Fairphone is now officially available in the United States

(fairphone.com)

87 points | by Vinnl 1 hour ago

9 comments

  • mrbluecoat 49 minutes ago
    "[GrapheneOS] lost most interest in that hardware due to the poor way privacy, security, updates and marketing based on these things has been handled."

    https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/28825-is-there-any-chance-o...

    • NoboruWataya 25 minutes ago
      I'm sure their concerns are valid but just because GrapheneOS don't consider the Fairphone to meet their standards for security doesn't mean it is not worth considering for other people who may have different priorities. Fairphones have certain advantages over Pixels such as better repairability and more ethically sourced labour/components. IMO it's good to see the Fairphone do well (and I hope GrapheneOS's partnership with Motorola also goes well).
      • stymaar 10 minutes ago
        Unfortunately it looks like it's not just a issue of missing hardware security features:

        > Their partnership with Murena along with promoting it themselves with misleading marketing means no possibility of working with us.

        I want to like GrapheneOS, but the pettiness of its leadership is a real problem for the long term prospect of the project.

        • hokumguru 3 minutes ago
          Is it pettiness or just sticking to their morals? Murena, as they mentioned, forwards data to OpenAI which is against pretty much everything Graphene stands for.
    • gruez 36 minutes ago
      Here's a post with more specific allegations:

      https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/24134-devices-lacking-stand...

    • dnautics 17 minutes ago
      i dont get it, they are comparing eOS to graphene, not talking about the hardware.

      this would be like grapheneOS not using pixel because the stock android that ships with it does not respect privacy.

      am i missing something?

  • threemux 36 minutes ago
    Looks great! For other T-Mobile users, it actually supports the full range of frequency bands. Quite a few devices claim T-Mobile support but are then missing band 12 or 71 on LTE or n71 on 5G, all of which are critical for coverage outside of cities.
  • VyseofArcadia 13 minutes ago
    Fairphone products have been available in the US officially for ages. This is just the ability to purchase direct from Fairphone.

    I bought a Fairphone 4 from Murena years ago (and am still using it), and I bought a pair of Fairbuds XL just in April from the same.

  • commoner 30 minutes ago
    Exciting to see this soon after someone got the Fairphone 6 camera working on postmarketOS:

    https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49338285

    The 6+ is a different model, but the announcement says the camera module is the same.

  • the_gamedev 10 minutes ago
    Wondering if fairphone will ever be officially available in india. I would like a no bloatware and repairable device.
  • Runways 26 minutes ago
    USB 2.0 port is the only thing preventing me from purchasing one. A wild choice since I believe previous versions did not have this limitation.
    • zyberzero 22 minutes ago
      How often do you connect stuff to your phone, and for what purposes? I genuinely wonder!

      I can't remember the last time I connected my phone to my computer for other purposes than charging the phone, but that's me and we all use our stuff different ways

      • Runways 13 minutes ago
        You can install Linux on this device. If it had proper dock support, this would be 'the' phone I've been looking for. There is a not insignificant number of users in the forum that are skipping this phone for that reason. It would have been my first.

        https://forum.fairphone.com/t/fp6-discussion-about-usb-2-and...

        • zyberzero 5 minutes ago
          Ah, that makes sense, thanks! I tried that way back when Windows phone was a thing (using my phone as a desktop), I even had a small dock for my Lumia 925. It worked well enough for presentations and RDPing into my workstation.
    • fnord123 19 minutes ago
      You need to transfer more than 480Mbps over a hard line to and from your phone? Seems like a niche requirement that even iPhone 17 doesn't bother with. Or is it psychological 'nunber must go up and usb number went from 2 to 3 many years ago so now 2 bad'
      • NewJazz 3 minutes ago
        [delayed]
      • stonogo 8 minutes ago
        Previous versions of the Fairphone did have USB3, and also Displayport Alt Mode, so you could plug the phone into a display and use Android Desktop. There's more to a given version of USB than line rate.
  • amazingamazing 24 minutes ago
    $650 for anyone who does not want to click. Hard sell compared to the iPhone 17e but more choice is good.
    • Noaidi 12 minutes ago
      I would buy this phone in a second over a 17e. Replaceable parts? Expandable storage? Any companies that says they care about the environment and does not have these things are just liars.
  • AdmiralAsshat 53 minutes ago
    No Verizon support. :(
    • Alcor 29 minutes ago
      How is that still a thing? I can’t think of a phone here in Europe that you can’t just put a SIM card from any carrier in and it will work.
      • davey48016 13 minutes ago
        From Fairphone's US order page

        > Critical Notice: The device does not support LTE Band 13 (Verizon's primary coverage frequency).

        Presumably that frequency isn't used in Europe? It also says that it's "not certified for use on the Verizon Wireless network." I don't know if that means Verizon might block it (which sounds like a very US thing) or it's related to not supporting the frequency that Verizon uses for LTE.

      • Onawa 10 minutes ago
        Because the United States sucks in regards to mobile phone compatibility and spectrum allocation. https://share.gemini.google/u6E8mAiITMcJ
    • Noaidi 10 minutes ago
      Yeah, that’s a bummer. But I’m seriously thinking about switching to AT&T over this, but I would need to know if the frequencies are covered as good on AT&T.

      I can’t believe how few choices we have in cell phones in the United States. Where is all the innovation I keep hearing everyone talk about?

      • delfinom 6 minutes ago
        Innovation in the US is mainly how many more creative ways they can suck money out of consumers.