairphone if for you, you just need a jack ?
They donāt even make them any more. And parts are being discontinued.
And why is the question not āwhy donāt they just include a headphone jack?ā?
still hope for dual SIM with 2 physical SIM slots, like the Shift 8.
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They sell a USB-C to 3.5 mm adapter for like 10 EUR.
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Maybe, all headphones are now wireless, i suppose.
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Everyone have some ideas, but do you think they will sell the FP6 this year ? The FP5 will be 2 years this summer.
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Yes they will: FP3 was released in 2019, FP4 in 2021, FP5 in 2023, soā¦
1 Like