What is their plan to provide long-term support? How long do they say they will support it? I had the FP1 and after a few years there were no more firmware updates from I think Qualcomm. Google eventually stopped supporting the chip for newer android versions, and fairphone didn’t have the resources to do it on their own. Then there was a major security vulnerability. I don’t remember which one, but basically remote code execution was possible just by visiting a website. With no updates for the FP1, it was unusable from then on for everything remotely private.
The hardware worked fine until the end, but this mess made it unusable. In comparison, my recently bought Pixel 9 gets updates until 2032.
PS: A ton of questions in the comments here can be resolved by a simple web search…
Google eventually stopped supporting the chip for newer android versions
The chip was made by MediaTek and Google just provides Android and usually no firmware support in the first place… So how exactly is this related to Google?
I don’t remember which one, but basically remote code execution was possible just by visiting a website
That sounds like a browser issue which is unrelated to the OS.
The hardware worked fine until the end, but this mess made it unusable.
Uhm what did you expect from a 1st generation smartphone made in 2013? That the software will always be up-to-date even 10 years later?
FP1 and 2 were really bad compared to what the new models offer. They now use LTS chips designed for IoT devices and promise new Android versions and Updates for at least 8 years.
Ive used a FP3 for many years before I sold it (it still recieves updates) and now happily use the FP5.
This is no longer the case for the Fairphone 6. It uses a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which is a regular SoC for mobile devices. I believe this is because Qualcomm finally extended support for these chips past 5 years.
There was an announcement about QC extending SD 7 and 8 support for up to 8 years but they say it depends on the OEM. Maybe FP is part of that deal. Maybe not.
Now let’s look at the Pixel’s update support from another angle. The problem I see is that the hardware may not last that long in practice. Specifically due to the lack of parts or the prices for those parts. For example a replacement for my Pixel 8 Pro’s battery is currently CAD $160. That used to be $80 when I had a Pixel 5. The screen repair cost is very high. Over the year-and-a-half I’ve had it, its battery capacity has gone down to 92%. A battery I have almost never fast charged. If this degradation rate continues, it’ll need replacement by year 2-3 of the device life. That’ll be $160-200 for another 2-3 years. Then there’s the parts availability. The Pixel 6a, supported to 2027, has a fire-hazardous battery defect requiring battery replacement. Our extended family has a couple. We checked with the authorized repair shops and it turns out they no longer have those batteries. That’s 3 years into the device’s support lifespan. This means it’s quite plausibe that I won’t be able to replace my Pixel 8 Pro’s battery next year, let alone in the 6th year of its 7-year support lifespan. In other words that long of an update support is only meaningful if it’s supplanted by the necessary availability of parts, and ideally the ability to replace them without specialized tools. I’ve tried replacing a Pixel battery in the past and I broke a screen. I’m sure I can get the hang of it if I had the requisite hot plates, high end suction cups and a few spare devices to practice, but that’s not practical for most users.
What is their plan to provide long-term support? How long do they say they will support it? I had the FP1 and after a few years there were no more firmware updates from I think Qualcomm. Google eventually stopped supporting the chip for newer android versions, and fairphone didn’t have the resources to do it on their own. Then there was a major security vulnerability. I don’t remember which one, but basically remote code execution was possible just by visiting a website. With no updates for the FP1, it was unusable from then on for everything remotely private.
The hardware worked fine until the end, but this mess made it unusable. In comparison, my recently bought Pixel 9 gets updates until 2032.
Fairphone 6 will get updates until at least 2033
PS: A ton of questions in the comments here can be resolved by a simple web search…
The chip was made by MediaTek and Google just provides Android and usually no firmware support in the first place… So how exactly is this related to Google?
That sounds like a browser issue which is unrelated to the OS.
Uhm what did you expect from a 1st generation smartphone made in 2013? That the software will always be up-to-date even 10 years later?
FP1 and 2 were really bad compared to what the new models offer. They now use LTS chips designed for IoT devices and promise new Android versions and Updates for at least 8 years. Ive used a FP3 for many years before I sold it (it still recieves updates) and now happily use the FP5.
This is no longer the case for the Fairphone 6. It uses a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, which is a regular SoC for mobile devices. I believe this is because Qualcomm finally extended support for these chips past 5 years.
Oh good to know!
Good question.
There was an announcement about QC extending SD 7 and 8 support for up to 8 years but they say it depends on the OEM. Maybe FP is part of that deal. Maybe not.
Now let’s look at the Pixel’s update support from another angle. The problem I see is that the hardware may not last that long in practice. Specifically due to the lack of parts or the prices for those parts. For example a replacement for my Pixel 8 Pro’s battery is currently CAD $160. That used to be $80 when I had a Pixel 5. The screen repair cost is very high. Over the year-and-a-half I’ve had it, its battery capacity has gone down to 92%. A battery I have almost never fast charged. If this degradation rate continues, it’ll need replacement by year 2-3 of the device life. That’ll be $160-200 for another 2-3 years. Then there’s the parts availability. The Pixel 6a, supported to 2027, has a fire-hazardous battery defect requiring battery replacement. Our extended family has a couple. We checked with the authorized repair shops and it turns out they no longer have those batteries. That’s 3 years into the device’s support lifespan. This means it’s quite plausibe that I won’t be able to replace my Pixel 8 Pro’s battery next year, let alone in the 6th year of its 7-year support lifespan. In other words that long of an update support is only meaningful if it’s supplanted by the necessary availability of parts, and ideally the ability to replace them without specialized tools. I’ve tried replacing a Pixel battery in the past and I broke a screen. I’m sure I can get the hang of it if I had the requisite hot plates, high end suction cups and a few spare devices to practice, but that’s not practical for most users.
yeah it’s not like google ever abandoned any projects
Unlike FP, Google at least Manages to provide security updates that are not more than 1,5 months old or even more
And that is for the FP5, since launch day.