Why is wireless charging not included in FP4

This is an absolute deal breaker and it always has been for me. Are there plans to bring in maybe a back cover with wireless charging integrated into it? It is 2021 and I have a wireless charging cradle on my nightstand in my car and on my desks. There is no reason not to include it that I can think of. This is the last tie tying me to Samsung with their horrible glued phones.

7 Likes

Welcome to the Fairphone community.
There is a good reason, as wireless charging is less energy effective than wired charging, and therefore it’s not included, see:

21 Likes

This could be true if you provided the energy. But it really should be left to the user if they want to in my case waste their own solar energy this way… and yes I would and also in my car the charging of the phone is insignificant as well as running the headlights compared to what it takes to move the car. This is a false discussion in my opinion that takes on responsibility that should not be taken on because the user can still opt for cable charging if they like and all wireless charging needs is 2 relatively small coils in the back. But you are stripping user choice this way. I think this is a bit too sjw to control the userbase this tightly.

4 Likes

This is just a user community, it’s not Fairphone employees you are addressing. I only copied a statement, that can be found on the Fairphone website.

But Fairphone is not only about fair conditions for workers and miners, but also for sustainability. If they decide no to install additional equipment (it’s more than just a coil) for something they don’t think it’s helpful for the environment, I can understand it, although I personally would have liked to have this function too, just in case.

9 Likes

Just because you can does not mean that the vast majority can, too.

Of course most users would do wireless charging, and Fairphone positioned themselves to be against it, so they prevent a lot of wasted energy. One more identifier of a green company…

14 Likes

Hi

I use only solar too and have the capacity to produce 1Kw per hour on a sunny day, I hardly use 450w a day, so like you I have the capacity…

I haven’t see the data on efficiency but doubt it is a deal breaker.

However it does require more energy to produce the feature, maybe it could be an add on.

But as @Incanus said it’s likely more than a few coils. If it was that simple I could do it my self

And finally :slight_smile: Fairphone didn’t strip away a choice, or a feature as it never existed.

If you have any data on efficiency or how a few coils could rectify the issue. I would be very interested, though I don’t find the feature attractive at all.

Anyway the FP4 has a great ethical side, so I’m happy that I’m in. :slight_smile:

1 Like

I know it is the user forum. And thank you for digging up this for me. This will make most users buy a samsung phone because in the grand scheme of things a little energy wasted by a phone charger is insignificant compared to the energy it takes to make the phone. Sad because I really looked forward to having a phone that I gives me choices… apparently that is exactly what it does not give me and as such it makes it very similar to samsung just the price or repair is different but not the mentality.

1 Like

Interesting. You pick one single user benefit of another brand to conclude that it had the same mentality like Fairphone…

10 Likes

Well I seriously doubt that and as for your view on mentality, I always think it’s down to the observer to see what is possible in themselves rather than consider others lacking relative to the first person’s viewpoint.

But comparing Fairphone to Samsung is quite funny :rofl:

I agree on the ‘little’ wasted energy part though, as I don’t see it would be wasted, just some will go to heat, which won’t go amiss in the northern winters but not appreciated somewheres and sometimes. Waste is a moral term, a better term may be use.

You are right. That was not a fair conclusion of mine. By all means that was a mistake to say.

10 Likes

A phone charger is insignificant for sure, the chargers of all phones worldwide for sure aren’t. But what for some people is the headphone jack is the wireless charging for others… :roll_eyes:

Hooray, that means all the efficiency that experts are talking about for decades already is nonsense because we never wasted any energy: Our devices, machines, cars are just getting a little bit warmer. The lightbulb has driven this idea to perfection :crazy_face:
Waste in the way as most people understand it is if in our case energy is not used for what it was meant to. As I don’t consider my phone as pocket warmer, any energy that is not used for charging the battery is wasted in that sense.

8 Likes

Fair enough. But sunlight that would have produced heat now producing the heat in the end instead of charging the phone is rather the same as not having captured it at all except some of it will power the phone :smiley:

1 Like

Actually one can do it and many aftermarket qi coils existed for samsung phones that had a connector to plug them into and it needs on the phone’s side a charging circuitry that is one chip that is off the shelf. The issue is I could do it myself if only the right conductors were exposed to me so I could plug into them. I do not mean to bash the fairphone for what it is trying to achieve it is all nice hunky dory but I think this debate whether qi charging should or should not be included is so besides the point.

Why not give the user the option to buy the backside that has it and have the device have the compatible ports. Also some batteries have the charging circuitry in them but is not common because placement is important. Btw. I am only venting here because the fairphone website sends anyone here to ‘connect’ with them :smiley:

Anyways. Thanks everyone I have the answer I do not mean to start a flamewar. Peace

5 Likes

Oh don’t start me on the headphone jack :smiley: I am already wasting precious energy running bluetooth headphones… that apparently does not bother anyone :smiley:

6 Likes

We could stretch this discussion until we come to the conclusion that the best way to save energy is to not use any electronic device at all…

6 Likes

This gets near issue or solar input.

Once we’ve burnt all the trees and fossil fuels, to produce atomic energy we resort to quantum particles of light machines.

The efficiency of wireless charging is hardly an issue for those of us with independent solar arrays, though more use may mean more degradation, so why spend the resource producing heat if it’s not wanted.

For those masses of people plugged into the nuclear and fossil grid it may cost a few extra pennies. Charging contributes to global warming but being active on this forum is probably 100 times more of a consumer issue than wireless charging a phone.

Exclusive: Buy a solar energy power generator now and qualify for the new Fairphone 4 SE (Solar Edition) with wireless charging!

Just kidding…

1 Like

One of the options for the September surprise, I touted may be an FP4 with wireless charging and a solar panel.

Alas, a loss, a lack of Jack is what I got.

All for the sake of the King and Country

More, batteries, less efficient, more radiation hazard, more electrical use and more complicated that a couple of coils etc. etc.

That’s quite an issue. I wonder about the cost and the extra space required.

You may note the FP4 isn’t cheap nor does it have much space for extra circuitry.

An alternative battery and back cover may work but is more than likely a crazy idea from Fairphone’s perspective.

This may be a starter

1 Like