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I'm a big fan of companies like Framework who are trying to move towards more sustainable, repair-friendly devices, and I hope all electronics manufacturers end up like them, one day.

But, Fairphone kinda bugs me. Fairphone, for those not in the know, make a line of Android smartphones designed to be user-serviceable, providing replacement parts, and ensuring the materials used in their production are sustainably and ethically sourced. Sounds rad! And any criticism of them I have aside, I do genuinely support what they're doing. The only reason I don't personally own a Fairphone is they don't sell them in America, to my knowledge.


Anyways, the part of that whole description that bothers me is 'a line'. With Framework, they have the Framework 13, and the 16. Both devices serve entirely different needs, of a notebook laptop vs a gaming machine with dedicated GPU, so having them be separated makes sense to me. Fairphone, in it's existence, has made the Fairphone 1, 2, 3, 3+, 4, and 5. They currently only sell the 4 and 5, and provide replacement parts for the 2 up to the 5. However, most of the electronic parts of the 2 have been discontinued, and one of the modules for the 3 has been, as well.

Do you see why this bugs me? Sure, a phone from them is ethically sourced, and can be repaired, but if they're going to announce another phone down the line and cut support for an older model, it's not really a good solution imo. Framework has this problem to some extent - you're dependent on the company continuing to exist to sell replacement parts - but Fairphone has actively axed production of parts for phones people might still have. I'm not an engineer, and I don't know how hard designing and building a phone is, but I wish they just had a single Fairphone model with modules you could upgrade down the line.

The part that prompted me to make this post is an excerpt from their FAQs. On the Fairphone 5 FAQ, it says:
Why launch the Fairphone 5 when the Fairphone 4 was launched only two years ago? How does this align with your promise of longevity and your ambitions to avoid electronic waste?

Fairphone is trying to change the industry from the inside out. Our mission is to establish a viable market for sustainable consumer electronics. Part of this is recognizing the demands and changing the technology on the market. Our new device, the Fairphone 5, enables us to take the next steps in circularity, fairness, and longevity. It is a device that will be (technologically) relevant for years to come for customers who need a new phone. Also, as a company, we want to appeal to new customers to reach a wider audience while continuing our long-term support for Fairphone 4, Fairphone 3 and Fairphone 3+.

On the Fairphone 4 FAQ, it says
Why launch the Fairphone 4 when you launched the Fairphone 3+ last year? How does this align with your promise of longevity?

Fairphone is trying to change the industry from the inside out. Our mission is to establish a viable market for sustainable consumer electronics. Part of this is to recognize the demands and to change technology on the market. Our new device, the Fairphone 4 5G, enables us to take the following steps in circularity, fairness, and longevity. It is a device that is (technologically) relevant for years to come for customers who need a new phone...

And...
Why launch the Fairphone 3+ when the Fairphone 3 was just launched last year? How does this align with your promise of longevity?

Launching the Fairphone 3+ actually highlights our commitment to longevity. Instead of creating a completely new phone, we wanted to provide current Fairphone 3 users with the opportunity to upgrade their phone, and therefore encourage them to keep their phone for longer. For anyone who wants a new Fairphone, they can go straight to the Fairphone 3+....

The 3 to 3+ is admittedly more like what I want in terms of an upgradable phone, but I'm worried they're going to launch the Fairphone 6 with the exact same copy as the FAQ for the other devices. Doesn't inspire confidence.


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