Why don’t people copy the relevant pieces of information in their post?
- 8 GB RAM
- Android 13
- 8-core ARMv8 CPU:
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- 1 core with 2.71 GHz
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- 3 cores with 2.40 GHz
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- 4 cores with 1.96 GHz
Rumors tell it’s a Snapdragon 782G from Qualcomm.
That’s not exactly new hardware, more like 3 years old or so. 🤔
Only thing missing for me would be AV1 decoding. Also headphone jack, but that’s a lost battle.
The Snapdragon 782G is actually from November 2022. So yeah, it’s not super new, but it’s not three years old either. It could have more RAM. But how do we know they won’t do like they did last time with a higher-end model and a lower-end model? 8GB very well could be the low-end model this time around, with the high-end model having either 10GB or 12GB.
Yeah I don’t understand why their hardware always sucks so much. I’m almost expecting it to come with a 8MP camera without image stabilisation, and a 720p screen.
They make it so hard for me to buy. I can get a better phone, for half the price, and it will still last me 4-5 years or so.
but it won’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
…
Sadly, there is always a crucial bit about headphone jack information missing.
Some phones, anecdotally, from the ones I had, the Xiaomi 13 and the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, do not have a physical headphone jack - but they have analog audio output through USB-C. That, in my opinion, is fine. You only need a passive dongle - routing pins from usb c to a headphone jack. Those cost like 50 cents and you can just keep them on your headphones.
What’s inexcusable is phones like the Pixel 7 - which a friend has - which do not have this. You need an actual external DAC in the dongle. That costs actual money, making the cable not just a cable anymore.
As far as I know, the Fairphone 4 also has analog audio via USB C.
Does it have 3.5mm Headphone jack?
Does it have FM Radio support
Will it be supported for 5+ years
Those are the only features I want beyond the usual repairable, replaceable, FairTrade parts etc.
Also a shutter on the selfie camera or having the option to put a cover on it. The Fairphone 3 has a top bezel that allows enough space to get those cheap sliding camera covers on Amazon. The Fairphone 4 not having that is slightly annoying IMO. I do hope the 5 addresses this. Either bring back the upper bezel (which they won’t) or have a physical shutter built in like how some webcams have.
Minor grievances tbf but still
I’m honestly disappointed at the hardware:
- 8 GB RAM for a SKU is definitely fine by me
- Android 13 from the get-go is good, though I do wonder how fast 14 and up will come, and how many system upgrades it’ll get.
- The Snapdragon 782G is simply the worst of this phone. It is a decent improvement over the 4’s Snapdragon, but it’s worrying to see a Fairphone being sold at mid to early-premium pricing while budget phones got the same power for much less. I am aware of the Degoogling and Fair Trade Gold and the repairability parts of Fairphone. But I don’t see why they can not try and match some actual mid-performance phones nowadays.
- Haven’t heard anything about the display, but I would not be surprised if it will remain stuck at 60Hz - another pain point but this is arguably less of an issue and more of a wish I would had loved to see.
As long as other phones will have removeable storage (microSD slot) and are cheaper while beating FP’s performance, I’d rather stick with them. Really a shame, hoped to see a much better phone this time around. But there’ll be even more fierce competition with the EU law on replaceable batteries forcing others (including Apple even) to change to a better repairability model.
