This Review is Going to Make Me Very Unpopular

[JordB]

 

Linus couldn’t wait to trade in his LG Wing for the new Fairphone 5! Ethically produced, sustainable, and easily repaired? What’s not to like? Well…

 

Buy a Fairphone 5: https://lmg.gg/VzxzE

Buy a Google Pixel 8: https://lmg.gg/o0BgK (Canada: https://lmg.gg/oJbRs )

Buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 on eBay: https://ebay.us/yFAk0k

 

Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.

[Senzelian]

The Linux of phones.

[MrZoraman]

At the end, Linus recommended rescuing an older phone off of ebay. I don't know if I agree, since odds are those old phones are no longer receiving software/security updates. I wish Linus brought up that caveat.

[daddie]

4 hours ago, JordB said:

 

Linus couldn’t wait to trade in his LG Wing for the new Fairphone 5! Ethically produced, sustainable, and easily repaired? What’s not to like? Well…

 

Buy a Fairphone 5: https://lmg.gg/VzxzE

Buy a Google Pixel 8: https://lmg.gg/o0BgK (Canada: https://lmg.gg/oJbRs )

Buy a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 on eBay: https://ebay.us/yFAk0k

 

Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group.

i contated the assistance even, why under 11% of battery the software just stop to work everything crash even system ui

[FlyingPotato_is_taken]

1 hour ago, MrZoraman said:

I don't know if I agree, since odds are those old phones are no longer receiving software/security updates.

For nearly a decade I am daily driving old high end phones:

There is Cyanogen Mod/LineageOS and for my LG V30 it is Android 14.

Surprisingly even the battery is still good with 70% of the original capacity.

[MrZoraman]

14 minutes ago, FlyingPotato_is_taken said:

For nearly a decade I am daily driving old high end phones:

There is Cyanogen Mod/LineageOS and for my LG V30 it is Android 14.

Surprisingly even the battery is still good with 70% of the original capacity.

I don't think Linus's target audience was people who are willing to install custom roms when he recommended getting an old phone off of ebay.

[luca_bernd]

There are SO many things where i can not understand the balancing:

• relatively weak vibration and loud min. volume are valid points.
  • For (at least) many people they will just not be the key attributes, but fair mention
• Software concerns?
  • Linus doesn't like stock android + screen brightness transition not smooth enough
    • not relevant / most people don't care
  • plex is buggy
    • has nothing to do with fairphone
    • gets shown in the intro which depicts the fp5 as buggy
  • Audio bug
    • Fairphone says it is due to the device being a prototype
    • nobody else reported something like this
    • linus speculates its not due to it being a prototype?!
  • general buggyness
    • No findable reports online
    • They show not a SINGLE valid example
• Body thickness
  • They measure the fp5 at the camera bump and hide the s23s bump with the case. If they are interested in the thickest point it would not be different without case (They imply the opposite). In fact the difference between s23 and fp5 is 0.35mm in that regard!
  • fp5 weights less than the s23 Ultra
  • I don't claim the fp5 has a slim shape... but its misleading depicted and way more picked on than it plays a role for using a phone.
• SD card
  • Complained more about having to power down for to be able to change sd cards than in other reviews about a missing sd card slot. WTF?!
• Performance
  • You depict the Fairphone as beeing to slow and "more close to a ancient note 9"
    • In all benchmarks you show (except gaming) the fp5 is waaay closer to the pixel 8 than the note 9
      • Which is underpinned by online findable tests e.g. the Benchmarks here
    • most people don't care about gaming performance on a phone
    • you admit the performance for normal use of the note9 to be "pretty darn responsive" which is much slower than the fp5.
• Repairability
  • Note 9 comparison is outrageous
    • fp5 has a iFixit score of 10/10
    • note 9 is a 4/10
    • you can swap the battery without braking the back and damaging the battery with a bunch of tools and being really careful, but its no comparison
    • you get no original replacement parts!!!
  • No mention of objective leadership of fairphone in this industry (just look ifixit numbers)
    •  compare that to the framework 16 review where they claim this about framework while the gap between framework and average  Laptops is much closer than the gap between fairphones and average phones 
• Recommendation of buying note 5
  • Has no security updates since 2022!!!
  • is way solwer
  • will probably not being nearly as long usable as the fairphone 5 (In fact its not safely usable for oven 1 year, but even hardware wise; no replacements ect.)
• Longevity!!!
  • No mention about providing spare parts for fair price
  • No mention of 8 year update promise
  • This all is relevant for assessment of the price.
• Fairness / worker rights / environmental Sustainability:
  • GETS NO MENTION!!! (Or not more than the absolute minimum what could be considered as a the briefest possible mention)

