A mid-ranger that'll still be receiving security updates eight years from now, don't forget. You're paying £200 for the hardware and £400 for extended support - extended beyond, even, where Google supports its own first-party stuff. If I bought the Motorola, and if I didn't want to roll the dice on leaving it unpatched when support ends, I'd be buying another in 2026 - so that's £500. Then another in 2029 - £750. Then another after that, for a cool grand - whereas I'd only then be looking for a new one if I bought the Fairphone (and assuming I didn't break the thing beyond repair in the decade I'd been using it, which is no guarantee...)
I totally agree with the long-term support aspect. Knowing you've got guaranteed updates for the next 8 years (5 in my case) is great when you can't be bothered, or don't want to, swap phone every 12-24 months.
I honestly don't think I'd be buying a phone today thinking it'd still be doing the business in 8 years' time, especially given (as you say) the Fairphone is mid-range specs at best. And that's coming from someone who has been pushing the argument that you don't need top-end specs to have a good phone experience... it's just that typically software requirements increase in line with the base level of hardware available. What that baseline is in 2032 is anyone's guess. And of course, as you say, that assumes that the phone remains in good physical condition. I'm pretty careful with my phones but several years' worth of wear and tear are going to take their toll. It's a shame, because I really like the idea of Fairphone but for me it's not compelling enough. Seems like I am really very fussy though
You're paying £200 on a phone and £400 on a promise/wish... that the device is actually still usable in 8 years time, that fairphone still exits and that fairphone stick to their word
I mean, I'm happy with the performance of my five-year-old Nokia... It's just buggy as hell and the camera flash is knacked. If it was a Fairphone, I could just replace the camera module. Can't do that (easily) on the Nokia! They are, but if anything *breaks* then I can buy the part to fix it. Wear and tear's different, granted, but the Nokia's in great condition for five years daily use - bar a small crack in the bottom-corner of the screen (which I could replace on a Fairphone...) This is the Fairphone 5. As in, the fifth. They've already delivered on their promises for one through three, are partway through delivering on the four. Why would the one I buy be the exception? I mean, except for Sod's Law meaning the one I buy is *always* the exception, of course...
Sod it, bought the Motorola. Kicks the can down the road until late 2026, and maybe there'll be an even better Fairphone then!
