Why not? If the phone is physically still functional, and receives software updates, why does it matter if its 7 years old?
To each their own. There’s more to a phone than just if it’s physically working and supported with updates. I definitely wouldn’t be using an S7 Edge today because phones these days have better cameras, larger displays, better battery life, etc.
I need good pictures for my job. I have an s22 because the wide angle camera is incredibly useful, and I need a stylus from time to time (also for my job).
However, barring a huge leap in wide angle camera, a sharp drop in performance/battery life, I’ll run my s22 for as long as it lasts.
If a fairphone with the functionality I need becomes available (in Canada) sometime between now and when I need a new device, I’ll switch in a heartbeat.
Oh it’s absolutely understandable why a good camera (and subsequently a good screen to view pictures on) would matter to some.
It just doesn’t to me, at all, and so it’s not even the first thing that comes to mind when I think about a phone. I don’t like tablet-sized phones because I don’t use it all that much and when I do, there’s no added benefit of a larger screen over a middle-sized screen (or some higher-resolution display). I don’t use the camera at all, and so its quality doesn’t matter to me. I don’t use a stylus because I’d rather use a pen and notepad.
I’m not criticizing someone wanting those features, I just sometimes need to be told what features are important to other people.
I’m currently using a Oneplus 5T. Released in 2017. Slapped LineageOS on it, and that bad boy is still my daily driver and one of my most prized possessions. I dread the day when it will break, but it’s not yet showing any signs of weakness
I’m also using a OnePlus 5T (with LineageOS from day 1), and plan to replace it with a Fairphone should it die and there’s a good model available with US bands. I’m fine with importing the newest Fairphone should it release by that time, but the Fairphone 4 is also available directly in the US as well.
I think what’s impressive here is the first party, OEM support for feature updates on Android lasting as long as it has for this phone. That’s really not something you tend to see even on Google’s flagships (though security updates are still regular and better than what the Fairphone sees officially).
IMO, smartphones have basically plateaued in the past at least five years - a flagship model from 2015 should be sufficient for basic usage today, assuming the battery and modem hardware was somehow kept up to date and software updates were provided as well, and flagship models from like 2018 onwards were a better deal than today’s flagships, providing comparable real-world functionality at a lower price even if the spec sheet pales by comparison. I don’t think most other OEMs have the incentives to provide that kind of long-term support on older but still usable hardware, but Fairphone absolutely is.
with LineageOS from day 1
Same here! I had been living with degoogled ROMs since 2013-ish and I bought the OP5T with the specific intention of using Lineage from day 1.
Nowadays I struggle to find a potential successor: I need a headphone jack (so no Fairphone, unfortunately) and that makes it waaay more difficult. Sony Xperias are probably my best shot
I said more features. Such as removable battery, headphone jack, ir blaster, fm radio, SD card slot, notification led etc.
