Update 1
I see a framerate/refresh rate bug that occasionally locks the framerate at a low value upon unlock. Fixing it requires a lock/unlock cycle.
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How’s the battery life? Also, what OS are you running on it? Any issues with any apps so far?
Do you like the default launcher? Is there a way to clean up the screen? From youtube videos, I see that the launcher is similar to iOS where all your apps are laid out. I prefer the minimal approach: a few favorite apps, some widgets and an app draw
How’s the build quality? Does it feel more like a budget or premium phone?
I’d say mid. It feels similar to a Nexus 5 or a BlackBerry Z10. I like it a lot. There are no pointlessly slippery surfaces that make it slide off of any table. Doesn’t seem like every nick would show. Ever since my first glass-backed phone went into a case, the enclosure premiumness of every phone has lasted of tens of minutes. It’s been all rubber and vinyl afterwards.
You had me at Nexus 5. My favorite smartphone out of the 5 I’ve owned
God damn, I miss that phone. Or I should say, I miss using it. It’s in a drawer.
Should I get one?
If you need a phone and can afford it, so far I think so.
How much is it?
Also how much RAM/Storage did you get?
Or 1016 Canadian dollhairs, delivered.
- Does it have USB-C video out?
- Do you plan to run any custom ROMs / Can it run custom ROMs?
- Don’t know if it supports video out yet.
- The bootloader is unlockable and there seems to be support by Lineage OS, but I don’t see Fairphone 6 yet.
Unfortunately they dropped the video out from the new model…
They dropped the whole USB protocol to USB 2.0, which consequently dropped the video out
Feels like some are taking steps backwards. Pixels also.
It has a USB 2.0 Type C connector, unable to carry video signal in any device AFAIK
Yes. Massive downgrade imo. I really wanna know why they did this. It cant have been thaat expensive right?
To be fair (pun intended) very, very few people ever use the USB-C port for anything other than charging and maybe syncing photos to a pc.
The connector itself costs like 8 bucks, I don’t know how much more expensive it would be for them to design the signal integrity in their motherboard, required to carry the video stream.
Still, for the price and for the market segment they’re targeting, this and the lack of a 3.5mm jack for sound is inexcusable.
To be fair (pun intended) very, very few people ever use the USB-C port for anything other than charging and maybe syncing photos to a pc.
That’s because even Samsung with its DeX feature barely advertises desktop mode. People use iPads as desktop replacements these days. Once they realize that hooking up a phone to the same USB C dock is an option, they’ll use it.
Google seems to be starting to invest into desktop mode again because Samsung users are loving it. So lets hope it makes a comeback in future generations.
Samsung users are loving it
Only a small fraction because Samsung doesn’t advertise it, even though they could make know off ads of Nintendo’s Switch ads back in the day: Show a person playing some game on the bus, then coming home and docking the phone to the TV and the person grabs a game pad. Done. They could make a variation of the same ad every time some big name game comes to Android.
Not even for gaming, but just general office work/watching videos/whatever else you can do inside a browser.
I still want a laptop thingie with a battery under the keyboard, some ports, and where the phone acts like the trackpad when docked. I know that it would be phone specific due to the size, but seriously that would be amazing. The “laptop” can be pretty cheap being just a keyboard, battery, and monitor as well.
Imagine a spot where someone wakes up, has their phone in a dock to stimulate an alarm clock, grabs it, and drives to work (with android auto, obviously). Next scene they arrive in the office, plug their phone into a dock with keyboard/mouse + monitor attached and start working seamlessly. Later they sit down in a café with just a tiny keyboard writing some emails on their phone, go back home and Screencast videos to their TV.
The connector itself costs like 8 bucks
What? Even if you buy them as a consumer they are less than a dollar each, when you buy them wholesale on a reel for a pick and place machine they are $0.20 each
unable to carry video signal in any device AFAIK
That would be my personal no-go, not with upstream Android getting desktop mode and the ability to run desktop Linux applications. I sometimes use Samsung DeX when I sit down at my desk and realize that all my “regular” computers (= a notebook and a Steam Deck) are out of reach without getting up again.
Fuuuu there is literally only one Xiaomi in there :-/
Hows the new minimal UI?
Meh. Just a limited launcher. I remapped the button to the flashlight.
Fair enough. I wondered if it would cause a difference in how people use the phone.
Can you map it to anything you want? Like, say, make the button turn on constant phone vibration. Asking for a friend.
Sadly no:
If you don’t care about Do Not Disturb, you could probably jank more functionality by making a different function trigger whenever DND comes on with Automate or Tasker…
Oh that’s sadly really limited. I would probably also set it to flashlight.