 

[Dulus]

My current  phone keeps crashing, front camera does not work, night vision camera does not work, body is scratched, dinged and all kinds of damaged. already replaced the screen once.
i really really wanted to upgrade to FF5 for the repairability, support, ... and especially spare parts, so i can keep using it for years....
now i dont know what to upgrade to, as the quirks linus mentioned would really annoy me (for me phone is a work tool). 

any recommendations ?
- needs big battery (long battery life)
- has to be able to withstand beating (no glass back, no rounded edge glass etc), as beside office work i also do a lot of work in data centers and on construction sites
- at least some water and dust resistance
- dont mind it being "thicc boy/chonker" (thick & heavy)
- has to have good repairability ( screen being broken is just a matter of time)
- doesnt have to be 5G
- back camera has to be decent, selfie can be mediocre
- rather have telephoto lens than macro or ultrawide, if any
- additional camera like night vision, thermal etc is a plus
- wireless charging is big advantage but not strictly needed.
- 2x sim slot (or eSIM + SIM slot) is a must
- dedicated microSD card slot is a plus
- integrated call recording is a plus
- at least some sw support ( even through 3rd party OS) for at least 3 years
- gpay/nfc is a must
- full gsuite support (so no huawei )
- as stock android as possible

- used to root all my phones, but nowadays its not that needed i think
 

[Nickely]

I got my FP5 a month ago, and I'm really happy with it.
Had a OnePlus 3t before, but that thing stopped getting security updates in 2019 (released in 2016).
Performance was still ok, though I was stuck on Android 9 and after upgrading to Android 11 with Lineage OS it has some bugs. The deal breaker for me though was the battery.

So my expectation for a new phone was:
- ok performance, which is enough in 8-12 years (old phone managed 6-7 and was still ok)

- as sustainable as possible

- easily replaceable parts (I don't appreciate buying some no-name of the shelf components where I have zero guarantee for the quality)

- a battery that is decently reliable if i go backpacking for multiple days (so it being replaceable for if it gets to old)

- ability to use wired headphones

 

It has fulfilled all of the requirements for me. Though the last only with a grain of salt.
I have an adapter for USB-C to 3.5mm, but when starting audio it cuts a tiny bit of the audio away. I don't notice it with music, but sometimes it cuts some audio away while actively listening to an audio book (not OK!). Doing Duolingo is practically impossible with wired headphones (Though I'm not sure if the cutting away audio is a problem of my adapter or phone)

Overall though, I'm happy with the FP5 and have adjusted to the (for me) small inconveniences. If I would go back a month, I would still buy it. Having long term software support is a mayor + for me!!!

[The Sloth]

4 hours ago, luca_bernd said:

There are SO many things where i can not understand the balancing:

