Not sure why they’re comparing this to the Fairphone, as far as I can tell the only hardware component that is replaceable here is the battery. Which is nice, but not close to the Fairphone
And the point of the Fairphone is also that they try to ensure fair working conditions and better treatment of people throughout the entire supply chain
But does the Gigaset?
Well by law they need to provide replacable battery if the phone is not water resistant, so yeah, they pretend making phone in accordance to law is a feature
Hey now, this only goes into effect from late February next year!
Having a replaceable battery is not an excuse for lack of water resistance.
Also it is water resistant, is it not?
It is in the law. Or rather, an IP68 rating allows you to have a non-replaceable battery as long as the battery is rated to last at least 1000 cycles at >80% capacity.
Fairphone 6 has an IP55 rating. Some resistance to water spray but can’t be submerged.
I guess they are pretty clear about it in the first sentence: It’s an alternative for those looking for something more European. Which is valid even though it’s not why most people get a fairphone.
For those who place a high priority on maximizing value creation in Europe when buying a smartphone, Gigaset’s flagship is an interesting alternative to the Fairphone 6.
It’s crazy how Microsoft managed to effectively kill Nokia phones.
Nokia killed themselves. Microsoft was just the wolf that gobbled up the dying lamb.
Aren’t Fairphone Dutch?
Yeah, it’s an alternative to Fairphone as in “gosh, I want a European phone but the Fairphone is so expensive, I wish there was an alternative”. Sorry, I wasn’t very clear, nor is the article.
The company is Dutch but the phones are mostly manufactured and assembled in China. The company is transparent about this and discloses on their website their efforts to do this as ethically as they can.
Yeah, I know, I more meant in comparison to this German phone (which I assume is also manufactured in China)…
HMD are Nokia but yeah if anyone can fuck up a lead its a tech giant.
Almost like sometimes it is the point
A CEO recruited from Microsoft to Nokia, scraps the working OS and the near launch next one in favour of Windows Phone. Tanks business because the hardware is great but the OS is not ready and the ecosystem is abysmal.
I don’t think it was the point. They tried to elbow in late on the market with their Trojan CEO but had no strategy beyond the Nokia takeover.
Plus some google-independency
Well, good to have more choice there. But only two major Android updates? Fairphone policy is eight major updates.
You could go with /e/os, they promise 8 years of software updates for the Gigaset GX6 and as many Android upgrades as they can get running during that time. Admittedly a fixed promise would be better but from what I could gather they tend to support devices fully for longer, even though the Android version upgrades take longer to arrive
Fairphone has PMOS support (6 is getting there very quickly)
Fairphone has calyxOS support (now that calyx is resumed, they will likely support the 6)
Does the gigaset have any of that, or just stock android with barely any updates even?
And you can buy a Fairphone 6 with Murena preinstalled
USB 2 type C so no video over it, unlike the Fairphone.
Fairphone 6 also has USB2.0 sadly. Cost cutting…
the most important questions about a smartphone for me are:
-can you easily unlock the bootloader?
-how’s the custom rom situation?Another one without a headphone jack.
i think we have to get used to it, 3mm jack will not come back
Yeah, mainly because some people want to sell bluetooth shit that will need replacement more often.
If at least someone could make a dongle that doesn’t suck.
The ifi Audio GO Link is pretty decent.
FiiO KA11 might also be good. Both around 50 $.
Edit: GO link is phased out, it’s 2 now.
Heck, any generix 10€ dongle with a CX31993 will be more than sufficient for most people
Yup, got a “JM6 Pro” or whatever from aliexpress and it has been great both on my phone and PCs
They look pretty good, yes. I’ll look into it, if they’d come with 90 degree usb they’d be perfect.
Thanks
Apple’s version is first rate and like $15. I use them to connect my computers to Class D Amps, gets me great 5/7.1
For mobile I’ve had the Qudelix-5K for a couple of years, pricey, but really nice. I forgot and left LDAC 990kbps/96kHz on for months (overkill and bad for battery life), nary a stutter at really impressive ranges. Pretty much makes the audio jack issue irrelevant.
