this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2024

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These repairable phones still aren't built to last (www.spacebar.news)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

26 comments fedilink hide all child comments

all 37 comments

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[–] absquatulate 38 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Almost pulled the trigger on a Skyline, but then read about the bootloader not being unlockable, and hmd "promising" to make it unlockable at a later time. That's bullshit right there - if you offer only 2 years of software support you better make the bootloader unlockable, otherwise it's e-waste.

[–] Zak 9 points 3 months ago

I suspect bad faith any time a company doesn't do it the Pixel way (dev settings and fastboot unlock).

[–] Zak 22 points 3 months ago

HMD also doesn't provide any mechanism for unlocking the bootloader

This is the part that's inexcusable.

[–] RangerJosie 22 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Nothing is built to last. Not in the customer class of products in the capitalist world. Basically, if you can buy it retail, it's made to sell. Not to last. Planned obsolescence included at no extra cost.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago (1 children)

This is the main reason they got rid of the headphone jack. Some headphones lasted forever.

Now you have Bluetooth earbuds with tiny batteries that goes in a case with another small battery. Batteries that small will last 5 years tops. On top of that sound quality hasn't improved and latency got worse.

[+] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (3 children)

[deleted]

[+] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] accideath -1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Don’t need a dongle life, necessarily. I have a decent pair of cans with removable cable, so I just got a cable that terminates in a lightning connector. And through magnetic wireless charging I can even charge while listening to music.

Sure, that’s not optimal, not the solution for everyone and no reason for phone manufacturers to not include headphone jacks but it does work and without dongles at that.

[+] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] accideath 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

As I already said, the cable is removable. If I want to use them with a usb-c device, I can exchange the cable for one with a usb-c plug and if I want to use them with a standard headphone jack, I can get one with that. It’s a bog standard pair of cans with removable cable. I can even get cables with in line microphones or short cables or extra long cables or with entirely different connectors. It’s just a 5€ cable. Also, when I bought the cable, the connector wasn’t yet obsolete. Lightning has been around for quite a while.

And sure, it’s not as good as just having a headphone jack, but as I don’t have one on my phone, that’s the next best thing, if I want a wired connection.

[+] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] accideath 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I‘m not constantly switching those headphones between devices. I use them with my phone, when I want to actively listen to lossless music, so I got the cable that works for that. When I eventually upgrade to a phone with USB-C, I’ll get a cable for that.

And most of the time, when I’m out n about I use cheap wireless earbuds anyways, because I don’t like fighting with cables when I‘m actively doing stuff and all I listen to with them are podcasts anyways.

Yes, I would be happier with a headphone jack but I don’t have one, so what else can I do?

[+] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] accideath 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

They don’t though, if they don’t swap their headphones between devices with different connectors. A cable is not a dongle, unless you’re considering all wired headphones to need a dongle to plug into any device.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Yes that is true but speaking on clinging on to an older phone, a headphone jack had a superior physical hold. My phone got saved a few times because my phone was connected to my wired headphones.

These dongles that came with phones were also usually very thin. It also sticks out and made of plastic. It just adds another weak point. They somehow added a weak point to a great piece of technology... On top of that phones no longer comes with the dongles.

Also dongles aren't sexy. It looks like a hack to make something work. Phone companies made headphones unsexy while making wireless earbuds really sexy.

Some people said that a headphone jack made dustproofing and waterproofing more difficult. Maybe but it had be done before. They also said it brings down the price of the phone to get rid of them. Weird considering the Google A series and Samsung mid range phones had it but their flagship phones didn't.

You made a lot of great points. Thank you for those.

I actually have bluetooth earbuds either came bundled, or I was gifted them. They have come a long way. Easier to connect. Better latency and better sound quality compared to the older version of bluetooth.

I like them, I am not a complete hater but I really am annoyed that this stuff will just turn to ewaste while my headphones have lasted me decades.

I'm just an old head yelling at the clouds.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

The only reason I ever wired my headphones to my phone was rhythm games and now with USB-C this adds latency making the whole thing pointless.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (3 children)

Nothing is built to last? No. One little Company still holds out against this concept.

Btw, their 5th phone has an industrial Snapdragon so they can deliver software updates for a couple years longer.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

I've been using the FP3 since it came out, and no complaints yet. However, they recently discontinued a lot of the spare parts. Which goes directly against the concept of having a long lasting repairable phone.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (3 children)

I like the fairphone idea, I really do, and I realize that maintaining the fairphone ecosystem is expensive... But! 550€ on sale for a 128GB storage and 6GB RAM phone? GTFO. Update promises are great, but a small company promising 7 years? I hope that the fairphone company survives that long, and even longer, but I wouldn't be basing my phone purchase on that promise.

For my usage I can get comparable phones for the same cost per day, but with less of an initial investment, and without the risk of time.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

You don't buy a Fairphone because of specs, you do because you care about workers conditions and the environment. Also, FPs support third party OSes that provide updates for years

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago

This phone looks like a bad bargain because all the other ones use what amounts to slavery for their production. I would say this is the actual approximation of a fair market price and all the other manufacturers are cheating.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

Also while they're repairable and they have that going for them, Google also promises 7 years of updates, so they're not even unique on that selling point.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 months ago (1 children)

their phones don't have specs that work today, letalone 5 years from now.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

I mean I've been using an FP5 for the best of a year now and it's fine? performance wise I have no complaints but I don't game on my phone or use most social media apps which all look very bloated now days.

[–] mrvictory1 0 points 3 months ago

I think this applies to recent products, we have quite a few 10+ yo devices which still function as they did when new. PCs, half-smart 1080p TVs, first and second gen iPads (one iPad 2 has %98 battery life after 500 cycles) etc.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 months ago

The issue isn't the software has limited support, the issue is the software doesn't get open sourced when support ends.

[–] IndomitableAlbus 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

There's some good point's here, even the articles author seems to have doubt's as to the validity of such devices where updates are concerned.

Putting all those aside for a moment, to me the silver lining is the ability to easily swap out a failing battery or charging port, especially if your a ham-fisted user who regularly rams the connection in. I've had no end of these fail over the years and more often than not, simply disposed of the device.

The other thing I miss from back in the day was the ability to disconnect the battery when a device gets frozen, it's not resolving the underling issue but a great way to get things up and running again.