• relatively weak vibration and loud min. volume are valid points.
  • For (at least) many people they will just not be the key attributes, but fair mention
• Software concerns?
  • Linus doesn't like stock android + screen brightness transition not smooth enough
    • not relevant / most people don't care
  • plex is buggy
    • has nothing to do with fairphone
    • gets shown in the intro which depicts the fp5 as buggy
  • Audio bug
    • Fairphone says it is due to the device being a prototype
    • nobody else reported something like this
    • linus speculates its not due to it being a prototype?!
  • general buggyness
    • No findable reports online
    • They show not a SINGLE valid example
• Body thickness
  • They measure the fp5 at the camera bump and hide the s23s bump with the case. If they are interested in the thickest point it would not be different without case (They imply the opposite). In fact the difference between s23 and fp5 is 0.35mm in that regard!
  • fp5 weights less than the s23 Ultra
  • I don't claim the fp5 has a slim shape... but its misleading depicted and way more picked on than it plays a role for using a phone.
• SD card
  • Complained more about having to power down for to be able to change sd cards than in other reviews about a missing sd card slot. WTF?!
• Performance
  • You depict the Fairphone as beeing to slow and "more close to a ancient note 9"
    • In all benchmarks you show (except gaming) the fp5 is waaay closer to the pixel 8 than the note 9
      • Which is underpinned by online findable tests e.g. the Benchmarks here
    • most people don't care about gaming performance on a phone
    • you admit the performance for normal use of the note9 to be "pretty darn responsive" which is much slower than the fp5.
• Repairability
  • Note 9 comparison is outrageous
    • fp5 has a iFixit score of 10/10
    • note 9 is a 4/10
    • you can swap the battery without braking the back and damaging the battery with a bunch of tools and being really careful, but its no comparison
    • you get no original replacement parts!!!
  • No mention of objective leadership of fairphone in this industry (just look ifixit numbers)
    •  compare that to the framework 16 review where they claim this about framework while the gap between framework and average  Laptops is much closer than the gap between fairphones and average phones 
• Recommendation of buying note 5
  • Has no security updates since 2022!!!
  • is way solwer
  • will probably not being nearly as long usable as the fairphone 5 (In fact its not safely usable for oven 1 year, but even hardware wise; no replacements ect.)
• Longevity!!!
  • No mention about providing spare parts for fair price
  • No mention of 8 year update promise
  • This all is relevant for assessment of the price.
• Fairness / worker rights / environmental Sustainability:
  • GETS NO MENTION!!! (Or not more than the absolute minimum what could be considered as a the briefest possible mention)

 

Quote

• Software concerns?
  • Linus doesn't like stock android + screen brightness transition not smooth enough
    • not relevant / most people don't care

The thing is, your paying for it.  Yes, most people care. thats why they buy polished phones, instead of virtue signaling phone. Stock is stock, to add value, you have to polish it. Fix bugs, FYI this is the 5th rev of this device. By now, we expect a finished product.

 

 

Quote

• general buggyness
  • No findable reports online
  • They show not a SINGLE valid example

 

Look harder- 

 

Unlike google pixel, Fairphone dosen't have control over the software they use. 

 

 

 

 

Quote

• Body thickness
  • They measure the fp5 at the camera bump and hide the s23s bump with the case. If they are interested in the thickest point it would not be different without case (They imply the opposite). In fact the difference between s23 and fp5 is 0.35mm in that regard!
  • fp5 weights less than the s23 Ultra
  • I don't claim the fp5 has a slim shape... but its misleading depicted and way more picked on than it plays a role for using a phone.

 

Yeah,  it feels cheap. a budget moto feels more premium. It's also unbalanced, making it feel awkard. The plastic creaks, display is not the best quality off angle...etc

 

Here is a size compassion https://www.phonearena.com/phones/size/Fairphone-5,Samsung-Galaxy-S23+/phones/12228,12000

 

Quote

•  
• Performance
  • You depict the Fairphone as beeing to slow and "more close to a ancient note 9"
    • In all benchmarks you show (except gaming) the fp5 is waaay closer to the pixel 8 than the note 9
      • Which is underpinned by online findable tests e.g. the Benchmarks here
    • most people don't care about gaming performance on a phone
    • you admit the performance for normal use of the note9 to be "pretty darn responsive" which is much slower than the fp5.

 

The 778( rebranded as QCM6490), has better CPU then the 855, but weaker GPU. 

