←back to thread

Fairphone 6 is switching to a new design that's even more sustainable

(www.androidcentral.com)
401 points Bluestein | 6 comments | 23 Jun 25 15:29 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source | bottom
Show context
squarefoot ◴[24 Jun 25 06:54 UTC] No.44363502[source]▶
All phones eventually become obsolete, but their guts could be used in so many ways. I'd love for example if someone made an enclosure acting also as multi port docking station so that old phones with unlocked bootloader (Fairphone being one of them) could be reflashed with a different operating system then used as mini PCs, media players, IoT wall terminals with bigger screens or other uses. Seeing all that perfectly good electronics going into landfills because planned obsolescence says so just irritates me. Can we do that at least for unlocked ones? Framework did something similar for their laptop mainboards, minus the docking station.function as they already have more ports than a phone. Any chances that this could be doable with Fairphone hardware?
replies(8): >>44364053 #>>44364058 #>>44364069 #>>44364135 #>>44364145 #>>44364675 #>>44365442 #>>44366606 #
1. dvdkon ◴[24 Jun 25 08:38 UTC] No.44364053[source]▶
It's certainly technically possible. Phone motherboards have limited wired IO, but USB host mode is enough for a lot of things.

The problem is how locked-down most phones are, and how hard it is to modify their software. Even for the Fairphone, you have to fill out a form on their site to get a bootloader unlock code, and they could close that form if they wished (see Asus). That all means starting an "ecosystem" of accessories and new non-phone software is costly and has an uncertain future.

Personally I think the biggest issue is the theft-prevention functionality that means a phone picked out of e-waste is basically bricked (without some exploit). There's companies making new motherboards out of salvaged Intel chipsets, I'm sure it would be possible to build a business around the reuse of phones, but right now there are just too many obstacles.

I think this could be solved with new legislation. At least here, doing anything with e-waste is already highly regulated. Giving registered e-waste processors the ability to unlock the bootloader of any device would reduce waste, and make unlocked phones something you could reliably buy in bulk. Then I think we could see the kind of aftermarket support for phones.

replies(2): >>44364337 #>>44365341 #
2. WhyNotHugo ◴[24 Jun 25 09:34 UTC] No.44364337[source]▶
> Even for the Fairphone, you have to fill out a form on their site to get a bootloader unlock code, and they could close that form if they wished (see Asus).

You also need to sign up with Google to even get past the setup screen, and the phone needs to reach Google's servers and ask for permission to be used. Even if Fairphone would like to keep phones usable, Google can decide otherwise at any time.

I started a thread on this topic on their forums, and they seem to have no interest in fixing this. I wouldn't consider hardware sustainable if it needs to talk to Google's servers to be used and remains completely locked down otherwise. If you find one of these devices in a drawer in 15 years, and Google has changed their server's API, then the phone is as usable as any other brand

(nitpick: you have to "enter a contractual agreement" with Google, and not create an account. Folks on the forums seemed to be obsessed with the choice of word around this, although practically, it makes no difference).

replies(3): >>44365488 #>>44365658 #>>44370283 #
3. truculent ◴[24 Jun 25 12:17 UTC] No.44365341[source]▶
I quite like the idea of ruling that device sellers have to either offer software support, or allow the hardware to be unlocked
4. neilv ◴[24 Jun 25 12:33 UTC] No.44365488[source]▶
That doesn't sound like a good sign for holistic sustainability.

I've been forming a theory about companies that want to do good. Something like, they need a C-suite executive who is a true-believer, and, figuratively, a pissed-off street fighter, who can see threats to the mission coming from a block away.

For a familiar example of when this isn't happening: most of, say, privacy efforts I see can be classified into one of: (1) well-meaning, but don't really know what they're doing, and hopelessly out of their league against the supposed threat; or (2) it's really just a product marketing angle, for individual pursuit of career or riches.

5. GTP ◴[24 Jun 25 12:52 UTC] No.44365658[source]▶
> You also need to sign up with Google to even get past the setup screen, and the phone needs to reach Google's servers and ask for permission to be used

IIRC they offer a version with a de-googled custom rom preinstalled, does this apply to this option as well?

6. palata ◴[24 Jun 25 19:48 UTC] No.44370283[source]▶
Yeah I think you need to install a custom, deGoogled ROM (you can buy Fairphones that come with some).

If you go with the Googled-Fairphone, then it is Googled indeed.

I bought a Fairphone 3 a few years ago with /e/OS, so I don't have that problem. Also in all fairness, the "you have to log into Google before booting" is making it harder to steal and resell phones. I read somewhere that the number of stolen phones got lower since they (Google, Apple, I guess Samsung and the likes) introduced that "protection".