Android

😡

Try getting parts for the original fairphone or fairphone2.

I was pained to move to iOS when my kids decided they wanted iPhones and I needed one to manage their parental controls, but boy do I love the form factor of the 12 mini I got.

Everything out there seems so huge now.

I’d love to have more options for smaller, manageable phones, especially as my workplace have given out work iPhones now, I could realistically go back to Android again come upgrade time as I can manage their accounts with that.

1. No internal battery means it's not a product with a built-in obsolence period (which is fairly short, 3-5 years)
2. Most of the better audio gear are all wired
3. I mean, it's simple economics: Not paying for all the extra stuff to make it wireless means you get better value for audio quality
4. Many people here are enthusiasts in tech and hardware, we likely have more than a few devices. Switching between devices with BT is a fucking PITA.

Most of the issue stems from annoying dongles that wired headphone users typically don't want to carry.

The situation with fairphone is especially infuriating however, as omitting the headphone jack goes against the whole point of fairphone IMO.

Bluetooth headphones, as convenient as they are, have integrated lithium batteries, which are harmful for the environment. They also have a very short, finite lifespan. Despite these issues, fairphone removed the headphone jack on the fairphone 4 and 5, while simultaneously releasing true wireless Bluetooth earphones that are not repairable. Their whole brand is based on creating ethically sourced, repairable products, so offering an inherently unrepairable item for sale is rather disappointing. I am aware that they offer over ear headphones that are repairable, but I think they shouldn't sell true wireless earphones until they come up with a real repairable design.

In contrast, there are wired headphones from the mid 1980s that are still functional and still sound amazing, even if they aren't as convenient to use. There are also modern wired headphones and IEMs (In-Ear Monitors) that have removable, standardized cables. This is great since the cable is what breaks on wired headphones 99% of the time.

While I do care about the headphone jack, I am mostly bitter about the manufacturers deciding for me that I don't need it. I'd heavily trade off 10% reduction in thickness for a user-replaceable battery and a headphone jack, but it was decided for me that a thinner phone is a big improvement.

I don't want to buy more shit I got to remember to charge when I already have a few nice 3.5mm headsets. I know its going to be dead every time I want to use it. I got to pair it every time I switch devices. It works on everything that has the right hole even if its older than your parents.

Its just extra work unless its your daily driver.

I use a headphone jack daily, it is a must for me. Not going to do a stupid Bluetooth adapter or dongle cable that can get lost or damaged

The only way I can play music from Spotify or youtube in my car is through a headphone jack, I value it very deeply because of that. It's much cheaper to buy a phone with a jack than it is to replace my car

Still the best way to transmit sound even quality-wise, except if you want surround, 2 channel won't suffice here

Not being able to listen to wired audio while charging is a dealbreaker. And not needing a dongle is convenient.

I can't charge and use iem together

It's a 778G equivalent, from what I can tell, how is that even low end?

The bigger they are, the easier they are to repair. So repairable phones in general are going to be on the bigger side.

Buy an FP3 or 4 if you don't need these features.

A used Pixel can be had in that range.