 

 

 

Yeah, a Ryzen 5600 + 4080 will age a lot beter then a 4050+ Ryzen 5900. Yes, we use GPUs a lot. Also fairphone 5 can't keep a 90 hz, doing anything. Have a bunch of apps open and see how it chugs.  Yes, it's closer to the Note 9 SD845, then a SD 8 Gen 3. FYI numbers looks wrong. UFS 2.2 is slower then 3.1 pixel 8 uses. 

https://www.androidauthority.com/fairphone-5-hands-on-3359027/

 

Quote

you admit the performance for normal use of the note9 to be "pretty darn responsive" which is much slower than the fp5.

 

Nope, Note 9 is slow. See Linus, opening the cam on his s24U video. It's slow, even for normal user. Older family member uses one, they complain about the speed. 

 

 

Quote

 objective leadership of fairphone in this industry

 

yeah, the Airpod clone, no headphone jack...etc, Slow updates, Camera that makes a Nexus 6p from 2015 a DSLR. 

 

If they did care, they would leave the headphone jack alone. 

 

 

Quote

• No mention of 8 year update promise

But, are you going to use your in 8 years?  The SOC is slow now, software will get more complex, unlike the pixel 8 with a whole company that can optimize it, fairphone has nothing. 

 

 

Linus was fair, look at a device for what it has not the virtue signaling. 

 

 

Also 8 years update, how timely are they? Features? How bug free? How much testing did they do? Would you give one to your mom? 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, Senzelian said:

The Linux of phones.

Linux is free,  Fairphone is window 11 price with gelentoo level issues. 

[filpo]

10 hours ago, Dulus said:

My current  phone keeps crashing, front camera does not work, night vision camera does not work, body is scratched, dinged and all kinds of damaged. already replaced the screen once.
i really really wanted to upgrade to FF5 for the repairability, support, ... and especially spare parts, so i can keep using it for years....
now i dont know what to upgrade to, as the quirks linus mentioned would really annoy me (for me phone is a work tool). 

any recommendations ?
- needs big battery (long battery life)
- has to be able to withstand beating (no glass back, no rounded edge glass etc), as beside office work i also do a lot of work in data centers and on construction sites
- at least some water and dust resistance
- dont mind it being "thicc boy/chonker" (thick & heavy)
- has to have good repairability ( screen being broken is just a matter of time)
- doesnt have to be 5G
- back camera has to be decent, selfie can be mediocre
- rather have telephoto lens than macro or ultrawide, if any
- additional camera like night vision, thermal etc is a plus
- wireless charging is big advantage but not strictly needed.
- 2x sim slot (or eSIM + SIM slot) is a must
- dedicated microSD card slot is a plus
- integrated call recording is a plus
- at least some sw support ( even through 3rd party OS) for at least 3 years
- gpay/nfc is a must
- full gsuite support (so no huawei )
- as stock android as possible

- used to root all my phones, but nowadays its not that needed i think
 

make a new thread. It'll gain more traction

[tim0901]

15 hours ago, luca_bernd said:

Longevity!!!

• No mention about providing spare parts for fair price
• No mention of 8 year update promise

 

They also didn't discuss this for the Pixel. Google has committed to 7 years of updates with the Pixel 8, and genuine replacement parts for it are also available - for a fair price - via iFixit for that same duration. Heck, iFixit currently stock OEM components stretching back to the Pixel 2.

 

Yeah, the Pixel is definitely harder to take apart, but that's something that I would hope I only have to do once or twice during the phone's lifetime anyway. That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make in exchange for modern hardware features like wireless charging, always on display and IP68 water and dust resistance (the Fairphone is only IP55 rated) on top of the far more premium build.

 

Meanwhile on the update front, Fairphone doesn't exactly have a great record with update timeliness. According to Fairphone's OS release notes, the Fairphone 4 is still sitting on 2022's Android 13, which it only got back in October, meaning they're running a year behind in terms of major version releases. And yeah they get the monthly security patches, but they get them 4-8 weeks after their initial release. Fairphone also only guarantees 5 major Android revisions after Android 13, meaning it will cap out at Android 18.

