They mention the Pixel and I just got to say, I wish someone would bring back the fingerprint reader on the back of the phone. That was seriously the best solution. Fastest way to unlock your phone, because no matter how slow the fingerprint reader is you activate it while pulling it out of your pocket. I honestly don't get why people like Face ID more (what I currently use). Someone, please bring this back
lynndotpy · 33m ago
And even if it's not much of a dent, with a case, it makes a fantastic divot for holding your phone. I hate FaceID and I miss fingerprint scanners.
ZeroWidthJoiner · 6h ago
The backside fingerprint reader could even be used as an input device on some models for scrolling, or pulling down/up the notification bar. Great for scrolling through content or swiping through screens without having to cover your display for gesture input: https://www.androidauthority.com/miss-rear-fingerprint-scann...
rtaylorgarlock · 6h ago
Exactly--this plus the usability original commenter communicated made this why I did so much work to keep my Pixel 3 alive for so long. I still think about the rear fingerprint sensor after a Pixel 3 -> pixel 6 -> S21 Ultra -> S24 Ultra journey, and further how much fun i had back in the ROM + kernel + modding + undervolting days.
snapplebobapple · 2h ago
Have you tried phones with it on the power button? That was the best for me by far.
guappa · 1h ago
Yeah it's great! I want to put off the screen and instantly after going off, it reads my finger and goes on again!
Who came up with that idea?
Pfeil · 39m ago
Reading this on my Fairphone 5 and can't reproduce this issue. But I admit that sometimes I just want to see the lock screen and accidentally unlock the phone. Therefore, I still agree. The back is the better position for the fingerprint reader.
gertlex · 1h ago
I'm sure it's manageable with proper software, as I had no such issue back in the day with my Xperia Z5(?) compact.
(That said, I get similarly cranky about various gestures that just don't reliably work in some cases. I despair of the eventual day they (google in my case) no longer offer the 3 button home row on android phones)
davidmurdoch · 1h ago
Asus?
fennecbutt · 2h ago
For all the hate that I give apple (great hardware, terrible company, wasted potential) it was extremely smart of them to buy PrimeSense. Even Microsoft kinda missed that boat.
shiomiru · 1h ago
> That was seriously the best solution.
I much prefer having it on a physical home button. You can still feel a dent, but it takes even less effort to reach for it with your thumb.
(Well, I think the Pixel never had a home button, and by now it's unfortunately disappeared from other phones too...)
nicoburns · 6h ago
> Fastest way to unlock your phone, because no matter how slow the fingerprint reader is you activate it while pulling it out of your pocket.
You can also do this with under-screen fingerprint readers which are excellent these days.
aceazzameen · 4h ago
I have never been able to unlock my under-screen fingerprint reader by taking it out of my pocket. This is because the reader isn't in a good position when the phone is in my pocket. Yes, it's where my thumb is when properly holding my phone, but my grip is different when pulling the phone out of my pocket. My older phone with the reader on the back had my index finger in position before I even attempted to take out of my pocket. It was slower at reading my prints, but was always unlocked before I looked at the screen.
I'd love to use the old phone for so many reasons, but the lack of updates has rendered it useless. No Lineage or Graphene for that one either.
godelski · 3h ago
Plus you can feel it on the back which gives you natural feedback
Bluestein · 2h ago
Not to mention some models has haptic feedback and everything, upon unlock ...
godelski · 5h ago
Never worked out quite as well for me. There's no tactile feel, which is more important than people give credit for, especially when grabbing something without looking.
Plus, as others are pointing out, there's additional benefits
RandomBacon · 5h ago
Usually you can't place your finger in the just the rigbt spot when blindly frabbing the phone from your pocket.
I loved the rear fingerprint reader on my old Nexus 5X.
stavros · 6h ago
I do the same with the sensor being on the lock button, why does it have to specifically be the back?
godelski · 6h ago
Hold your phone. Where does your index finger sit?
stavros · 6h ago
Are we talking about holding the phone, or about taking it out of my pocket? Because, for the latter, my fingers are on the sides, including on the power button.
SoftTalker · 6h ago
The side buttons on my phone are more of an annoyance I think. I'm constantly pressing them inadvertently, and rarely use them intentionally. The most common thing in my Photos folder are accidental screenshots (yes I do go back and delete them periodically).
