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Fairphone 4—the repairable, sustainable smartphone—is coming to the US (arstechnica.com)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/technology@slrpnk.net
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Not much to add. Saw it in another technology forum and thought it also belonged here for the solarpunks

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[–] 30 points 3 years ago (4 children)

Unpopular opinion for this probably, but the majority of people don’t care or want to repair their own phones. On this forum, yeah, probably, but majority of people would rather just go sign another contract and get a new one or have insurance on it.

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  • [–] 28 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    You're correct, of course, but these types of communities tend to be occupied by people outside of the mainstream who care more about these issues. Also, I think it's important people have the freedom to repair the technology they own even if the majority of people will choose not to, having the ability is still important.

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  • [–] 12 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Also keep in mind that when phones are designed for repairability, there's less chance of a slip-up when it is being repaired, even by a professional, and the process can also be much faster, which I think everyone is probably happy with.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I agree with you but I think the reason these things aren’t more popular is because the majority of people don’t care. Companies want to make money so usually they’ll make products for the larger group of potential customers.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    Just because the majority don't, it doesn't mean we shouldn't

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    All I’m saying is it takes money to make stuff. A small, niche product is harder to justify unless it’s a hobby.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 years ago

    For the companies, it's usually a case of weighing how much adding the feature will cost vs. how much they'll expand their market by adding it. For Fairphone, their whole schtick is that their phones are repairable and upgradeable, so in this case it's that they've determined that there's enough demand in the U.S. market to justify the cost of entry, as they've already added the features. In this case, the majority of people will probably not purchase a Fairphone, but that's not their goal, they occupy a market niche.

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  • [–] 7 points 3 years ago

    ... I dunno. Screen replaceable with 8 screws? it's always the easiest thing to damage. Same with the USB C port. That was the only reason I swapped out from my original pixel last year.

    Also depending on how easy that battery is to remove... that's an audience right there. Throw in an external charger, now you have swappable batteries. That's been a feature many have missed.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 years ago

    A repairable phone doesn't mean you have to repair it yourself. It also means you can get it repaired quickly and cheaply by a local tech compared to other phones, and especially compared to buying a whole new phone.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 years ago* (1 child)

    I feel like the majority of the people care about price/performance more than anything. Paying more for a lower spec phone isn't appealing. Replaceable batteries are nice but it doesn't matter if the battery has 80% of the capacity in the first place.

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