Fairphone 2 is a smartphone launched in 2015, initially equipped with an Android 5.1 system. This is supposed to be a durable, modular, serviceable phone. Fairphone employee plans provide at least 3 to 5 years of software updates.
The reality is much better though, with Fairphone offering an Android 9 update in 2021 and an Android 10 update a year later. Now Fairphone has announced that it will end official software updates for the Fairphone 2 in the coming months. The final Android 10 software and security update will be released in March 2023.
While seven years of official support is already unusual in the smartphone world, this phone could last longer thanks to unofficial support from third-party software developers.
Fairphone notes that LineageOS and /e/OS versions of the Fairphone 2 will still be actively supported, which means users will continue to receive security updates as long as the developers of these custom ROMs continue to support the phone.
Fairphone will also continue to sell some replacement parts for the Fairphone 2 while supplies last. Currently, the spare battery costs 15 euros (about 109 CNY), the spare display module costs 65 euros (about 474 CNY), and the camera module costs 40 euros (about 292 CNY).
Fairphone 2 users can continue to use the latest version of Android 10 indefinitely, but will not receive subsequent security updates. Some apps, such as mobile banking apps, may eventually stop working, Fairphone noted.
In terms of configuration specifications, the Fairphone 2 mobile phone is equipped with a Snapdragon 801 chip, a 5-inch 1920×1080 resolution IPS LCD screen, 2GB LPDDR3 memory, 32GB eMMC 5 storage, a front 8MP camera, and a rear 12MP camera, with a built-in removable 2420mAh battery, a USB 2.0 port, a body size of 143x73x11mm, and a weight of 168 grams.