Findecanor · 1h ago
People hold it differently then, I suppose. The fingerprint reader on the back of my Pixel 4a never worked reliably for unlocking, and was too sensitive for scrolling. It scrolled so often when I did not want it to, and I could find no setting to turn it off, so I eventually put a piece of aluminium tape over it to block it.
stavros · 6h ago
Me too, but for the purpose of unlocking, they're great. That's basically the only thing you can't do accidentally with them.
godelski · 5h ago
Your index finger is on the side? I have pretty big hands and long fingers, that's not how I hold my phone. I'm a bit weird and do pinky on button, three fingers in back, then thumb has ample room to navigate around the bottom half
stavros · 5h ago
No, my thumb is on the side, on the power button.
godelski · 4h ago
Well my original question was where your index finger was, not your thumb
stavros · 4h ago
The original topic was about unlocking your phone while taking it out of your pocket, which is done with the thumb.
totallykvothe · 2h ago
Is your thumb the only place you have a fingerprint? I used my index finger on my Pixel 2
stavros · 2h ago
On the power button? How was that comfortable for you?
terribleperson · 1h ago
I use my index finger on the rear scanner on the...S9+, I think? Works fine.
stavros · 1h ago
Are you guys pulling my leg? The original post said "I wish they still made phones with scanners at the back, I hate FaceID", and my reply was "if you don't mind side scanners, which allow you to do the thing you miss (unlocking the phone while taking it out of your pocket), they still make those".
lawn · 6h ago
The thumb works well enough with the finger print scanner to the side IMHO.
rustyminnow · 6h ago
Who said it has to be on the back? Bro said that's what he prefers over Face ID, maybe just has never had one on the lock button.
godelski · 4h ago
I have. Better than FaceID and under screen but I still prefer on the back. It had other benefits and just felt nicer than in the lock button
stavros · 6h ago
If it doesn't have to be on the back, he can just buy a phone with a fingerprint reader on the side today.
rustyminnow · 5h ago
I see what you mean now. Having owned both kinds (and under-screen), I think they still have a point though - on the back was (slightly) better and I wish they'd come back.
zevon · 3h ago
I would personally rank a traditional iPhone home button sensor and the backside sensors on certain Android devices as equally great for unlocking while sliding the phone out of a pocket and general convenience.
Side button sensors work OK, too but I have much more misses on my supposedly more "modern" side button sensor phone than I ever had on old Pixels or any old iPhone with a home button sensor. I assume this is due to the size and general shape of a side button in comparison to an iPhone-style home button or old-Pixel-style back sensor which are bigger, indented and finger-guiding.
xavdid · 2h ago
> I honestly don't get why people like Face ID more
Big +1. Face ID fails way more than Touch ID ever did. I know you couldn't your finger with wet hands or gloves, but that didn't come up all that much.
Face ID fails multiple times per day, every day. I can't unlock my phone well in bed, while brushing teeth, while it's sitting on a table not directly in front of me, if I'm in direct sunlight, in a car mount, etc. The only time it's more useful is when I'm already using the phone and need to auth for an app (bank, 1Password, etc). Then it's seamless. It just doesn't make sense as an unlock mechanism, IMO. iPad has the same problem - I can't unlock it if it's on the couch next to me without picking it up and holding it in front of my face.
Face ID would make a lot of sense on a laptop, which is always used in basically ideal conditions for unlocking: straight on view, probably inside, always centered on my face.
I'd love Touch ID on a phone's lock button, but that's not an option. And I'm worried that if it was an option, it would be relegated to the budget phones (like it is on ipads).
2muchcoffeeman · 1h ago
Why would sunlight make a difference? It uses infra red to map your face right?
xavdid · 1h ago
I have no idea, but it's a constant source of frustration. Sunglasses also lead to failed reads, which makes a little more sense but is just as frustrating. "Here's a new phone. It works great except you can't use it quickly if you're wearing sunglasses. Sorry!"
bradyd · 50m ago
It works with some sunglasses. Probably related to the coating on the lens.
