Fairphone 3 is now available with /e/ OS

Fairphone and e.foundation show that smartphones can be environmentally sustainable and private, both at the same time.

As well all know, Android is currently the most popular mobile operating system on the planet with more than 80% dominance. Needless to say, Google always keeps trying to offer the latest feature so that you can fully utilize the whole potential of Android from your smartphone.

However, not everyone is interested in Google's mobile operating system. Some even criticize Google's notorious data collection activity where they can simply collect your personal data without your consent. It's because of this malicious and unethical practice that more people and companies are supporting the deGoogling movements. One of them is e.foundation.

e.foundation Home Page

It was founded by a French entrepreneur Gaël Duval with the aim of providing a mobile operating system with total privacy in mind. The fruition is /e/ OS, an Android Open Source Project (AOSP) ROM without Google's proprietary Mobile Services. While it started out in life as a popular AOSP ROM called LineageOS, e.foundation has added native support for microG. In case you didn't know, microG is a Free Open Source Software (FOSS) alternative to Google Mobile Service. In short, it allows you to access all of Google services without sacrificing your personal data and privacy.

The popularity of /e/ OS proves to be stellar as more than 90 Android smartphones have either official or community support for the ROM. You are also given the choice of buying refurbished Android smartphones with /e/ OS baked as the default ROM. Suffice to say, e.foundation's deGoogling movement has definitely not come ignored, and now they have announced a partnership with an equally special brand.

Fairphone Home Page

Meet Fairphone, a Dutch company that goes against convention. Rather than focusing on profit or brand loyalty, Fairphone's aim is a lot more humble with a real focus on sustainability. Fairphone wants to create a smartphone that cares for the environment and human rights. Believe it or not, it all started with an awareness campaign about conflict minerals in Rwanda. Fairphone is adamant that their smartphones do not fully contain such materials. Another trick Fairphone throws in is the ease of repairability and sheer longevity. The Fairphone 2 was the first smartphone ever to score an excellent 10/10 from iFixit. 

Now that Fairphone and e.foundation have joined forces, it means that for the first time in the world of smartphones, you can now get yourself an environment-friendly privacy-minded Android smartphone. Put it simply, Fairphone 3 is now available with /e/ OS.

Fairphone 3 with /e/ OS at e.foundation Store.

Existing Fairphone 3 users with an adequate understanding of custom ROM installation can download the /e/ OS ROM for free and install it individually. If that is not your forte, e.foundation is happy to sell you a Fairphone 3 with /e/ OS baked in it for €479.90, which is €30 more expensive than the regular Fairphone 3 with Google Mobile Services.

Specification wise, it was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage with a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB of storage. 3.5mm audio jack and FM Radio come as standard alongside a removable 3060mAh Li-ion battery. The camera setup consists of just a single 12MP rear camera with a flash and an 8MP front camera with no flash.

Are you willing to pay more than a typical mid-range Android smartphone with Google Mobile Services for the sake of world sustainability, fair policy, and privacy rights? Let us know in the comment section down below.

#P2P

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