 

So compare all that to the Pixel where not only will you get your updates on day 1, but you also get at least 2 more major versions of Android (Google guarantees Android version updates for the full 7 years with the Pixel 8) and you realise the Fairphone's software support offering is just objectively worse in every way except for that single additional year of security updates.

 

And frankly, I don't care about one additional year, and I doubt most people will either. 7 vs 8 years, both are exceptionally long amounts of time for something like a phone and both are well beyond the point where many people will stop caring about the availability of updates. Many - likely the vast majority - of people will simply go "I'd like something new" long before updates or parts availability actually run out, as the gradual advancements in technology are significant enough to actually make a difference. 7 years definitely counts as "good enough". You see this with iPhones - everyone clamours about how amazing their support is, but barely any of their users actually utilise its full extent. About 2/3 upgrade within 3 years, likely in line with their 24 or 36 month cellular contract, and the vast majority of all units are replaced within 5 years.

And that's the biggest nail in the coffin for this thing for me. Other Android manufacturers have been upping their game in this area and are beginning to provide long-term support for their own phones, to the point that one of the biggest selling points for the Fairphone doesn't really apply anymore. And it's not just Google - Samsung has made similar commitments to updates for their latest flagship phones (7 years of security and OS version updates - which are also more timely than Fairphone's) and also sells replacement parts for the last 4 generations of flagships via their Self-Repair store.

 

It's kinda like what Linus has said about his investment in Framework: he's quite happy for it to fail if it does so because the 'repairable laptop' niche has disappeared, due to other manufacturers offering it themselves. I feel that's exactly what's happening to Fairphone here.

[rom4ster]

On 2/19/2024 at 11:31 PM, MrZoraman said:

At the end, Linus recommended rescuing an older phone off of ebay. I don't know if I agree, since odds are those old phones are no longer receiving software/security updates. I wish Linus brought up that caveat.

Better than getting this shitphone... Or you could take 5 min and actually think and realize that LineageOS exists. 

You want all the "updates" by a new phone with a long promised lifespan like a Scamsung or better yet a Pixel. 

 

On 2/20/2024 at 1:00 AM, MrZoraman said:

I don't think Linus's target audience was people who are willing to install custom roms when he recommended getting an old phone off of ebay.

Linus, the man whose audience watches him water cool a pc with a damn pool, does not want to customize their phone with a decent rom?

Actually that makes sense. This community has always been superficial and relatively useless outside of a few exceptions. 

 

On 2/20/2024 at 2:57 AM, Nickely said:

I got my FP5 a month ago, and I'm really happy with it.
Had a OnePlus 3t before, but that thing stopped getting security updates in 2019 (released in 2016).
Performance was still ok, though I was stuck on Android 9 and after upgrading to Android 11 with Lineage OS it has some bugs. The deal breaker for me though was the battery.

So my expectation for a new phone was:
- ok performance, which is enough in 8-12 years (old phone managed 6-7 and was still ok)

- as sustainable as possible

- easily replaceable parts (I don't appreciate buying some no-name of the shelf components where I have zero guarantee for the quality)

- a battery that is decently reliable if i go backpacking for multiple days (so it being replaceable for if it gets to old)

- ability to use wired headphones

 

It has fulfilled all of the requirements for me. Though the last only with a grain of salt.
I have an adapter for USB-C to 3.5mm, but when starting audio it cuts a tiny bit of the audio away. I don't notice it with music, but sometimes it cuts some audio away while actively listening to an audio book (not OK!). Doing Duolingo is practically impossible with wired headphones (Though I'm not sure if the cutting away audio is a problem of my adapter or phone)

Overall though, I'm happy with the FP5 and have adjusted to the (for me) small inconveniences. If I would go back a month, I would still buy it. Having long term software support is a mayor + for me!!!

Copium tbh. 

 

Yeah so the Fairphone 5, more like shitphone 5. I dont give a rats ass if the phone is "sustainable" if its not gonna do what the other phones do. 

