• Fairphone now available in the US

    From acmeoid@3:633/10 to All on Sunday, August 30, 2026 23:58:51

    Don't know much about the company but I am a proponent
    (in general) of FIY

    https://www.wired.com/story/you-can-finally-buy-a-fairphone-a-sustainable-repairable-smartphone-in-the-us/
    Aug 18, 2026

    You Can Finally Buy a Fairphone?a Sustainable, Repairable
    Smartphone?in the US

    More than a decade after launching in Europe, the
    Netherlands company is now selling its repairable phones
    in the US, starting with the Fairphone (Gen 6+).
    ...

    Comes with a screwdriver. Cute.

    "The Dutch company is bringing its repairable and
    sustainably built Android smartphone?the Fairphone
    (Gen 6+)?to the US. Each one comes with a
    screwdriver."

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From John C.@3:633/10 to All on Monday, August 31, 2026 02:54:31
    acmeoid wrote:

    Don't know much about the company but I am a proponent
    (in general) of FIY

    https://www.wired.com/story/you-can-finally-buy-a-fairphone-a- sustainable-repairable-smartphone-in-the-us/
    Aug 18, 2026

    You Can Finally Buy a Fairphone?a Sustainable, Repairable
    Smartphone?in the US

    More than a decade after launching in Europe, the
    Netherlands company is now selling its repairable phones
    in the US, starting with the Fairphone (Gen 6+).
    ...

    Comes with a screwdriver. Cute.

    "The Dutch company is bringing its repairable and
    sustainably built Android smartphone?the Fairphone
    (Gen 6+)?to the US. Each one comes with a
    screwdriver."

    "A replacement screen from Fairphone costs just $90."

    I have easily taken apart Samsung phones and replaced screens with ones
    that cost under $25 on Amazon. Batteries are cheap and really, not that difficult to replace either. I've also replaced microphones and speakers
    in them.

    Then there's the cost of the phones themselves:

    "The new Fairphone is available on Amazon and at Fairphone.com for $650..."

    I paid around $165 for my Samsung Galaxy A26 5G. Admittedly, it's locked
    to the carrier, but oh well...

    --
    John C. I filter crossposts, various trolls & dizum.com. Doing this
    makes this newsgroup easier to read & more on-topic. Take back the tech companies from India & industry from China.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Java Jive@3:633/10 to All on Monday, August 31, 2026 13:05:55
    On 2026-08-31 10:54, John C. wrote:
    acmeoid wrote:

    Don't know much about the company but I am a proponent
    (in general) of FIY

    https://www.wired.com/story/you-can-finally-buy-a-fairphone-a-
    sustainable-repairable-smartphone-in-the-us/
    Aug 18, 2026

    You Can Finally Buy a Fairphone?a Sustainable, Repairable
    Smartphone?in the US

    More than a decade after launching in Europe, the
    Netherlands company is now selling its repairable phones
    in the US, starting with the Fairphone (Gen 6+).
    ...

    Comes with a screwdriver. Cute.

    "The Dutch company is bringing its repairable and
    sustainably built Android smartphone?the Fairphone
    (Gen 6+)?to the US. Each one comes with a
    screwdriver."

    "A replacement screen from Fairphone costs just $90."

    I have easily taken apart Samsung phones and replaced screens with ones
    that cost under $25 on Amazon. Batteries are cheap and really, not that difficult to replace either. I've also replaced microphones and speakers
    in them.

    Then there's the cost of the phones themselves:

    "The new Fairphone is available on Amazon and at Fairphone.com for $650..."

    I paid around $165 for my Samsung Galaxy A26 5G. Admittedly, it's locked
    to the carrier, but oh well...

    Yes, there's been a similar attempt to produce modular, user
    configurable and repairable laptops ...

    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/feb/28/framework-laptop-16-review-modular-pc-keyboard-port-graphics-card

    ... but all such attempts potentially suffer from a common problem:
    modularity on its own is not enough to ensure economic repairability,
    what is needed also is interchangeability of parts so that replacements
    are widely and economically available. If the screen in a Dell laptop
    cannot be used in an HP laptop, or the screen on a Samsung phone cannot
    be used on an Apple phone, then replacements for any one of them will be
    more expensive, perhaps uneconomically so, because of the limited market.

    Manufacturers worldwide would need to agree interchangeable device
    component standards such as used to exist for IBM compatible PCs with
    their open standard architecture, but, of course, there are strong
    commercial reasons why they might not want to do that.

    --

    Fake news kills!

    I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website: www.macfh.co.uk


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Monday, August 31, 2026 19:26:56
    On Sun, 30 Aug 2026 23:58:51 -0600, acmeoid wrote:

    "The Dutch company is bringing its repairable and
    sustainably built Android smartphone?the Fairphone
    (Gen 6+)?to the US. Each one comes with a
    screwdriver."

    I looked at their website. The Fairphone (Gen. 6+) is 649 euro. 12 GB
    RAM, CPU Snapdragon? 7s Gen 4.

    Gen 6 is 599 euro. So it's not a cheap phone.

    As for the replaceable battery:

    <https://www.ecopv-eu.com/en/blog-en/replaceable-smartphone-batteries-2027-eu-regulation/>

    Starting in 2027, there will be a noticeable change for smartphones in
    the EU: The removable battery is making a comeback. What used to be
    standard is returning due to legal requirements for new models.

    What I also don't like is that they're working with Klara. I know young
    people who are in debt because of Klara. Buying stuff with money they
    don't have.

