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FairPhone 3: The Most Modular & Ethical Phone of 2019

This released a month ago, but I think it's worth a look.


The Fairphone 3 is not only modular and ethical, but is also rated 10/10 by iFixit! This essentially means trading specs like a bezzel/notchless display, quick performance, and water resistance for modularity, sustainable upgradability, and dead-simple repairability. Yes it costs nearly $500 USD up-front, but I think owning of a phone with the environment, fair-sourcing, and me as a consumer is totally worth that price. 

 

And get this: it even comes with a screw-spudger!!! ^_^

Spoiler

 

Image result for fairphone screwdriver

 

@ 1:50.........

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Note: it supports most cellular bands in Canada and Mexico (your mileage may vary in the US)

 

Independent Ethics Analysis:

 

Further Coverage & Resources:

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What ? We're people offended by other phones ?

 

What's ethical about it ?

 

Is it vegan !?

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Is ethical in air quotes, as in it’s made in China but it looks virtuous like a Tesla, is it actually an ethically made phone, like actually doing something to help the environment like composting things that aren’t biodegradable?

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18 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

Is ethical in air quotes, as in it’s made in China but it looks virtuous like a Tesla, is it actually an ethically made phone, like actually doing something to help the environment like composting things that aren’t biodegradable?

It's fair trade certified so everyone is getting paid fairly all the way down the chain afaik and as its ultra repairable you do not have to buy an entire new phone when something breaks, you can just swap the part cheaply and easily yourself. Saves on materials and the environment :) I

 am really concidering getting one tbh, finally looks like a phone I could replace my G6 with if the camera is decent


and the screen looks decen. SSorry
FFor
YThe
BBroken
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, forum doesn't like FF mobile :(

I spent $2500 on building my PC and all i do with it is play no games atm & watch anime at 1080p(finally) watch YT and write essays...  nothing, it just sits there collecting dust...

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The original LAN PC build log! (Old, dead and replaced by The Toaster Project & 5.0)

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"Here is some advice that might have gotten lost somewhere along the way in your life. 

 

#1. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

#2. It's best to keep your mouth shut; and appear to be stupid, rather than open it and remove all doubt.

#3. There is nothing "wrong" with being wrong. Learning from a mistake can be more valuable than not making one in the first place.

 

Follow these simple rules in life, and I promise you, things magically get easier. " - MageTank 31-10-2016

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

It's fair trade certified so everyone is getting paid fairly all the way down the chain

Such claims are hardly ever debate-free, though. Even if we restrict our focus to those with solid, thought-out arguments for their position, people have radically different views on what constitutes a fair compensation for others' work - including those arguing that no legal transaction or contract can be deemed unfair.

One could even wonder if it is ethical to make phone to begin with :P 

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I bought into the Wileyfox phones about 5yrs ago... finally a phone that took security and privacy seriously. 2 yrs later the company went out of business because not enough people were buying them.

 

Shame, because the phone was amazing and as powerful as phones that cost 2-3x as much.

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41 minutes ago, Genwyn said:

they did the same thing with the last two phones and don’t like to talk about the actual manufacturing side.

And having had to troubleshoot a couple of units of the 2nd several times for some acquaintance who absolutely believes all their blab and makes his friends buy it, it's a pretty trash phone.

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2 hours ago, Genwyn said:

 

They do talk about where resources come from, and trying to make those places better. Keyword is “trying”. They source from mines that “try” not to hire child labor and “try” not to abuse employees.

 

Completely bullshit marketing strategy, they did the same thing with the last two phones and don’t like to talk about the actual manufacturing side.

 

Yeah nothing is ever "100% ethical" regardless of any reason or effort. Hell, anything anyone does has a downside of some form. Compare Faiphone's efforts to say........Abraham Lincoln. Sure his end-goal was to get the USA towards ending slavery and he was honest in his efforts, but could one say that uniting the nation against the South's slave plantation farmer backed cede-conspiring government and military and all the decisions made in-between to do so and the resulting consequences were ethical? In more ways than one, probably not.

 

A fairer comparison (pun not intended) might be Apple. As much as it sucks that they still object to the "Right to Repair" movement and have a begoogling amount of issues to fix with both customer-repair shop relations and sourcing/manufacturing conditions, they seem to have committed enough to sustainability in the past 10 years to earn them a "B-" from Greenpeace.

 

So yes, FairPhone is more transparent than many other tech companies and yes some materials they source are still coming from not-so-ethical locations, but that does not invalidate their marketing or business model.

 

And what do you mean they don't talk about what goes on in the manufacturing side?

 

Plus, most of the stuff they still have to clean-up their act on are things they couldn't have done on their own up until now. Things like tracing where each shipment of gold, cobalt, and rare earth metals to the exact mine and ensuring that sourcing partners on the ground cooperate and adhere to high ethical standards. It takes government grants and additional investment from existing or new stakeholders to make that stuff happen.

 

I really hope you're just a skeptical critic and not a hater. 

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I had intentionally skipped this topic, but glad to see some phones are easily repairable. Specs are a bit lacking though :(

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2 hours ago, givingtnt said:

What ? We're people offended by other phones ?