NOW Here is something to be pissed off about though. WHY IS HE LUMPING THE XPERIA WITH THE FAIRPHONE... Is it because of the damn back button? Because I can remap mine no problem, its like linus never heard of Xposed b4... dumb and stupid. That or he did not specify some conditions that he had. 

[saintlouisbagels]

4 hours ago, tim0901 said:

They also didn't discuss this for the Pixel. Google has committed to 7 years of updates with the Pixel 8

Because it is hilarious to believe anything Google says.

They've failed to support any Google Pixel for 4 years, but we're suppose to believe they can suddenly leapfrog over Apple and support their phone for 7 years?

[luca_bernd]

4 hours ago, tim0901 said:

They also didn't discuss this for the Pixel. Google has committed to 7 years of updates with the Pixel 8, and genuine replacement parts for it are also available - for a fair price - via iFixit for that same duration.

Agree. Prices of some parts just a bit higher, on others much more. More relevant is that you get no replacement some parts (Speaker, Camera flash, earpiece, USB port!). To be fair: it has wireless charging, but it lacks a headphone jack too. In the end you have to be a bit lucky to get the 8 years and it will most likely be more costly. The pixle8 is quite good, but the fairphone is objectively better in repairability!

4 hours ago, tim0901 said:

they're running a year behind in terms of major version releases. And yeah they get the monthly security patches, but they get them 4-8 weeks after their initial release

I dont think this is relevant. Some people might be interested in running the very latest, but its not the majority. Over 85% of phones run on andoid 13 or older, look here.

Security: Viruses rely on many phones having vulnerabilities because they get no security update at all. not on vulnerabilities on fairphones that lack 4 weeks behind and will be fixed in a few days.

5 hours ago, tim0901 said:

Many - likely the vast majority - of people will simply go "I'd like something new" long before updates or parts availability actually run out, as the gradual advancements in technology are significant enough to actually make a difference

Agree on that take! But there a difference between ownership span and device lifetime. Because there are many people that just want to use messaging, a calendar and so on. So after 4 years the more demanding user can give it to someone in his family or sell it. Most people that buy new phones, buy them because they want a better one. But most phones will not get discarded before they are broken. That's what matters.

 

I don't claim the fp5 to be perfect. For some people the pixle8 might be the better option, which is fine. Its way better than most other phones here, but there is significant difference! And its bigger almost every other phone. My point is: The video should have included much more form what we discuss here than presenting Plex software bugs, nitpicking about stock android (back & delete button, google search; those are nitpicks), glorifying a horrible note 9 in repairability and usability and so on...

 

[tim0901]

56 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Because it is hilarious to believe anything Google says.

They've failed to support any Google Pixel for 4 years, but we're suppose to believe they can suddenly leapfrog over Apple and support their phone for 7 years?

Yeah I do believe it.

 

Because I live in a country with these things called laws.

 

And you know what's illegal under those laws?

 

False advertising.

 

Aka claiming you're going to do something - say, provide updates for X period of time - and then not following through with it.

 

So yeah, if they say they're going to support a device for 7 years, I believe them. Because I know that if they don't, it would be a textbook case of false advertising. Meaning they would then get stung with some big fines and I'd get a check in the mail for compensation.

 

And even outside of the courts, it would be complete suicide for Google if they tried to do it. Their competitors would immediately jump on it as a perfect anti-Google marketing point and it would likely cause them to lose many of their third-party partners due to the reputation cost. All for the sake of saving the cost of the handful of engineers who keep it maintained? It just wouldn't make any sense to do from a risk/reward perspective.

 

So seriously, just take a step away from the "Google kills everything they make in seconds" internet meme hate train for a second, come back to the real world, and realise how little fucking sense Google breaking that promise would make.

[luca_bernd]

15 hours ago, The Sloth said:

The thing is, your paying for it.  Yes, most people care. thats why they buy polished phones, instead of virtue signaling phone. Stock is stock, to add value, you have to polish it. Fix bugs, FYI this is the 5th rev of this device. By now, we expect a finished product.

