TL;DR
- The Fairphone 2 just received its final software update.
- This means the device received seven years of continuous software support.
- The phone rides off into the sunset on Android 10, but started with Android 5 Lollipop.
In the world of Android, Samsung is the best top-ten OEM regarding Android support commitments. The company offers four Android upgrades and five years of security patches for most of its devices — including mid-rangers. This is a better commitment than even Google provides to Pixel phones.
However, even Samsung can’t compete with Fairphone. Today, that company issued the final update to the Fairphone 2 (via The Verge), which launched way back in 2015. When it debuted, the phone had Android 5 Lollipop. It reached end-of-life status with Android 10 over seven years later and with 43 updates under its belt.
Obviously, Android 10 is way behind the current stable version of the operating system, which is Android 13. However, the phone has received a steady stream of security patches and is up-to-date enough to make it safe to use and compatible with most apps on the Google Play Store. Since today’s update is its last, however, Fairphone advises caution with continuing to use the device after May 2023.
Fairphone originally committed to “three to five years” of support for the Fairphone 2. That means that not only did it originally commit to a lengthier support timeline than every other major manufacturer, but it even bested its original commitment. This all makes a lot of sense when you remember the point of the Fairphone, which is to provide an ethically sourced and environmentally friendly smartphone. A major aspect of those two things is long software support.
“The end of life for Fairphone 2 is bittersweet because, in the ideal world, we’d support our devices indefinitely, but due to industry and financial constraints, that is simply not feasible,” said Fairphone’s head of software longevity Agnes Crepet. “But we are happy we can say we supported Fairphone 2 for an unprecedented seven years.”
The most recent device on the company’s roster is the Fairphone 4, which launched in 2021.