ZiiS · 1h ago
An ultra bright IR source from an unexpected angle?
mystified5016 · 1h ago
Sunlight contains a lot of IR.
jcalx · 6h ago
My main gripe with fingerprint sensors on the back is that it's easy to inadvertently smudge the camera lens when unlocking the phone. Some phones have/had fingerprint unlock on the side power button which is similarly convenient, although I actually don't mind the underscreen sensors that are most common these days. I do appreciate being able to sneak a peek at my phone by discreetly unlocking it at very oblique angles that aren't possible with Face ID.
godelski · 5h ago
That's more a design failure of the camera system, not the fingerprint reader. You can have the best of both worlds here.
Bluestein · 5h ago
> fingerprint reader on the back of the phone
Seconded, vehemently.-
My humble, tiny, circa-2014 Elephone E1 (RIP) was unsurpassed.-
Me wonders if the "onscreen reader" is not an integration-cost cutting measure, as it saves one part?
jerlam · 6h ago
Another plus: you could swipe down on the fingerprint reader for additional actions, like seeing your notifications.
aidenn0 · 6h ago
It's not exactly a flagship phone, but the Unihertz Jelly Max has a fingerprint reader on the back.
smallerfish · 6h ago
The problem with Unihertz though is that they lose interest in fixing software bugs approximately 5 minutes after lauching new phones. And, based on my experience, they tend to launch with a lot of bugs.
andrewmcwatters · 6h ago
I hate Face ID so much. I hate being asked for my PIN for every single little thing I do. I already unlocked my phone, please stop asking me. If I grabbed it, YES, I WANT TO DO THE THING!
-Exhausted Apple user also wanting easier authentication
godelski · 6h ago
Or the minute it actually takes to unlock my phone because it missed the first one and then asks for my pin and activates right before I finish entering my pin
mbirth · 3h ago
> I honestly don't get why people like Face ID more
Because good luck using that fingerprint sensor while wearing gloves, e.g. during garden work, while on a motorcycle ride, or in winter.
layer8 · 2h ago
Why not both, though. Touch ID for the 80% of cases where it works and then is faster than Face ID, because by the time the phone is in front of your face it’s already unlocked, and Face ID for the remaining cases where Touch ID fails. If you can include three cameras, surely you can include two biometric sensors.
Twistyfiasco · 1h ago
The backup unlock is the watch.
strangecasts · 7h ago
Was lucky enough to get my Fairphone 4 on sale, but I'd happily pay full price now - even though the Fairphones are pricey for the specs, unless you absolutely need 24 cores etc. I'd say they are worth it, knowing the company is at least trying to improve the parts supply chain, and knowing you stand a chance of fixing the devices yourself (luckily I've only had to replace the USB-C port, which was trivial)
About the only thing I'd ding Fairphone on is not communicating earlier that they were having trouble getting Android 14 out to the FP4s, but the security patches have been consistent.
(Okay I'm also dinging them on getting rid of the headphone jack, yes I know it's a lost cause... )
dotancohen · 4m ago
I've replaced the USB-C port on a few Samsung devices as well, recently a Note 10 Lite (my second, I loved that phone enough to replace it with the same model). It was trivial, even opening the back case was not too difficult. And the battery was right there had I wanted to replace it as well.
These things are not as difficult as tech writers make them out to be.
bombela · 6h ago
The removal of the phone jack is so obviously planned obsolescence, it is ironic that this project for sustainability follows the trend.
Wired headphones still have better sound quality. Don't need charging. Don't break with software update. But because of that it means less consumption.
Think about how insane it is that companies can remove the phone jack and glue in the battery with the very obvious goal of planned obsolescence. And this is legal.
jack_pp · 6h ago
I don't think it's about planned obsolescence. It's about cutting costs and having one less hole water can get in.
Also wired headphones are a very niche market. If you care so much there are wireless DACs that can feed your wired headphones better than any phone in history.
h4ck_th3_pl4n3t · 1h ago
> It's about cutting costs and having one less hole water can get in.
