I lament the lack of modern USB, which makes backup a real pain in the ass, especially considering the fact that the Files app does not have a progress indicator, and makes large copies in the background - so you never know if a large copy is still underway or finished.
Also, but this might be related to me using /e/OS (Murena): The audio recording “capability” is completely dysfunctional. Video is recorded in really high definition, but the audio is by orders of magnitude too high in level, leading to clipping. And all apps lack an attenuator…
It is simply impossible to record live music with the FP6.
This is true for both camera apps and for the audio recorder as well, and I suspect some apps like Dancetime, which should detect the beat in live music won’t work (at all).
Also, the fingerprint sensor is way too slow. In one out of two instances I have to press it, which leads to the necessity to type in the PIN code. Then a fingerprint sensor is obsolete, if half of the time the PIN code is still needed.
My mom and her husband seem to be very happy with their FP6. A huge upgrade after FP3, to say the least. I’m trying to motivate my wife to take the same step but she’s reluctant to abandon her (increasingly, annoyingly slow) FP3+. I, myself, am very happy with my FP5 so no intention to replace it yet.
I was very happy at first. But as time goes by, I find more and more weaknesses and bugs. It’s not a high polished product. I would say I am 70% satisfied. The company is small compared to others and that’s probably the best they can do for now.
Have you truly been ‘completely happy’ with every Samsung phone you’ve had?
I’ve had my FP6 about 6 months now and yes, I am happy with it. And I also came from Samsung. It was a refurbished S10 that I’d had for more than 5 years, and I had to charge it twice a day or more for the last 3 years of its life.
My priorities were, in order, buying a device not made with slave labour and stopping funding US-based spy companies. I switched my email to Proton just before buying the FP with /e/os.
There was definitely an adjustment period. I still cannot access premium content that I’d previously bought for Play Store apps (that is my choice, as I do not want to link my old Google account at all). But I’ve managed to find alternatives for all the important things. The thing I miss the most is the camera on my S10. But I am not a professional photographer, and if I were, I’d get a professional camera anyway.
I’ve not had any significant issues with the FP6. It fulfilled my requirements and more. Without all the trackers on a normal Android, my battery lasts for 2-3 days, and that’s with 3.5+ hours of screen time (going by the last charge). It’d probably last even longer if I turned off 5G. This feels like a huge bonus that I wasn’t even expecting.
Are there things they need to improve? Yes. But unlike Google/Samsung/Apple, they’ve got the basics right in my opinion–i.e. human rights and sustainability.
If you judged by the iPhone forum, you’d think that the iPhone is completely unusable.
This is funny because I use an iPhone for work, and it does feel unusable, haha!
I bought the FP6, & have returned to iPhone because of the following issues:
All incoming calls go straight to voicemail. Phone doesn’t ring. Ever.
Can’t send or receive messages to or from contacts. Only get messages from non-contacts.
Phone won’t reliably connect to my home wi-fi. Sometimes connects after I restart the phone. Usually get stuck in a do loop- enter password, try to connect, have to re-enter the password, continue forever.
I’ve had my FP6 for some months now and all in all I’m happy with it.
Sure, I miss the AR support, but other than that, I think it’s a good phone that I’m happy to use every day - and I’m quite a heavy user (this is my only phone and I use it for work too).
Of course, the reason to buy a Fairphone is different from the reason to buy an iPhone. If you care for sustainability and fair work conditions, you should be ok with the trade off that comes with an ethical choice, just like if you choose an ethical bank Vs a corporate one, or if you buy fair trade coffee instead of a commercial brand.
I am recommending Fairphone to friends and still I’m pushing them to get better, even on this forum.
Das Forum ist ja zum Stänkern und Jammern da. Aber ausserhalb des Forums kenne ich kaum jemanden, der sein Fairphone wieder hergeben möchte, zumindest nicht seit dem Fairphone 4. Ich selber habe soeben ein weiteres FP6 für meine Frau bestellt.
An interesting point that came up recently in another forum thread:
Shouldn’t fairness be a top priority for a manufacturer that prides itself on this principle, particularly when it comes to customer service?
Unfortunately, I don’t see it that way at the moment.
But everyone can (and should) form their own opinion on this. Thankfully, this forum gives us every opportunity to do just that!
I think that’s just your interpretation. But Fairphone’s self-description clearly implies that the support team should perform quite a lot better than they actually do to keep the devices as usable as possible.
Do you have a quote that could back up your claim?
I’ve had my FP6 about a week now. It replaces an FP3+ I had for 8 years. With the new phone I chose to go with the e/OS version.
My FP6 seems to work well, though I’m still finding my way around it. There are some irritations. The on/off button switching sides for one (after 8 years my muscle memory is having difficulties with that). And what’s the yellow physical switch on the right hand side actually for? “Moments” you say? I say … what???
I’m also irritated by the bold font, where words are in white outlined in black. In fact it was looking for someone else who finds that irritating (and has ideas about how to change it) that brought me here.
But, generally speaking, my gripes are probably just teething troubles. Having a phone that is Google Free is a very, very big plus.
I don’t have a strong opinion about the placement of the FP3 buttons. I learned to use them and now I’m having difficulty unlearning. I’ve programmed the FP6 Volume Down button to switch on the screen when I pick up the phone, so that’s good. But I still find myself dropping the volume when I try to switch the phone off. And then, later, wondering why I can’t hear anything out of the loudspeaker.
After writing my first note above, I made myself go look in the manual and found out about the Yellow button switching off the microphone and camera. I suppose that’s useful. But if I use it I’m likely to forget about having done so and then wonder why I can’t take a picture! Apparently, the Yellow button can’t be reprogrammed for any other purpose in e/OS.
@AllieCat Your post made me smile , I also moved from a refurbished S10 which I had to charge all the time! The simple battery change option of the Fairphone was a key selling point for me. I have found the FP6 camera in some conditions better than the S10, however agree that it does not always produce photos of the quality I would like. @TheSupercargo I use the yellow button to turn the torch on, albeit it can be a bit finnicky.
Thank you Annn! I’ve made it a switch to swap dark and light modes. Helpful for my eyes.
I was sure I read something in the User Manual about it being limited in what it could do in e/OS - but I can’t find that reference now.
Still puzzled by why the Manual trumpets "“A standout new feature in the Fairphone (Gen. 6) is Fairphone Moments” but at no point anywhere else explains how to use it.
I’ll put my hand up to that.
, I also moved from a refurbished S10 which I had to charge all the time! The simple battery change option of the Fairphone was a key selling point for me. I have found the FP6 camera in some conditions better than the S10, however agree that it does not always produce photos of the quality I would like.
on, albeit it can be a bit finnicky.