@AnotherElk - yeah, I know the product team is aware of the issue with the letters on the back case, so they’re addressing that right at the source of production. I’ve read a bunch of comments on here saying that the translucent cover makes a lot of sense and it’s also ranking quite well, so I’m expecting it to go into production. And we won’t leave people hanging who have been affected by the quality issue. Since we’re still in the design exploration phase, I can’t say for certain what the solution is - perhaps the logo is em- or debossed in the actual case in a way that would work for everyone that still has all of their letters, as well as people walking around with an “-airp-on-”
I’ll be sure to check in with our product team, and update everyone here, once we know more!
Hi @robbert.f - that is an interesting question and you can be sure, that we’re carefully researching and considering all of our options, especially when it comes to materials used and the production process. Food for thought - would it be interesting to tell/show what exactly goes into making these covers, as a more accessible/simpler example for the bigger picture of (smartphone) production and the decisionmaking that goes into designing and creating (new) products as sustainably as possible?
Probably worth taking into account the entire life cycle. Black plastic (depending on the dye) is reportedly more difficult to recycle because it does not work well with the laser technology used in the automated sorting of plastic types.
What about those biodegradable hemp, coffee etc. materials, I keep seeing them popping up on etsy and only for iphones naturally ew, but have no clue how they are made. Me personally I’m drawn to wood.
Good point @Johannes. I have full confidence in the product team, when it comes to these questions. And while I don’t have the full overview of all variables being taken into consideration, this sounds like an essential that is most definitely on their radar.
Absolutely, not only it’s interesting to know about it, it’s also great marketing. I would suggest you consider recording a round of short interviews on how you came up with the ideas, the reason why certain materials were used, etc. This is the kind of stuff that creates visibility.
Hi again, I just talked to the head of our product team. The official word is that we’re not planning to sell the bumper separately any time soon. Focus is on the cases as the go to accessory to protect your FP3
What I prefer in the bumper is that it uses less material to be built and so is more sustainable according to me. I hope Fairphone will reconsider this idea in the future.
I think that’s a sensible decision. Let’s just bear in mind that once the new protective cases are available, those who buy them will remove their existing bumpers from their FP3s and might not need or want them anymore. Some FP3 owners might have never used the bumper in the first place or replaced it with a third party case as well.
So if anyone should ever need to replace a broken bumper, the odds are high they will find a used one easily.
Bumpers do not protect the camera glass, I had to replace two new phones just because of them getting shattered or badly scratched. Naturally with fairphone I can just replace it easily, but still, the bumper provides limited protection for blue collar workers such as myself.
But for that kind of protection you will need a sleeve or a flip-cover.
The colorful protective cover will neither protect camera-lens nor display. The glas-parts remain unprotected.
You will find some threads here, that already covered that question and had some links to different kinds of protective covers (felt, leather, bamboo).
While not actually covering the camera, the cover will presumably protect the camera from the most common mode of damage: scratches from laying the phone down on a hard surface.
But against that kind of damage, there already is a rim around the glas of the cameralens. Just putting it down shouldn’t do any harm. (Same goes for the display.)
I expect this protective cover to be a light shock absorber and to keep the translucent casing free of scratches and cracks.
Lots of good questions. I will catch a member of the product team and chase down some answers for you.