That's a lazy excuse. Every single IP68 rugged phone has a headphone jack. And the ones that are more waterproof even made for diving with them also have one.
chaosharmonic · 6h ago
My hotter take is that this is the same problem as IR blasters, and relative to the old normal -- when device makers like LG were specifically advertising how awesome their built-in DAC was -- this whole thing could be solved in a much more elegant, flexible way if anyone at all would just give us a second fucking USB port.
winternewt · 6h ago
How do they avoid lossy compression?
emsign · 2h ago
By applying Psychoacoustics. Lossy compression is a problem long solved.
meepmorp · 1h ago
that's not avoiding lossy compression, that's choosing a form that people (hopefully) won't notice
kayson · 13m ago
By that logic, so is using 16 bits and 44khz sampling rate.
okanat · 1m ago
16-bit 44 Khz almost perfectly reproduces human hearing. It wasn't a coincidence that the makers of CDs chose it. Anything above is studio-grade stuff to give extra headroom for editing (applying filters in studio editing can amplify noise which is unwanted, for just playing audio there are no advantages).
With standard Bluetooth codecs you get nowhere close to that and there is a significant noticeable delay for video content. Headphone jack is easy to make IP68. All rugged phones have it and all non-rugged ones have a USB port which is bigger and more irregular than a frigging circle.
BariumBlue · 44m ago
I use my USB-C port to listen to my wired headphones all the time, no problem. Phone jack is now redundant now that USB-C can output audio
o11c · 4m ago
Unfortunately there are major, intentional, compatibility problems with USB audio.
During early COVID, USB audio worked perfectly, but an Android update disabled, supposedly for "security" reasons.
dotancohen · 2m ago
That USB-C jack is not nearly as strong and robust as a proper headphone jack.
KingOfCoders · 6h ago
After years of a Fairbuds XL (never again!) and Bose QC for my Zoom sessions, I've ordered a Sony MDR-7506 because it does not need to be charged, and bluetooth doesn't need to be reconnected etc. Hurray for headphone jacks.
Artoooooor · 42m ago
Still no headphone jack in fairphone 6? Damn, I was almost sure it will by my next phone :(
exabrial · 7h ago
+1 for headphone jack. At least they got the MicroSD correct!
lawn · 6h ago
I've been very happy with my Fairphone 4 that I've had for 4 years now running CalyxOS.
I could probably use it for a few more years but I may upgrade to the 6 if the speakers/microphone are better (and to support the company).
onli · 7h ago
Not really a lost cause in general, there are a bunch of regular phones that have a headphone jack. But fairphone seems unwilling to listen to all the feedback they are getting telling them this is a blocker, so yes, in that way it is a lost cause there.
GrapheneOS support for Fairphone is unlikely to ever happen. Their hardware is too insecure to satisfy GOS's reasonable requirements [1] and have stated that they aren't interested in improving it [2]. Software is also lacking and they've partnered with Murena [3], who has been slinging shit at GOS [4].
I love concept but the only thing that's keeping me from buying it is that it's too big. They don't make small phones anymore:( the last perfect model i had a chanc3 to have was huawei p10- a perfect 5.1 display
guappa · 1h ago
unihertz makes small phones!
TheCraiggers · 6h ago
Still wish I could actually buy one. I know the market for a phone like this is probably quite small in the USA, but I'd still love having the option.
Fingers are still crossed that the upcoming announcement mentions other countries.
dnautics · 2h ago
I (US) have had a fairphone for a year. you can puchase one from murena and it works just fine.
BlackjackCF · 6h ago
I heard about Fairphones and really wanted one. I was disappointed to find that they have poor support in the US.
TheCraiggers · 6h ago
I think by 'poor' you mean 'none'? Last I knew if you bought one in the USA (from eBay, having a friend ship it to you, etc) you have zero support from Fairphone. There was actually an entry in a FAQ about this.
I can't blame them, I just wish it were different.
NewJazz · 6h ago
Yeah hard to justify a repairable phone when sourcing parts for repairs is going to be a major headache :/
ryukafalz · 1h ago
I use a Fairphone 5 and plan to stick with it for a while (after all, that's the point!) but this does look very nice.
I do wish they would sell them in the US and had more US band support. I got mine on a trip to Europe and it works here, but not always consistently. :) That's probably the one thing that'd get me to upgrade and repurpose this one with PostmarketOS.
msgodel · 6h ago
They should switch to an SOC with mainline Linux support so you don't have to throw it out in three years.
jacek · 6h ago
> They should switch to an SOC with mainline Linux support so you don't have to throw it out in three years.
