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The one thing that I don't understand: for a company that claims to be so focused on protecting the environment, why couldn't they take from the frame.work lapt

The one thing that I don't understand: for a company that claims to be so focused on protecting the environment, why couldn't they take from the frame.work laptop playbook and commit to 1-2 form factors and just work on releasing new modules independently? I have the Fairphone 3 and I know that if I take care of it properly I wouldn't need to upgrade the display, but I would like perhaps a new camera if a module with a better sensor came along. If their software support is limited by the SoC they are using, perhaps I would be interested in upgrading the main board, but I could keep everything else after the 7-8 years. Instead, they are expecting me to hold out for this phone as long as possible and then upgrade to whatever they are selling 5 years from now. Not only this will not happen (as I do not want a phone that does not have a headphone jack), this will basically condemn this phone to the same pile of obsolete-phones-with-perfectly-serviceable-displays-and-cameras that I have on my desk drawer.

bornfreddy 3y ago
For FP3, this is actually possible: > The Fairphone 3+ is the upgraded version of the Fairphone 3. It comes with two new camera modules and audio improvements to boost technical performance, enhance the user experience, and improve sustainability. The new camera modules are also sold separately. This way, you can upgrade your Fairphone 3 by replacing the modules. https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047776791-Fairphone-3-FAQ https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047776791...
- idle76 3y ago
  I did this and it worked like a charm! Upgraded to Android 13, and it's gotten really slow, so I'm thinking of moving to /e/
- rglullis 3y ago
  Right! This is why I actually bought the 3. I thought this was going to be their modus operandi, but that hope went down the drain when they launched the FP4.
Fnoord 3y ago
Because a smartphone has a different form factor and ecosystem than a laptop. Fairphone existed before Framework did, btw. They were probably inspired by Fairphone.
- rglullis 3y ago
  > a smartphone has a different form factor and ecosystem than a laptop. But there is nothing stopping them from standardizing their own and building out support from other players in the industry. My point is, during the Fairphone 3/3+ years they seem to be going in this direction. This is why that I bought in the first place. With the FP4, they went from "company with potential to disrupt the market and do good things" to "company that just follow practices from shitty Big Tech and does good marketing". > Fairphone existed before Framework did, btw. And? Just because they came before they can't change?
  - Fnoord 3y ago
    > But there is nothing stopping them from standardizing their own and building out support from other players in the industry. The smaller the device, the more difficult this is. Especially with modularity taken into account. A Framework has modules which are basically USB-C to X where X can be anything (TB, USB-A, USB-C, microSD, etc etc). Easy, if you have the space. On 5-6 inch smartphone? You don't have such space. Furthermore, the SoC is mostly an all in one package on smartphones, in contrast to laptops. > My point is, during the Fairphone 3/3+ years they seem to be going in this direction. This is why that I bought in the first place. I rather have them iterate form factor and on long term settle.
    - rglullis 3y ago
      It's precisely because the device is so small that it should be easier for them to come up with a standard. And "modularity" is not a problem if your design is about fixing what these modules are. All they need is to come up with a design where they can set: - a standard dimension for the board. - a standard dimension for the camera module. - a standard dimension for the battery. - a standard location for I/O and power: display connector, audio, sd card, digitizer, camera, usb port, 2 sim slots, vcc/ground. - a standard location for battery. That's all, really. They don't need to optimize for thinness, they don't need to optimize for performance. They don't need to optimize for heat dissipation. They don't need to optimize for screen size or to ensure that their phone has a stupid notch. I don't care if the phone ends up being 1 cm thick or if it ends up with a 3 mm bezel. First, the people who care about silly things like that are the people who buy whatever "innovation" is being pushed by Apple or Samsung. Second, the phone will likely end up in a protective case anyway so all these details are just stupid vanity metrics. All I know is that they had the chance of having a repeat customer in me, but they are throwing that away if they expect me to keep buying whole new phones from them.

bornfreddy 3y ago

For FP3, this is actually possible: > The Fairphone 3+ is the upgraded version of the Fairphone 3. It comes with two new camera modules and audio improvements to boost technical performance, enhance the user experience, and improve sustainability. The new camera modules are also sold separately. This way, you can upgrade your Fairphone 3 by replacing the modules. https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047776791-Fairphone-3-FAQ https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/360047776791...

idle76 3y ago
I did this and it worked like a charm! Upgraded to Android 13, and it's gotten really slow, so I'm thinking of moving to /e/
rglullis 3y ago
Right! This is why I actually bought the 3. I thought this was going to be their modus operandi, but that hope went down the drain when they launched the FP4.

Fnoord 3y ago

Because a smartphone has a different form factor and ecosystem than a laptop. Fairphone existed before Framework did, btw. They were probably inspired by Fairphone.

rglullis 3y ago
> a smartphone has a different form factor and ecosystem than a laptop. But there is nothing stopping them from standardizing their own and building out support from other players in the industry. My point is, during the Fairphone 3/3+ years they seem to be going in this direction. This is why that I bought in the first place. With the FP4, they went from "company with potential to disrupt the market and do good things" to "company that just follow practices from shitty Big Tech and does good marketing". > Fairphone existed before Framework did, btw. And? Just because they came before they can't change?
- Fnoord 3y ago
  > But there is nothing stopping them from standardizing their own and building out support from other players in the industry. The smaller the device, the more difficult this is. Especially with modularity taken into account. A Framework has modules which are basically USB-C to X where X can be anything (TB, USB-A, USB-C, microSD, etc etc). Easy, if you have the space. On 5-6 inch smartphone? You don't have such space. Furthermore, the SoC is mostly an all in one package on smartphones, in contrast to laptops. > My point is, during the Fairphone 3/3+ years they seem to be going in this direction. This is why that I bought in the first place. I rather have them iterate form factor and on long term settle.
  - rglullis 3y ago
    It's precisely because the device is so small that it should be easier for them to come up with a standard. And "modularity" is not a problem if your design is about fixing what these modules are. All they need is to come up with a design where they can set: - a standard dimension for the board. - a standard dimension for the camera module. - a standard dimension for the battery. - a standard location for I/O and power: display connector, audio, sd card, digitizer, camera, usb port, 2 sim slots, vcc/ground. - a standard location for battery. That's all, really. They don't need to optimize for thinness, they don't need to optimize for performance. They don't need to optimize for heat dissipation. They don't need to optimize for screen size or to ensure that their phone has a stupid notch. I don't care if the phone ends up being 1 cm thick or if it ends up with a 3 mm bezel. First, the people who care about silly things like that are the people who buy whatever "innovation" is being pushed by Apple or Samsung. Second, the phone will likely end up in a protective case anyway so all these details are just stupid vanity metrics. All I know is that they had the chance of having a repeat customer in me, but they are throwing that away if they expect me to keep buying whole new phones from them.