Two years after the Fairphone 4 and following the release of some audio products like the Fairbuds XL, the Dutch company is back with a new repairable phone: the Fairphone 5. It looks and feels a lot like the Fairphone 4, but it adds choice upgrades across the board, making it the most modular and also most modern-looking repairable phone from the company yet.
The design is largely unchanged compared to the Fairphone 4, but the improvements that the company did make go a long way: The teardrop notch and the LCD screen is finally gone, with an ordinary punch-hole selfie and an OLED taking its place. Otherwise, you’re looking at an aluminum frame, a triangular camera array, and a removable back cover. Here, the company brought back its signature translucent back cover next to two black and blue variants. The dimensions and weight has been reduced ever-so-slightly compared to the predecessor.
no headphone jack
😡
Qualcomm QCM6490
No good for free software OSes then :-(
Can you elaborate on why? Like, I’m not surprised, I just am not involved in this space enough to know why.
Proprietary drivers/firmware. Basically makes it impossible/very hard to develop custom ROMs/operating systems (the lack of openness makes it super hard to extend/modify/verify the software running on these chips).
The drivers are well separated via HAL so you can absolutely make custom ROMs/OSes without changing those. The Android OS has way more code above the HAL layer than below. You can’t however arbitrarily update the Linux kernel, modify the drivers or fix security issues found, beyond the security support window provided by Qualcomm.
you can absolutely make custom ROMs/OSes
You can’t however arbitrarily update the Linux kernel
So you can’t make free software OSes.
- Manufacturers (e.g., Qualcomm, Samsung) won’t return your call unless you buy in huge quantities, hundreds of thousands or millions of units.
- Lack of documentation.
- Information restricted by NDA.
- Non-free binaries required for lots of hardware.
- Generally lording over the market and exploiting their position, to the degree of anti-competitiveness, and as a consequence artificially extending the rein of non-free software in the mobile domain.
- Astonishingly poor quality of engineering.
Are there any better alternatives? The only ones I’m aware of off the top of my head would be Samsung’s Exynos, Kirin, and MediaTek. From the little experience I have in the space it always struck me as Qualcomm being the least shitty option, not necessarily the best.
Rockchip RK3399(S) is the best you can get in terms of freedom. The rest are much of a muchness.
I am so new to this so bear with me. There is Lineage OS for fairphone 4 - does this mean there won’t be FOSS ROMs available for the fairphone 5?
FOSS ROMs
What do you mean?
Lineage OS, graphene, caylx, yk the stuff you jailbreak a phone for. People are saying this can run Ubuntu touch, and yet other people are saying this will be troublesome for the Android ROM community to develop for. Bear with me, I’m new to the concept and certainly might be wrong about something.
No, it does not mean any of the projects you mentioned will be unavailable. None of those projects are free software OSes.
What would be a good phone for free software OSes?
There are no good phones due to the way the SoC and modem manufacturers work. The best phones, like the PinePhone or PinePhone Pro, are simply the least bad.
Fairphones have always used Qualcomm SOCs, there’s nothing new here. I don’t understand the fuss here if I’m being honest.
Damn…
They’re gonna keep getting bigger, aren’t they?
The bigger they are, the easier they are to repair. So repairable phones in general are going to be on the bigger side.
The dimensions and weight has been reduced ever-so-slightly compared to the predecessor.
I think they meant the company, not the phone
Phones back then are both smaller and more repairable
The bigger the hoop, the bigger the hoe… Or something like that.
I’ve heard that a few times.
It really does surprise me how so many people (at least on Reddit and Lemmy) care so deeply about a headphone jack.
- No internal battery means it’s not a product with a built-in obsolence period (which is fairly short, 3-5 years)
- Most of the better audio gear are all wired
- I mean, it’s simple economics: Not paying for all the extra stuff to make it wireless means you get better value for audio quality
- Many people here are enthusiasts in tech and hardware, we likely have more than a few devices. Switching between devices with BT is a fucking PITA.
Speaking as an audiophile, you can buy a USB C dongle for like $10 that even has a good DAC. Only issue is if you’re regularly charging and listening to wired buds simultaneously
Dongles are pointless e-waste. They constantly break, get lost, or are forgotten when you need them the most. They are not a solution.