Clicks Communicator is gonna be released later this year and it brings back both the headphone jack and physical keyboard! And the company is registered in the UK which is perhaps interesting for this sub.
I’d totally buy this if it can run Lineage OS or some other non-google Android or Linux. With Stock Android and Play Services it’s a no-go for me unfortunatelt. Nice device, I love the concept - buy will never use the google ecosystem.
The real innovation here should be a quick release mechanism, so when the mfers gets snagged anywhere, they won’t get damaged.
Good thing.
Even more so if you intend to take the ‘waterproof’ aspect for serious: IP68 means that you can actually take a few close-up pictures of your goldfish.
There is no reason to not have both Jack and waterproofing. And as Samsung had shown recently, no reason to not have waterproofing and replaceable battery. If there is a place for headphone jack, just put it there.
Waterproofing a 3.5mm jack is not that difficult compared to a USB-C port. There are quite a few phones on the market right now which are waterproof and have a headphone jack: https://www.gsmarena.com/results.php3?chk35mm=selected&sAvailabilities=1&sIPCerts=11
The problem is that it takes away a chunk of space which usually means less battery life.
Waterproofing a 3.5mm jack is not that difficult
Hm. If you say so. But I would never trust it further than a few minutes in the rain.
Do you think it’s more difficult to waterproof than a USB-C port? And if so, how did 148 phones from the list above get their IP68/IP69 ratings?
No, but I think most “waterproof” phones can fulfil only something like IP44, that is, withstand some light rain.
Even if they appear in other search lists, and especially (!!) when they “invent” other standards than the strict IPxx numbers that have existed alteady before this phone.
I think the Asus ROG phones did just fine with it. Unfortunately, it seems that line has been discontinued.
But anyway, the last one from 2024 had a 5,800mAh battery, a headphone jack, and 2 USB-C ports (side and bottom).
No jack? Send it back!
It is important to note that Gigaset is a German company, but since 2024 it is owned by V-Tech based in Hong Kong.
I can’t support anything German for having the defense of genocidal colonial power as the reason of the state
You’re probably using a device funded by a genocidal power but I don’t see you throwing away your device in the garbage. You’re just pointlessly grand standing lol
Nice All-or-Nothing Fallacy. I don’t see that kind of bullshit here when we are talking about boycotting the USA which I support.I am pretty my phone was not made by a country having a genocidal state who talk about killing all men, and all women, all infants and even animals as a reason of the state
I’m fairly (lol) happy with my Fairphone, but more competition and more options certainly won’t hurt customers!
gigaset isn’t german anymore? because we like to sell out :)) gigaset, avm, kuka and many more :))
The owners are Chinese. The factory is still in Germany.
Still, I wouldn’t call it European then
So there are only Chinese phones on this planet.
Are all phone brands owned by chinese companies?
As far as I know, Fairphone is still Dutch for instance and the factory are in Europe too. But sure, at the end of the day components are still Chinese. Not much you can do about that.
“Android”
Enough said.
Good or bad?
Depends what you favor in convenience vs privacy & being free to do whatever the fuck you want with hardware you supposedly bought.
Also the common version of Android is an American OS controlled by a company that falls under the Cloud Act jurisdiction, amongst others, so not really trustworthy (even if you’re American, much less European).
Does this phone even have an easilly unlockable bootloader?!
German device design, Taiwanese components, German assembly and controlling software layer made by an American Tech giant whose CEO has given support to Donald Trump, is sorta EU made but is not EU controlled, IMHO.
I think that this day and age and given what we all see happen, we should be pushing for at least designed for openness in a made-in-EU a device which is supposedly always with you, loaded with personal info and highly weaved into one’s life.
You can get it for 399 with /e/OS at https://murena.com/ !
