The Fairphone 3 is getting an upgrade & we’re sharing the roadmap to its availability with /e/OS.
In May, when we announced our partnership with Fairphone, we were very proud to present an integrated version of /e/OS for the Fairphone 3. The combination of the FP3’s unique modularity, built to be repairable, affordable spare parts and ethical sourcing, and our privacy-by-design operating system is one of a kind, making it most likely the first privacy conscious and sustainable phone on the market.
This collaboration has been a hit since day one, thanks to the support of our two dedicated communities.
Today, we are happy to announce our continued collaboration with Fairphone and its smartphones’ latest developments.
Last Thursday, one year after the release of the Fairphone 3, the Dutch company announced their upgraded model, the Fairphone 3+.
Photo courtesy of Fairphone
The Fairphone 3+ goes beyond the previous model being made of 45% recycled plastics, with brand new camera modules for picture enthusiasts and an upgrade to Android 10.
In a spirit of sustainability and easy repairs, the camera modules, front and back, shooting at respectively 16MP and 48MP can be added to the existing FP3 in a few simple steps. The upgrade to Android 10 will also be possible for all current Fairphone 3 owners in September.
The motivation behind this release is not to incite over-consumption but to continue to offer a high-quality product to its users, and keep its features in tune with their wishes and needs in an effort to keep our phones working longer and better.
Photo courtesy of Fairphone
We are currently actively working on upgrading /e/OS to Android 10 and having a new official version for the FP3. This is also the first step towards making /e/OS compatible with the upcoming FP3+ and its new camera modules who run on this version of Android.
Beta testing of /e/OS for FP3 and FP3+ based on Android 10 should take place through September. We hope to have a stable version of /e/OS with Android 10 available for FP3 and FP3+ by the end of October, as well as make sure everyone with the OS on their FP3 will be able to upgrade to Android 10 and so as to add the new modules to their current device should they wish to.
In an effort to make switching any Fairphone 3 to /e/OS the simplest process possible, a new version of our Easy Installer that supports the FP3 has been developed by Ingo, one of our dedicated community members. We will be making it available very soon.
We also plan on adding the FP3+ with /e/OS to our web store for anyone looking for a turnkey solution. The camera modules will also be available for existing customers.
We are thrilled about this exciting next step by Fairphone and can’t wait for you to experience it too!
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