    --
    s|b

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Monday, August 31, 2026 19:31:56
    On Mon, 31 Aug 2026 02:54:31 -0700, John C. wrote:

    8< snip >8
    I have easily taken apart Samsung phones and replaced screens with ones
    that cost under $25 on Amazon. Batteries are cheap and really, not that difficult to replace either. I've also replaced microphones and speakers
    in them.

    I've taken apart a PS4 controller and now my way around a PC, but I'm
    reluctant to open up a smartphone. I've seen YouTube vids where people
    replace a battery and I'm reluctant to give it a try.

    --
    s|b

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From R.Wieser@3:633/10 to All on Monday, August 31, 2026 22:14:49
    s|b,

    What I also don't like is that they're working with Klara. I know young people who are in debt because of Klara.

    Why singling out a Klara ? There are *lots* of companies who offer credit-cards, credit or "financing". All of them prey on the unweary.

    Buying stuff with money they don't have.

    And thats the actual problem : people who want/"need" to have something
    *now*, and cannot bring themselves - for whatever reason! - to save money first.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser



    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From Nuno Silva@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 01, 2026 10:44:34
    (It'd probably be fitting to move this to e.g. comp.misc at some point,
    my reply below is already about laptops, not smartphones.)

    On 2026-08-31, Java Jive wrote:

    On 2026-08-31 10:54, John C. wrote:
    acmeoid wrote:

    Don't know much about the company but I am a proponent
    (in general) of FIY

    https://www.wired.com/story/you-can-finally-buy-a-fairphone-a-
    sustainable-repairable-smartphone-in-the-us/
    Aug 18, 2026

    You Can Finally Buy a Fairphone?a Sustainable, Repairable
    Smartphone?in the US

    More than a decade after launching in Europe, the
    Netherlands company is now selling its repairable phones
    in the US, starting with the Fairphone (Gen 6+).
    ...

    Comes with a screwdriver. Cute.

    "The Dutch company is bringing its repairable and
    sustainably built Android smartphone?the Fairphone
    (Gen 6+)?to the US. Each one comes with a
    screwdriver."

    "A replacement screen from Fairphone costs just $90."

    I have easily taken apart Samsung phones and replaced screens with ones
    that cost under $25 on Amazon. Batteries are cheap and really, not that
    difficult to replace either. I've also replaced microphones and speakers
    in them.

    Then there's the cost of the phones themselves:

    "The new Fairphone is available on Amazon and at Fairphone.com for $650..." >>
    I paid around $165 for my Samsung Galaxy A26 5G. Admittedly, it's locked
    to the carrier, but oh well...

    Yes, there's been a similar attempt to produce modular, user
    configurable and repairable laptops ...

    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/feb/28/framework-laptop-16-review-modular-pc-keyboard-port-graphics-card

    Besides issues with the design itself, I've been seeing people
    commenting that Framework seems to be somehow embroilered in some
    far-right thing...

    ... but all such attempts potentially suffer from a common problem: modularity on its own is not enough to ensure economic repairability,
    what is needed also is interchangeability of parts so that
    replacements are widely and economically available. If the screen in
    a Dell laptop cannot be used in an HP laptop, or the screen on a
    Samsung phone cannot be used on an Apple phone, then replacements for
    any one of them will be more expensive, perhaps uneconomically so,
    because of the limited market.

    The bigger issue is laptops being designed not to be easily serviceable
    at all. Some "consumer"/"home" laptops were already bad quality, I guess
    now things are getting worse?

    Manufacturers worldwide would need to agree interchangeable device
    component standards such as used to exist for IBM compatible PCs with
    their open standard architecture, but, of course, there are strong
    commercial reasons why they might not want to do that.

    Like standards for laptop PATA and SATA drive connectors, and optical
    drive connectors (I think the same in SATA, but different for PATA?),
    and expansion cards (here the problem has been systems that try to
    maintain a list of allowed PCI or PCI express devices in the firmware
    and refuse to use something not listed, even though the interface itself
    poses no issue, to show how shitty designs have been a thing for a long
    while). And, for external expansion, PCMCIA and Cardbus.

    It's not for lack of examples :-)

    (Let's not look into external medium connectors for PCMCIA NICs,
    though...)

    --
    Nuno Silva

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From John C.@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 01, 2026 05:58:14
    s|b wrote:
    John C. wrote:

    8< snip >8
    I have easily taken apart Samsung phones and replaced screens with ones
    that cost under $25 on Amazon. Batteries are cheap and really, not that
    difficult to replace either. I've also replaced microphones and speakers
    in them.

    I've taken apart a PS4 controller and now my way around a PC, but I'm reluctant to open up a smartphone. I've seen YouTube vids where people replace a battery and I'm reluctant to give it a try.

    Cell phone batteries are strongly glued in place, but using a
    credit-card-like piece of plastic patiently will get it loose. I've done
    this a couple of times.

    Some glues harden up, and there's rarely anything you can do to get
    something loose from them. However, the glue used on cell phone
    batteries doesn't harden up.

    --
    John C. I filter crossposts, various trolls & dizum.com. Doing this
    makes this newsgroup easier to read & more on-topic. Take back the tech companies from India & industry from China.


    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)
  • From s|b@3:633/10 to All on Tuesday, September 01, 2026 16:12:23
    On Tue, 1 Sep 2026 05:58:14 -0700, John C. wrote:

    Cell phone batteries are strongly glued in place, but using a credit-card-like piece of plastic patiently will get it loose. I've done
    this a couple of times.

    Some glues harden up, and there's rarely anything you can do to get
    something loose from them. However, the glue used on cell phone
    batteries doesn't harden up.

    Good to know!

    --
    s|b

    --- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
    * Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)