Fairphone 2 Archives - Gizmochina

7 Years of Continuous Android Updates, This Smartphone Kept Its Promise

Anubhav — Wed, 08 Mar 2023 04:06:05 +0000

The tech world is no stranger to Android. It is an open-source operating system used by many smartphone manufacturers. The Android platform is constantly updated with new features, improvements, and security patches. Android device manufacturers, commonly known as Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), provide updates to their devices to ensure they are compatible with the latest Android version. Various companies have different levels of commitment towards their android updates. Samsung is renowned for its Android support, offering four Android upgrades and five years of security patches for most of its devices, even mid-range models. However, Fairphone took it a step further.

Fairphone is a company that specializes in producing ethical and environmentally friendly smartphones. The company originally committed to providing “three to five years” of support for the Fairphone 2. However, today the company issued the final update to the device, ending its support after an unprecedented seven years.

When the Fairphone 2 launched in 2015, it came with Android 5 Lollipop. The device kept on receiving a steady stream of security patches and updates, making it safe to use and compatible with most apps on the Google Play Store. Although the device’s Android 10 version is way behind the current stable version of Android, which is Android 13, the device is still relevant, thanks to Fairphone’s dedication to long-term software support.

Fairphone has advised caution with continuing to use the device after May 2023, the end of its official support timeline. The company’s head of software longevity, Agnes Crepet, stated, “The end of life for Fairphone 2 is bittersweet because, in the ideal world, we’d support our devices indefinitely, but due to industry and financial constraints, that is simply not feasible. But we are happy we can say we supported Fairphone 2 for an unprecedented seven years.”

The Fairphone 4, the company’s latest device, launched in 2021 and continues this trend of ethical and long-term software support.

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Fairphone 2 launched with Android 5 gets Android 10 upgrade 7 years after

Jed John Ikoba — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 06:03:58 +0000

Fairphone has carved a niche for itself as a phone maker that manufactures highly repairable, durable, and sustainable phones. The Fairphone brand is not in some of the major markets including the United States, but that does not take much away from the hugely repairable phone. The Fairphone 2 has been with us since 2015 when it was launched with Android 5. Fairphone is now announcing the availability of Android 10 upgrade for the smartphone, seven years down the line.

It has always been a tough nut for manufacturers to sustain OS upgrades for their devices beyond two or three updates. Some of the important considerations that guarantee an OS update lie outside the control of the phone manufacturer. It may be connected with the chipmaker stopping further support for the outdated chip in the phone or Google no longer supports the OS version. Samsung has, in recent times, been able to sustain up to four updates for its devices, while most models have only two OS updates within the life of the phone. Apple however provides up to six years of software support for its iPhones.

The Fairphone 2 is powered by the Snapdragon 801 chipset whose support from Qualcomm has ceased since 2016. Going forward, Fairphone projects between 2 and 5 OS updates for its phones. The longevity of the Fairphone 2 is expected not to go beyond software support for Android 10. However, security patches will continue to be provided until the plug is pulled on Android 10 by Google. So, we could see the seven-year-old Fairphone 2 for several more years ahead. The Fairphone 2’s record of seven years and counting could be hard to beat.

Android 10 announced for the six-year-old Fairphone 2

Sudhanshu — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 19:29:04 +0000

The Dutch company Fairphone, famous for its modular phones and ethical practices, announced that their 2015 model Fairphone 2 would be updated to Android 10. The announcement raises the bar for other Android-based OEMs in terms of sustained support.

Our 6-yr-old Fairphone 2 is being upgraded to Android 10. That’s 7 years of software support! An industry first for an Android device! Together with the open source community we built the operating system. Proving it is possible to put sustainability at the heart of tech. pic.twitter.com/TuUjJWTi5J

— Fairphone (@Fairphone) November 23, 2021

Fairphone is gearing up to update its 6-year-old Fairphone 2 from Android 9 pie to Android 10. The phone on release came with Android 5 pre-installed and has received three Android updates (skipped Android 8 Oreo) since. The beta testing for Android 10 has begun, and the company expects to release a stable version by early 2022.

The company stays true to its motto of ethical and sustainable smartphones by providing seven years of software support and modular, replaceable components like screens, batteries, and even the camera module.

You would be correct to think that Android 10 is two generations behind the latest and greatest Android 12 and therefore is nothing special, but with most smartphone companies promising Android update support for three years after the launch of the device, getting a major Android update for a six-year-old smartphone certainly is an impressive thing.

Thankfully, some companies are raising the bar. Samsung now supports almost all of its phones with three Android upgrades and four years of security patches. Google now offers a slightly better program of three upgrades and five years of patches (only for the Pixel 6 series right now). Things are improving; however, an excessive number of companies still treat aftermarket software support as a pointless endeavor.

For those wondering what this 2015 phone is capable of, the Fairphone 2 features a 5-inch 1080×1920 IPS display with a pixel density of 446ppi. Under the hood is a 2.26GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Fairphone 2 on the rear packs an 8-megapixel camera. It sports a 2-megapixel camera on the front for selfies. A 2420mAh non-removable battery powers the device.

Nothing to write home about in 2021, but a testament to prove what can be possible if a company cares.

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Fairphone 2, launched in 2015, gets Android 9 Pie update

Jeet — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 06:54:27 +0000

One thing that Android users hate about the operating system is the track record when it comes to getting the newer version update. But, in a surprising move, a small company named Fairphone is trying to change it.

The company has started rolling out the Android 9 Pie operating system to its Fairphone 2 which was launched way back in the year 2015. This is quite impressive, especially for an Android smartphone that was launched running Android 5.1 Lollipop OS.

With this new update, the Fairphone 2 becomes the only smartphone powered the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor to run the Android 9 Pie operating system. Although Android 9 Pie isn’t the latest version of the OS and is around two years old now, it still is much better than the Android Lollipop.

Most smartphone companies are promising Android update support for two years after the launch of the device. So, getting a major Android update for a five-year-old smartphone certainly is an impressive thing.

For those who are unaware, Fairphone is a small company that makes Android smartphones with an aim to design and produce devices with minimal environmental impact. Thus, their smartphones are built with repairability in mind and the company tries to offer updates and security patches for years.

The company has also launched a successor to this smartphone, named Fairphone 3. It features a 5.65-inch FHD+ display, Snapdragon 632 chipset, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, Android 9 Pie OS, and 3,000mAh battery. The phone has scored 10 out of 10 points on the iFixit repairability score.

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