 

16 hours ago, The Sloth said:

Look harder- 

hmmm... on guy on reddit making ridiculous claims. (e.g. Multiple seconds for taking a picture is obviously wrong. See my post above regarding "slow upgrades")

I saw no reputable reviewer finding "a significant amount of just downright buggy behaviour".

Anyway, if linus found it, and considers it relevant, its his job to show it and make it tranparent!!

16 hours ago, The Sloth said:

The 778( rebranded as QCM6490), has better CPU then the 855, but weaker GPU. 

The note 9 has a Mali-G72MP18 gpu which is way weaker then the Qualcomm Adreno 643 in fp5! The Pixle8s gpu is a bit faster but it costs more and you cant compare a gaming pc with a phone.

 

16 hours ago, The Sloth said:

Nope, Note 9 is slow

The fp5 is way faster!! Aslo my take was: If linus declares the note9 as "pretty darn responsive" he can't complain about fp5 being painfully slow and performance being a big issue.

16 hours ago, The Sloth said:

the Airpod clone, no headphone jack...etc, Slow updates, Camera that makes a Nexus 6p from 2015 a DSLR.

I have to admit that i would like the headphone jack and the tws are a bit sus. But it changes nothing on the relevant points:

• There Phones are the most easiest to repair and where it all along since fp1.
• They provide fair priced replacements for every relevant part for a looooong time.

The camera claim is obviously not serious.

16 hours ago, The Sloth said:

But, are you going to use your in 8 years

Look at my post above for an answer to that.

[HenrySalayne]

I had experienced a lot of issues myself you wouldn't expect from a modern and quite expensive phone:

• the back button is either fixed to the left side (away from my thumb) or you have to use gestures (I opted for gestures which also annoy me time and time again because input is misinterpreted)
• instead of directly toggling between speaker and ear-piece on calls, there is now a sub-menu where you need to select the output device - unnecessary steps and complexity
  • to add insult to injury, sometimes calls are randomly routed to connected devices
• the phone regularly locks up (doesn't react to inputs) after unlocking and you need to lock it and unlock it again to make it work
• I get spammed with system notifications whenever my bluetooth earbuds connected. Every 5 seconds the phone would vibrate to tell me the headphones are now connected. The only fix was to mute system notifications altogether...

Except I have a Pixel 8 Pro. So I am wondering how much the LTT review of the Fairphone reflects issues with the Fairphone and how much it reflects the state of current Android itself. The back button is 100% an Android issue and not a FP5 issue.

With the absence of recent phone reviews on the main channel (especially running a stock or low modified version of Android) I would have liked a more educated approach to this topic. It seems like some things are attributed to the device for a lack of knowledge what stock Android does today.

 I'm also not sure if the Pixel 8 is the right contender (the OS without extensive custom work seems to be a good match). The FP5 comes in at 699€ (256GB) while the Pixel is 859€ (256GB) - a 23% mark-up in Europe. This should have at least been mentioned in the video. The price difference alone puts these two phones barely in the same scope, while the unique "fair" aspect of the FP makes it almost impossible to compare to other phones. There is no other device with a similar meticulously documented supply chain and there is probably a good reason no major phone manufacturer has done something like this.

I want to make clear that I'm not hating on the LTT review of the FP5. I think a lot of the talking points are fair criticism, but I also feel like Linus got carried away into the negative a little bit too far.

 

My bottom line of a recent phone upgrade: It's mostly not worth it. A Note 5 might probably not look too bad in comparison to any modern phone.

I upgraded from my 2018 Huawei Mate 20 Pro because it won't receive updates and I take a lot of photos in low-light conditions. Taking a phone with one of the best cameras was a given. The Pixel 8 Pro has an objectively well improved camera system - the rest of the device is a sidegrade at best and sometimes even a downgrade.