 

What's ethical about it ?

 

Is it vegan !?

It's gluten free and contains no GMO...

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1 hour ago, SpaceGhostC2C said:

Such claims are hardly ever debate-free, though. Even if we restrict our focus to those with solid, thought-out arguments for their position, people have radically different views on what constitutes a fair compensation for others' work - including those arguing that no legal transaction or contract can be deemed unfair.

One could even wonder if it is ethical to make phone to begin with :P 

Im fairly sure there is a regulatory body behind the fair trade lable at least, so it's not just marketing words :) It's either way more fair in most people's eyes than a very large majority of phones at least.

I spent $2500 on building my PC and all i do with it is play no games atm & watch anime at 1080p(finally) watch YT and write essays...  nothing, it just sits there collecting dust...

Builds:

The Toaster Project! Northern Bee!

 

The original LAN PC build log! (Old, dead and replaced by The Toaster Project & 5.0)

Spoiler

"Here is some advice that might have gotten lost somewhere along the way in your life. 

 

#1. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

#2. It's best to keep your mouth shut; and appear to be stupid, rather than open it and remove all doubt.

#3. There is nothing "wrong" with being wrong. Learning from a mistake can be more valuable than not making one in the first place.

 

Follow these simple rules in life, and I promise you, things magically get easier. " - MageTank 31-10-2016

 

 

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28 minutes ago, rcmaehl said:

I had intentionally skipped this topic, but glad to see some phones are easily repairable. Specs are a bit lacking though :(

Yah it's a bit lower spec than I'd like but at least it looks fairly up to date this time

I spent $2500 on building my PC and all i do with it is play no games atm & watch anime at 1080p(finally) watch YT and write essays...  nothing, it just sits there collecting dust...

Builds:

The Toaster Project! Northern Bee!

 

The original LAN PC build log! (Old, dead and replaced by The Toaster Project & 5.0)

Spoiler

"Here is some advice that might have gotten lost somewhere along the way in your life. 

 

#1. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

#2. It's best to keep your mouth shut; and appear to be stupid, rather than open it and remove all doubt.

#3. There is nothing "wrong" with being wrong. Learning from a mistake can be more valuable than not making one in the first place.

 

Follow these simple rules in life, and I promise you, things magically get easier. " - MageTank 31-10-2016

 

 

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1 minute ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

Im fairly sure there is a regulatory body behind the fair trade lable at least, so it's not just marketing words :) 

Having a (self-appointed) regulatory board over marketing badges doesn't make it any less marketing, nor any more substantial.

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8 minutes ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

Im fairly sure there is a regulatory body behind the fair trade lable at least, so it's not just marketing words :) It's either way more fair in most people's eyes than a very large majority of phones at least.

Yeah even just the fact it has a user replaceable battery makes it more fair than most phones sealed with glue, or Apple which lobbies against right to repair or wants $500 to replace the rear glass.

The specs aren't too bad but for $500 i'd expect a bit more, though I'm sure fair trade adds to the cost.

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2 hours ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

It's fair trade certified so everyone is getting paid fairly all the way down the chain afaik and as its ultra repairable you do not have to buy an entire new phone when something breaks, you can just swap the part cheaply and easily yourself. Saves on materials and the environment :) I

 am really concidering getting one tbh, finally looks like a phone I could replace my G6 with if the camera is decent

The problem with this is that it operates under the assumption that the demand will be high enough to warrant the production of upgrade components, and that the company will be around long enough to supply those components. This is not the first time that someone has introduced the concept of modular phones or computers, only to fail to deliver on that promise after an underwhelming launch. Everyone that buys into them with the intent of upgrading later, end up burned after no upgrade components are produced, or the supply of those components were so limited that the price prevents it from making economical sense.

 

The concept works on paper, but your average user does not want to go through the hassle of buying replacement components, waiting for them to arrive, only to then go through the labor of installing them/paying someone else to install the components when they can simply replace/upgrade their devices with carrier provided plans/insurance. Those of us that would appreciate the luxury of user-serviceable components are likely going to be in the minority here, and that won't be enough to carry this concept to fruition.

 

Hopefully this is just me being cynical and that the product proves me wrong.

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On 1/2/2017 at 9:32 PM, MageTank said:

Sometimes, we all need a little inspiration.

 

 

 

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Just now, Blademaster91 said:

Yeah even just the fact it has a user replaceable battery makes it more fair than most phones sealed with glue, or Apple which lobbies against right to repair or wants $500 to replace the rear glass.

The specs aren't too bad but for $500 i'd expect a bit more, though I'm sure fair trade adds to the cost.

It's €320 from what I see, American pricing seems pretty bad.

I spent $2500 on building my PC and all i do with it is play no games atm & watch anime at 1080p(finally) watch YT and write essays...  nothing, it just sits there collecting dust...

Builds:

The Toaster Project! Northern Bee!

 

The original LAN PC build log! (Old, dead and replaced by The Toaster Project & 5.0)

Spoiler

"Here is some advice that might have gotten lost somewhere along the way in your life. 

 

#1. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

#2. It's best to keep your mouth shut; and appear to be stupid, rather than open it and remove all doubt.

