After over seven years and 43 software updates, Fairphone’s second-generation Android smartphone is finally reaching the end of its software support period. The company says today’s software update for Android 10 will be the phone’s last, capping off a remarkably long support period for a phone that originally ran Android 5 when. Not bad considering Fairphone says it had originally hoped to support the phone with “three to five years” of updates.
These kinds of lengthy support periods are important for Fairphone, given the company’s emphasis on the sustainability of its devices. As well as attempting to ethically source the materials that go into each of its phones, the company also designs them to be easily repairable , and it also promises lengthy software support periods. It’s all about keeping the devices usable for longer, and out of landfill.Seven years is a longer support period than any other Android manufacturer promises.
'Some security-critical apps – like banking apps – will, over time, view the device as out of date and stop running entirely.” This is ultimately what forced me to set aside my otherwise perfect 2015 LG V10 a few months back.
In that 7 years, the price of flagship phones has gone up more than $1000.