Customizability has decreased, efficient workflows now take additional steps and the overall look and feel is just ok. Why do clocks need to be gigantic nowadays? Why is there a gaping hole in the middle of my screen. Why am I unable to unlock my phone with my face in bed at night? Because an IR sensor would not fit in the budget of a 1100€+ phone? I haven't experienced major improvements in runtime, in speed or in efficiency (of usage). The only thing that's way up is the amount of software issues I experienced so far. I can not recall any similar shenanigans with my previous Android devices.

[HenrySalayne]

17 minutes ago, luca_bernd said:

The note 9 has a Mali-G72MP18 gpu which is way weaker then the Qualcomm Adreno 643 in fp5! The Pixle8s gpu is a bit faster but it costs more and you cant compare a gaming pc with a phone.

I don't want to be a negative Nancy, but they were comparing the FP5 with a Note 5! I get the confusion because Linus was holding his Note 9 into the camera from time to time, but all tables use a Note 5 for comparison.

 

 

 

[luca_bernd]

5 minutes ago, HenrySalayne said:

I get the confusion because Linus was holding his Note 9 into the camera from time to time, but all tables use a Note 5 for comparison.

oh i didn't even realize that. I argued with the performance of a note 9 the whole time... the note 5 is sooo much slooower.

It has a Mali-T760MP8 gpu which is not even a third of the fairphones gpu performance!

[JCHelios]

23 hours ago, MrZoraman said:

At the end, Linus recommended rescuing an older phone off of ebay. I don't know if I agree, since odds are those old phones are no longer receiving software/security updates. I wish Linus brought up that caveat.

I feel like he "brought up that caveat" by installing LineageOS on the Note 5 he tested. Could've dwelled on it more, of course.

[saintlouisbagels]

17 hours ago, tim0901 said:

Yeah I do believe it.

 

Because I live in a country with these things called laws.

 

And you know what's illegal under those laws?

 

False advertising.

 

Aka claiming you're going to do something - say, provide updates for X period of time - and then not following through with it.

 

So yeah, if they say they're going to support a device for 7 years, I believe them. Because I know that if they don't, it would be a textbook case of false advertising. Meaning they would then get stung with some big fines and I'd get a check in the mail for compensation.

 

And even outside of the courts, it would be complete suicide for Google if they tried to do it. Their competitors would immediately jump on it as a perfect anti-Google marketing point and it would likely cause them to lose many of their third-party partners due to the reputation cost. All for the sake of saving the cost of the handful of engineers who keep it maintained? It just wouldn't make any sense to do from a risk/reward perspective.

 

So seriously, just take a step away from the "Google kills everything they make in seconds" internet meme hate train for a second, come back to the real world, and realise how little fucking sense Google breaking that promise would make.

Sorry, I forgot Google has never done anything illegal and has never been fined for anything.

You think they care if they get fined?

 

Apple sold about 222 million iPhone 6's and settled the batterygate lawsuit for $500 million

If we pretend the Pixel 6's update promise was cut short and they only sold about 3.75 million units - what are they going to get fined for? $7 million?

 

Google was recently fined $700 million regarding the PlayStore antitrust stuff. You know how SMALL that is?

21 days of profit for JUST the app store.

 

Google can do whatever the hell they want. So, yes, it is hilarious to believe the 7-year promise.

[Senzelian]

3 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

They've failed to support any Google Pixel for 4 years

They never promised 4 years. They promised 3 years and delivered 3 years. What's your point?

[RoseLuck462]

If anyone wants a cheap and easy phone, just go with some sort of motorola.

[hishnash]

12 hours ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Google can do whatever the hell they want. So, yes, it is hilarious to believe Google's 7-year promise.

I expect google will just cancel that phone line (and create a new one) and drop os support for that one in 3 to 5 years.  They have done the same for a LOAD of products over the years, and if people make enough fuss sometimes google will offer a small refund for that one person, like when they killed off a LOAD of smart thermostats making people need to go out and find a new one (possibly hire a contractor to re-write things) when the old one was working fine but google could not be bothered to continue to support it or run there servers so tough luck.