#3. There is nothing "wrong" with being wrong. Learning from a mistake can be more valuable than not making one in the first place.

 

Follow these simple rules in life, and I promise you, things magically get easier. " - MageTank 31-10-2016

 

 

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Just now, MageTank said:

The problem with this is that it operates under the assumption that the demand will be high enough to warrant the production of upgrade components, and that the company will be around long enough to supply those components. This is not the first time that someone has introduced the concept of modular phones or computers, only to fail to deliver on that promise after an underwhelming launch. Everyone that buys into them with the intent of upgrading later, end up burned after no upgrade components are produced, or the supply of those components were so limited that the price prevents it from making economical sense.

 

The concept works on paper, but your average user does not want to go through the hassle of buying replacement components, waiting for them to arrive, only to then go through the labor of installing them/paying someone else to install the components when they can simply replace/upgrade their devices with carrier provided plans/insurance. Those of us that would appreciate the luxury of user-serviceable components are likely going to be in the minority here, and that won't be enough to carry this concept to fruition.

 

Hopefully this is just me being cynical and that the product proves me wrong.

This is not ment for upgrades, it's just very easy to user repair

I spent $2500 on building my PC and all i do with it is play no games atm & watch anime at 1080p(finally) watch YT and write essays...  nothing, it just sits there collecting dust...

Builds:

The Toaster Project! Northern Bee!

 

The original LAN PC build log! (Old, dead and replaced by The Toaster Project & 5.0)

Spoiler

"Here is some advice that might have gotten lost somewhere along the way in your life. 

 

#1. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

#2. It's best to keep your mouth shut; and appear to be stupid, rather than open it and remove all doubt.

#3. There is nothing "wrong" with being wrong. Learning from a mistake can be more valuable than not making one in the first place.

 

Follow these simple rules in life, and I promise you, things magically get easier. " - MageTank 31-10-2016

 

 

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3 minutes ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

This is not ment for upgrades, it's just very easy to user repair

Ah, my apologies, I only skimmed through most of the article. Either way, I am hoping that they manage to pull it off. If the specifications for the replacement components are available for everyone, that would at least allow third parties to continue to develop replacement components should the original manufacturer be unable to do so. From experience, I'd rather not have to break another Samsung screen to replace a battery, lol.

My (incomplete) memory overclocking guide: 

 

Does memory speed impact gaming performance? Click here to find out!

On 1/2/2017 at 9:32 PM, MageTank said:

Sometimes, we all need a little inspiration.

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, MageTank said:

Ah, my apologies, I only skimmed through most of the article. Either way, I am hoping that they manage to pull it off. If the specifications for the replacement components are available for everyone, that would at least allow third parties to continue to develop replacement components should the original manufacturer be unable to do so. From experience, I'd rather not have to break another Samsung screen to replace a battery, lol.

I mean this is the third gen, they have managed twice so I don't see why not this time :D i

I spent $2500 on building my PC and all i do with it is play no games atm & watch anime at 1080p(finally) watch YT and write essays...  nothing, it just sits there collecting dust...

Builds:

The Toaster Project! Northern Bee!

 

The original LAN PC build log! (Old, dead and replaced by The Toaster Project & 5.0)

Spoiler

"Here is some advice that might have gotten lost somewhere along the way in your life. 

 

#1. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

#2. It's best to keep your mouth shut; and appear to be stupid, rather than open it and remove all doubt.

#3. There is nothing "wrong" with being wrong. Learning from a mistake can be more valuable than not making one in the first place.

 

Follow these simple rules in life, and I promise you, things magically get easier. " - MageTank 31-10-2016

 

 

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3 hours ago, givingtnt said:

What ? We're people offended by other phones ?

 

What's ethical about it ?

 

Is it vegan !?

they made it user repairable that makes it more ethical than iphones in my book :P

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Reminder that "ethical" can refer to any particular ethos, or any array of moral principles.

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I don't even know why they would be advertising that they use components using ethically sourced metals. Pretty much any pcb fab/ assembly house worth their salt will already have a conflict mineral policy. This kind of thing has already been widely adopted in industry so far. The only place this is currently an issue still is with bottom dollar grey market and counterfeit electronics. Its nothing like it was 20 years ago.

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8 hours ago, Blademaster91 said:

The specs aren't too bad but for $500 i'd expect a bit more, though I'm sure fair trade adds to the cost.

 

Well apparently the launch-price of the FairPhone 3 is already €75 cheaper than the FairPhone2.

 

8 hours ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

It's €320 from what I see, American pricing seems pretty bad.

 

Hmmm........where did you see that price for the FairPhone 3? Cuz the official site clearly says the price is €450 no matter what country you say you're from: https://shop.fairphone.com/en/

 

Plus, unless you've been dying to get a modular phone since Project Ara died there's very little reason you'd want it as a daily driver if you live in the US (me for example) because it lacks support for half of US LTE bands: https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/US/fairphone-3

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I would have to venture a guess that anything faster than Cortex A53s are excessively harmful to the environment due to murdering the undersized battery. Am I correct here? ?

 

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My camera lens sees the present…

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