BIFL Mobile Phone
Looking to replace and iPhone 11 Needs to be repairable Able to text people with WhatsApp or other third party apps Able to play music with a local mp3 player Headphone jack
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An older Fairphone might work for you
Unless you find a phone with an upgradable modem there is no „buy it for life” one. We’re now at 4th/5th gen networks and many places switched off everything older to reclaim wireless spectrum. LTE and 5G will be replaced too eventually.
Librem 5 has an upgradable modem, originally came out with 4G and people have gotten 5G working. WiFi/BT can be upgraded the same way, like a Nintendo Switch cartridge. Can use Waydroid to download WhatsApp, has a headphone jack, plays music, replaceable battery, spare screens for sale in case it ever breaks. Fairly repairable, but not to the level Fairphone is with all their easy, modular pieces.
This is cool as hell, thank you for sharing. I’d still be wary of any company promising perpetual support because the true test will be if in a few years down the line there’s a 6G modem you can replace old one with. It’s very hard to have some sort of universal computing device that would be supported forever because eventually there’s no one supplying parts or new ones are not compatible.
Wireless chips use a standard M.2 interface, same as SSDs, it would be weird if companies didn't support this in the future. 4G - > 5G I think was already proof enough that it can be done.
The operating system is open source, so anyone and their AI agent can add support in the software/firmware.
M2 is standard now but there were many before it and there will be many after it. Vibe coding drivers for modems might not be a viable strategy either. Modems are extremely proprietary things that are subject to boatloads of regulations so it’s a bit of a miracle they are running on relatively open systems now.
Maybe the Commodore Callback? It’s a modern flip phone, I think running heavily modified Linux, that leaves out pretty much all social media apps.
AFAIK the fairphone is the only phone on the market that is explicitly designed to be user repairable. It doesn't have a headphone Jack, though.
Yep. But a mobile device will never really be BIFL. Too many sacrifices in form factor, and software / hardware move too fast to practically stay on one device for more than 5-7 years IMHO.
This BIFL community does not require that something literally last forever, just that it be more durable and lasting than other objects in the same category.
That's totally fair. In that spirit I'd look to Fairphone first for certain.
My fairphone was 5 years old when I bought it second hand, see no reason it can't last more than 0-2 more years.
The main question is when does it stop getting security updates. Obviously if you're using a custom ROM that concern is lessened.
https://www.fairphone.com/software-longevity
My last android was abandoned by it'd manufacturer by the time I walked out the shop. I'll just go without updates if I have to.
Nokia brick?
The old ones don't work on modern network deployments. But yeah they last much longer.
Fairphone user here. USB-C to 3.5mm to the rescue! Can even get the one with charging port.
Since finding out about over ear headphones I have been less bothered with wireless. They are far more secure, even cycling around not once had them fall off.
A normal phone lasts about 7 years (pixel and iPhone update life)
Generally after that its not supported, even tho you could use the phone in an insecure state, but at that point I don't see why. Phones are simply not that fragile, and if you let it fall in salt water you have to change the whole phone probably.
Same problem with fairphone: They have replaceable parts, but even day 1 you can't say it would be secure in any way, and about 3 years in they just stop supporting it software side.
Even framework is only this good because they only have to manage the firmware and not the Linux install, former of which is only relevant to high security and not the average user
IMO a modern phones usefulness is based in software not hardware. I'd find a phone that easily unlock and can run a ROM you like. I like Apple stuff but I think you're going to have to switch platforms to make this work.