You can easily leave them attached to your headphones 24/7, which helps avoid losing them
I’ve had headphone jacks on phones break and thats a lot harder and more expensive to fix than buying a tiny dongle (that creates negligible amounts of waste)
I’d argue they’re actually a very good solution 🤷 (aside from arguably on iOS with their dumb proprietary port, but thats easily fixed with USB C)
Interesting, got any recommendations?
Wired also doesn’t drop out if there are too many people in an area. Like if you’re listening to music whilst waiting for the train.
And they’re cheaper, since you don’t need batteries, radio, and audio processing hardware on top of that.
- Newer devices are very clever and will auto switch when music is playing and of course both devices are turned on.
Most of the issue stems from annoying dongles that wired headphone users typically don’t want to carry.
The situation with fairphone is especially infuriating however, as omitting the headphone jack goes against the whole point of fairphone IMO.
Bluetooth headphones, as convenient as they are, have integrated lithium batteries, which are harmful for the environment. They also have a very short, finite lifespan. Despite these issues, fairphone removed the headphone jack on the fairphone 4 and 5, while simultaneously releasing true wireless Bluetooth earphones that are not repairable. Their whole brand is based on creating ethically sourced, repairable products, so offering an inherently unrepairable item for sale is rather disappointing. I am aware that they offer over ear headphones that are repairable, but I think they shouldn’t sell true wireless earphones until they come up with a real repairable design.
In contrast, there are wired headphones from the mid 1980s that are still functional and still sound amazing, even if they aren’t as convenient to use. There are also modern wired headphones and IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) that have removable, standardized cables. This is great since the cable is what breaks on wired headphones 99% of the time.
At least their Fairphone XLs are repairable.
There are also modern wired headphones and IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) that have removable, standardized cables. This is great since the cable is what breaks on wired headphones 99% of the time.
You can also replace the cable with different kinds of wireless adapters to make them either true wireless or (even better) semi wireless. I haven’t done it myself, but it’s pretty neat.
I don’t want to buy more shit I got to remember to charge when I already have a few nice 3.5mm headsets. I know its going to be dead every time I want to use it. I got to pair it every time I switch devices. It works on everything that has the right hole even if its older than your parents.
Its just extra work unless its your daily driver.
I use a headphone jack daily, it is a must for me. Not going to do a stupid Bluetooth adapter or dongle cable that can get lost or damaged
For the record, you know you don’t have to take the dongle off if you exclusively use it for that device, right? It’s not as much of a hassle as people believe it is, they just haven’t used one yet.
I use my headphones on my computer and phone which requires the removal of the dongle. It’s not a hassle to you, but it can be a hassle to others.
I’m fine with bluetooth, but I think a problem for usb-c is that it comes out the bottom of the phone, so awkward to use the phone with headphones. Also, can’t charge and listen.
Samsung even has some stupid specifications for which adapters are “supported”. Its pretty hard to say its not just a money grab to keep Bluetooth on all the time
The only way I can play music from Spotify or youtube in my car is through a headphone jack, I value it very deeply because of that. It’s much cheaper to buy a phone with a jack than it is to replace my car
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Not being able to listen to wired audio while charging is a dealbreaker. And not needing a dongle is convenient.
it’s useful. I use it.
I can’t charge and use iem together
You know that combo adapter exist?
Like this one from JSAUX: https://a.co/d/iuZvmO6
Even when I had a headphone jack, I hated it. That wire tangled up everywhere.
Bluetooth came out, and that was that. Never went back to wired.
I used to break all my 3.1 earbuds but usbc doesn’t seem to break no matter what I do to them. But I do listen to most of my music and videos with Bluetooth. I haven’t missed the headphones jack even though I totally thought I would.
Wireless headphones have been my biggest tech revolution since the smartphone.
Low-end hardware and a pretty much closed CPU you can’t do much with for 700 Euros? No, thank you.
It’s a 778G equivalent, from what I can tell, how is that even low end?
I dont really understand this gripe. Can you explain why its a closed CPU that I cant do much with?
If the CPU isn’t a breadboard I can resolder any time I want and have to carry around in a suitcase what is the point?
Lmfao
8 years of suffering on that octa-core
You make it sound like 8 years of guaranteed support is something bad, lol.
No, but this will be a living, stutters hell in 3 years time.
You know, people are out there using their phones on Snapdragon 400s; I know you’re exaggerating.
Don’t know, have my FP4 since release, no problems with performance.