How deep are your wellies, now that you’re wading knee deep in clunge? Is drowning in muff how you foresaw your life turning out?
More or less.
I don’t think he has a pair, good christmas gift idea
edit: wellies I mean
I’d upvote this post twice if I could. Thank you for my new vocabulary word. Ever so useful.
In fact, this whole exchange has brightened my whole (admittedly dull) day.
Can’t wait to see a followup post for this! Cheers for doing this AMA! 🎉❤️❤️
What kind of motorbike would you recommend for vietnam? Redlining a Honda Wave to do 55mph for an hour is awful, but a <200 lb bike is really nice in traffic and when you have to go over curbs, and bigger bikes are more likely to attract police attention.
My buddy got a cb1000r dirt cheap, and hates it in the city, and is constantly paranoid every traffic cop is gonna take the bike or demand a shitton of money.
How long did shipping take?
Several days. I ordered it from Clove UK, not Fairphone since Fairphone doesn’t ship to Canada.
Is it pretty “snappy” ? Wondering if there is any lag time or if runs smoothly right away or what settings I got to mess with to minimize responses time.
How do you like it so far?
Any good/bad surprises?
What OS/rom you planning to run or keep it stock?
What were your motivations for getting it?
Snappier than my Pixel 8 Pro.
So far I like it. The screen is great. The speaker is decent. The camera looks to be fairly decent. Not Pixel 8 Pro level at zoom, but otherwise it seems comparable to some of the Pixel a-series cams I’ve seen. The only thing that bugs me so far is the shittier haptic feedback compared to the Pixel. 😄
I am shocked how fast and good the power button fingerprint reader is. Especially coming off of the Pixel’s in-screen reader.
Running stock OS for now.
Among other things, a combination of Fairphone releasing the 6 with improved camera and Google stopping publishing device code with Android 16. The future of third party OSes on the Pixel line is now in limbo. I’m still unsure how well the Fairphone will work on my carrier in Canada since it lacks one of the bands used. Seems okay for now. I’ll need to take it out in the wild and see the impact on signal and battery.
Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions (:
I am looking at moving to a OS/Rom that is geared towards pricy and thought the pixel was it! Alas, like you stated the pixels future with a custom OS does not seem clear so I was hoping that the fairphone might be it. I definitely have only done surface level research so far ( I’m poor and don’t want to excited yet haha)
What band does it lack? That’s definitely something I would not have thought of till you mentioned battery life. Looks like I got more research to do before I purchase anyways.
Any chance you’ll update this post with a reply on your results for battery life I would be most interested in the effect and if it’s negligible?
My current phone is about 5 or more generations behind. I’m not a photographer or big picture taker so the drawbacks you noticed wouldn’t even be on my radar haha
Appreciate the detail in your response and time again thank you!
It lacks LTE band 13. Reply to some of my comments in a few weeks time and I’ll see the notifucation and update with some real world testing. If money is a problem, don’t spend it on this. Get a second hand Pixel 7/8/9 when yours dies and use that as they can be found relatively cheap. The a-series are even cheaper but you have to watch for battery issues. The Pixel can still be locked down fairly well with the stock OS by disabling various apps and components, and by throwing anything you don’t trust in Private Space.
Thanks for all the great info on your post and replies, yeah I’m going to just bite the bullet and do it. Guess it’s time to do real research 🧐
Check what the parts availability is where you are. Some signs point to possible lack of/difficulty obtaining parts in Canada for example.
Does the flashlight led have multiple brightness levels?
that’s an android feature. technically I think any phone could do it.
If the hardware isnt able to switch the LED at least like 200 times a second, then it cant do proper PWM that doesnt look flickery so no you can definitely have a phone that isnt capable of it.
Why would they use PWM to drive an LED in a DC circuit when they could just drop the voltage to make it dimmer?
Could be done but voltage regulators just burn a bunch of energy which doesnt seem very smart for a mobile device. Also if you already need a transistor for switching the LED then just picking one that can do so at 200Hz or more is gonna save you an extra part and give you much finer and easier control over dimming.
Tried flashdim from F-Droid, doesn’t seem to work.
Best app ever
Never heard about it. Works great in Pixel 8!
Will you use a photo of a rabbit as background image?
Is the screen glass easy to change?
Haven’t seen the details but iFixit gave it 10/10 repairability score.
Do you wear wigs?
Have you worn wigs?
Will you wear wigs?
Lil sus they wont answer about the wigs. I think we have our answer.
For those who have not seen the brilliant interview where Hans Jensen interviews Elijah Wood!
No, don’t recall, maybe.
When will you wear wigs?
HAAH-!
When will you wear Wigs?