Starting 20th of June this year (so 3 days ago) every new phone released in European Union will need to have software updates for at least 5 years from the date of the end of placement on the market. This might be the first one released under new regulations. Also looking at Fairphone's history it looks like they really support their phones for a long time.
msgodel · 6h ago
The problem is that it's not really up to Fairphone. Qualcomm and Google have to collaborate to provide the artifacts that Fairphone packages and signs for their devices. If for any reason they're unable or unwilling to do that there's nothing Fairphone can do. (and they have pretty consistently failed to do this after just a couple years. In the past it sounds like Fairphone has managed to hack around it with varying degrees of success.)
This is why using SOCs with poor support and closed drivers like this is a terrible idea.
jeroenhd · 2h ago
They intentionally chose a Qualcomm QCM6490 for the FP5 instead of the rumoured Snapdragon because Qualcomm will offer longer support for that chipset (which is supposed to be used for IoT/industrial applications). We don't know what chip is in the new one yet, all we have is rumours, but I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the same "Snapdragon but industrial" trick here.
Many mainline supported SOCs are unavailable to a company like Fairphone, which only produces a tiny amount of phones (less than 50k for the latest and greatest model). CPU manufacturers aren't going to waste time sending their top-end chips to some small company when Samsung can pay more per CPU and can take shipping containers full of them. That's also why F(x)tec phones come out with such outdated processors. Small companies will have to make do with whatever niche products are for sale in low quantities.
ppseafield · 6h ago
Which SoC should they switch to? Google's Pixel phones for Android 16's release just updated[0] their kernels to 6.1, which means the bleeding edge kernel version for Android phones is a release from December 2022. What Qualcomm SoCs are supported by this kernel, and how fast are they?
If the drivers were upstreamed it would be supported by the latest kernel.org kernel even before release.
AFAIK outside the Pinephone and Liberem 5 no hardware manufacturers explicitly target this and only 10 year+ old Qualcomm (other vendors such as Freescale tend to behave much better) SOCs have open source graphics drivers because the SOC vendors themselves often refuse to support their own hardware.
Google is able to do this because they build their own SOCs (probably because they got tired of being jerked around by Qualcomm) but still don't merge their stuff upstream (or at least they don't last I checked.)
charcircuit · 50m ago
Android 16 uses the latest LTS branch of Linux which is 6.12.
Spunkie · 6h ago
Still no headphone jack makes this a nonstarter, lame.
OkayPhysicist · 1h ago
How often are you listening to music on your phone while it's charging? (because otherwise you can always just attach an adapter onto your headphones to make it USB-C). Seems like a weird hang up.
GoatInGrey · 1h ago
So when I reach the trailhead and realize that my dongle is back at home, I can still use my headphones to listen to a podcast as I hike.
Or maybe I'm out in public with others and want them to listen to something but my dongle is at home so I now need to play audio over the speakers in a public setting.
It comes down to having choice and not being funnelled into overpriced wireless earbuds. Which Fairphone began selling with the release of the Fairphone 4, their first phone without the jack.
OkayPhysicist · 1h ago
What else are you plugging your headphones into? Again, the pitch here is leaving the dongle basically permanently attached to the headphones, effectively turning them into a set of usb-c wired headphones. I was hesitant about abandoning the headphone jack, too, until I realized that the higher-end phones I'd effectively locked myself out of charge in 10% of the time.
Topfi · 29m ago
> What else are you plugging your headphones into?
My Macbook, my work laptop, my e-piano, my Note9, my BTR7, ...
Don't get me wrong, I understand far too well why no new flagship offers the jack anymore and wireless/USB-C is truly amazingly convenient for the vast majority of users, even audio quality wise, but sadly we are still very far from either being universal, either because the standard is still 1/8 or 1/4 inch or latency is key (in the case of instruments both). Also, USB-C ports are finite so using the small 3.5mm port is often preferable. So just keeping the dongle plugged in, sadly not an option. Apple Dongle DACs are easily lost too, ask me how I know.