Same here
Man I’ve never spent more than 300 bucks on any phone, fair or not. Isn’t there something in the 150-300 category that’s worth buying, more sustainable and de-googled/foss?
I don’t do high end shit with my phone. I just browse the web, take notes and do 2FA stuff. I don’t need a 700€ phone for this, even considering the higher cost because of sustainability.
Buy an FP3 or 4 if you don’t need these features.
More sustainable in the sense that you have a lesser carbon footprint, yes. Buy used.
Yeah but then you’ll have a worn out battery you can’t change easily (correct me in he latter if I’m wrong). I’ve seen some shops offering refurbished phones but the ones I saw had so high prices where you already may buy the new ones.
I got a Pixel 3a for 50 bucks once (really good deal, a few circumstances around it) and an OEM unlockable 4a 5g for 100, so under the category you gave and in some sense more sustainable (its used), able to be degoogled,
I really hope it does well, the business model really needs to change.
The major issue for me is availability, they don’t sell the phone here, so if I buy through shipping services I can’t buy replacement parts.
Wait doesn’t that defeat the point then?
It does defeat the point, so I won’t buy a fairphone untill they sell here directly.
NTA but there are plenty of other reasons for buying a Fairphone but yeah, not having easy access to replacement parts is why I haven’t bought one yet. Would love to see a parts infrastructure for them emerge in the US.
Oh, that’s nice. I am gonna buy one.
Jk I will wait until my current phone is obsolete.
I wonder how much longer mine will be supported. Went from Android 8 to 10 by the grace of OnePlus, and then I switched to Lineage first, now DivestOS, which had me go from 12 to 13.
Still runs perfectly, so I hope they’ll keep it going. After all, my OnePlus 5T is actually part of the elusive list of golden devices for Divest. Didn’t even see that until two years later.
Is it available in the U.S. yet?
recently launched in the U.S.
Does anyone with a Fair phone have time to tell me how it compares to Pixel? I have loved all of my Google Pixel products to the point I have lived with them for 7 years since their launch.
No :(
Arstechnica has in depth articles on 3, 4, and one about the 5 that should give you a good idea on this. I say this as a pixel owner who’s undecided myself…
I could live without headphones jack, but its thick and cost almost 2x the price I can afford. Id consider keeping it if I get it for free because I like the Idea of repairability
I refuse to accept a phone without a 3.5mm jack. I have old hi-fi systems and my car also doesn’t have BT. The two places I listen to music most. No jack, no buy.
3.5mm jack takes way to much space, and it requires a dedicated DAC circuit. And there is not enough users to warrant it anymore, especially considering the existance of usbc to 3.5mm adapters which do exactly the same without wasting internal space.
3.5mm is bound to disappear everywhere but dedicated audiophile hardware.
I’m a vinyl collector and audiophile myself, I’d love to see analogical staying relevant, but let’s be realistic, smartphones are not dedicated enough to music to waste space for a feature that only 10% of the user will ever need.
If you really need a portable device with a 3.5mm jack, go buy a Walkman. Sony still make new ones, and they all have 3.5mm jacks.
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And looking at the internals of the Fairphone 5, there is plenty of god damn space.
But is the camera good?
According to CNET not as good as pixel, but it is honestly fine in my eyes.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/fairphone-5-review-the-phone-that-wants-to-save-the-world/
I’m surprised there are no night tests. The images look pretty good on what they tested.
Their promo video looks good. Though it is a promo video.
My guess is that it won’t have the bells and whistles of Samsung or Google Pixel devices. That doesn’t really seem to be the goal with the device though.
I’m excited for some real world tests. If we can get to at least an iPhone 13 quality of processing on the image, I’m in.
GSMArena says it’s a Sony IMX800 with a 1/5.6" sensor, which is pretty respectable hardware, better than many premium compacts from years ago. With the right camera app or post processing you can get decent images from this.
1/1.56", big difference.
Can anything from the new phone be used on the pervious models?
Looking at the spare parts from the shop it appears that it’s not possible. It would have been cool, but that must be pretty dang hard to do without compromising the new device.
How did they fit in so many ads?
I would definitely get this phone if I can get it easily in my current location. Otherwise, I’ll help reduce my smartphone usage impact by using it long term and give it to my family members after I get a new phone.
That’s what I did. Used my ROG Phone 2 for four years before giving it to my brother in law and getting a Fold5 because of work.