Am very far removed from the mainstream customer and accept that in any case, my dream phone would likely bankrupt whoever was dumb enough to bankroll it, so I'll just deal with the compromise.
interloxia · 1h ago
Swap the dongle for a pd friendly y cable.
icy · 6h ago
Really wish they’d make a 5,5” version of this. Desperately holding on to my 13 mini.
pkulak · 6h ago
Man, would I ever love to buy one of these. But last I checked, even if you import to the USA, you won't have most of the bands you need. :(
CalyxOS support Fairphones. It is a better option anyway, also supports bootloader relocking etc.
dsr_ · 2h ago
Is the combination proof against pre-unlock attacks with Cellebrite?
(I would like the answer to be yes, and I would like the answer to be yes for many more phones and OS combos. I don't think it is.)
9283409232 · 2h ago
My dream phone is a Fairphone running GrapheneOS
summermusic · 2h ago
The GrapheneOS developers had this to say about Fairphone back in 2021:
“It's not possible for GrapheneOS to support @Fairphone devices because they're far from meeting even the most basic security requirements. They haven't come close and it doesn't appear to be a priority for them.“
I also would love a Fairphone-like device running GrapheneOS, but I don’t think Fairphone is going to be the company to deliver to GrapheneOS’s high standards.
I remember them saying that. I would've hoped Fairphone would up their hardware security standards since then.
m3kw9 · 1h ago
Buying a phone because us sustainable would be better served if you did something else in place of it. There is a huge trade off between sustainability and the usefulness
neoromantique · 6h ago
Manufactured entirely in China and no headphone jack, that's a pass for me.
pkulak · 6h ago
I'm curious to know your current phone that passes that test.
Defletter · 2h ago
Happens a lot: if the more ethical choice isn't perfect, I might as well stick with the very unethical choices.
Who came up with that idea?
(That said, I get similarly cranky about various gestures that just don't reliably work in some cases. I despair of the eventual day they (google in my case) no longer offer the 3 button home row on android phones)
I much prefer having it on a physical home button. You can still feel a dent, but it takes even less effort to reach for it with your thumb.
(Well, I think the Pixel never had a home button, and by now it's unfortunately disappeared from other phones too...)
You can also do this with under-screen fingerprint readers which are excellent these days.
I'd love to use the old phone for so many reasons, but the lack of updates has rendered it useless. No Lineage or Graphene for that one either.
Plus, as others are pointing out, there's additional benefits
I loved the rear fingerprint reader on my old Nexus 5X.
Side button sensors work OK, too but I have much more misses on my supposedly more "modern" side button sensor phone than I ever had on old Pixels or any old iPhone with a home button sensor. I assume this is due to the size and general shape of a side button in comparison to an iPhone-style home button or old-Pixel-style back sensor which are bigger, indented and finger-guiding.
Big +1. Face ID fails way more than Touch ID ever did. I know you couldn't your finger with wet hands or gloves, but that didn't come up all that much.
Face ID fails multiple times per day, every day. I can't unlock my phone well in bed, while brushing teeth, while it's sitting on a table not directly in front of me, if I'm in direct sunlight, in a car mount, etc. The only time it's more useful is when I'm already using the phone and need to auth for an app (bank, 1Password, etc). Then it's seamless. It just doesn't make sense as an unlock mechanism, IMO. iPad has the same problem - I can't unlock it if it's on the couch next to me without picking it up and holding it in front of my face.
Face ID would make a lot of sense on a laptop, which is always used in basically ideal conditions for unlocking: straight on view, probably inside, always centered on my face.
I'd love Touch ID on a phone's lock button, but that's not an option. And I'm worried that if it was an option, it would be relegated to the budget phones (like it is on ipads).
Seconded, vehemently.-
My humble, tiny, circa-2014 Elephone E1 (RIP) was unsurpassed.-
Me wonders if the "onscreen reader" is not an integration-cost cutting measure, as it saves one part?
-Exhausted Apple user also wanting easier authentication
Because good luck using that fingerprint sensor while wearing gloves, e.g. during garden work, while on a motorcycle ride, or in winter.
About the only thing I'd ding Fairphone on is not communicating earlier that they were having trouble getting Android 14 out to the FP4s, but the security patches have been consistent.
(Okay I'm also dinging them on getting rid of the headphone jack, yes I know it's a lost cause... )
These things are not as difficult as tech writers make them out to be.
Wired headphones still have better sound quality. Don't need charging. Don't break with software update. But because of that it means less consumption.
Think about how insane it is that companies can remove the phone jack and glue in the battery with the very obvious goal of planned obsolescence. And this is legal.
Also wired headphones are a very niche market. If you care so much there are wireless DACs that can feed your wired headphones better than any phone in history.
That's a lazy excuse. Every single IP68 rugged phone has a headphone jack. And the ones that are more waterproof even made for diving with them also have one.
With standard Bluetooth codecs you get nowhere close to that and there is a significant noticeable delay for video content. Headphone jack is easy to make IP68. All rugged phones have it and all non-rugged ones have a USB port which is bigger and more irregular than a frigging circle.
During early COVID, USB audio worked perfectly, but an Android update disabled, supposedly for "security" reasons.
I could probably use it for a few more years but I may upgrade to the 6 if the speakers/microphone are better (and to support the company).
A shame really.
>Framework-like upgradability / repairability / modularity
>Support for GrapheneOS
>Sold in USA
On a more positive note, due to the AOSP/Pixel drama there now is a real possibility a different major OEM will be supported: https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/114711328082841462
[1] https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices
[2] https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/114733211017800480
[3] https://murena.com/
[4] https://grapheneos.social/@GrapheneOS/114235396540176085
Fingers are still crossed that the upcoming announcement mentions other countries.
I can't blame them, I just wish it were different.
I do wish they would sell them in the US and had more US band support. I got mine on a trip to Europe and it works here, but not always consistently. :) That's probably the one thing that'd get me to upgrade and repurpose this one with PostmarketOS.
Starting 20th of June this year (so 3 days ago) every new phone released in European Union will need to have software updates for at least 5 years from the date of the end of placement on the market. This might be the first one released under new regulations. Also looking at Fairphone's history it looks like they really support their phones for a long time.
This is why using SOCs with poor support and closed drivers like this is a terrible idea.
Many mainline supported SOCs are unavailable to a company like Fairphone, which only produces a tiny amount of phones (less than 50k for the latest and greatest model). CPU manufacturers aren't going to waste time sending their top-end chips to some small company when Samsung can pay more per CPU and can take shipping containers full of them. That's also why F(x)tec phones come out with such outdated processors. Small companies will have to make do with whatever niche products are for sale in low quantities.
[0] https://www.androidauthority.com/pixel-linux-6-1-android-15-...
AFAIK outside the Pinephone and Liberem 5 no hardware manufacturers explicitly target this and only 10 year+ old Qualcomm (other vendors such as Freescale tend to behave much better) SOCs have open source graphics drivers because the SOC vendors themselves often refuse to support their own hardware.
Google is able to do this because they build their own SOCs (probably because they got tired of being jerked around by Qualcomm) but still don't merge their stuff upstream (or at least they don't last I checked.)
Or maybe I'm out in public with others and want them to listen to something but my dongle is at home so I now need to play audio over the speakers in a public setting.
It comes down to having choice and not being funnelled into overpriced wireless earbuds. Which Fairphone began selling with the release of the Fairphone 4, their first phone without the jack.
My Macbook, my work laptop, my e-piano, my Note9, my BTR7, ...
Don't get me wrong, I understand far too well why no new flagship offers the jack anymore and wireless/USB-C is truly amazingly convenient for the vast majority of users, even audio quality wise, but sadly we are still very far from either being universal, either because the standard is still 1/8 or 1/4 inch or latency is key (in the case of instruments both). Also, USB-C ports are finite so using the small 3.5mm port is often preferable. So just keeping the dongle plugged in, sadly not an option. Apple Dongle DACs are easily lost too, ask me how I know.
Am very far removed from the mainstream customer and accept that in any case, my dream phone would likely bankrupt whoever was dumb enough to bankroll it, so I'll just deal with the compromise.
(I would like the answer to be yes, and I would like the answer to be yes for many more phones and OS combos. I don't think it is.)
“It's not possible for GrapheneOS to support @Fairphone devices because they're far from meeting even the most basic security requirements. They haven't come close and it doesn't appear to be a priority for them.“
I also would love a Fairphone-like device running GrapheneOS, but I don’t think Fairphone is going to be the company to deliver to GrapheneOS’s high standards.
Source: https://x.com/grapheneos/status/1448394015242604551
article doesn't mention if it does, does not