I have a FP4 that I plan to have until end of software support. I will likely have to get a new battery in the future, but that’s a breeze since it takes a minute to change and it is affordable, especially compared to many phones that are basically dead once the battery is bad.
Couldn’t you then install an alternative OS like lineage or /e/os or even PostmarketOS?
Yes. I currently have /e/os on it. I dunno how long devices are kept up to date with that. But if any of the OSes are no longer maintained you can hopefully find one that is. So it’s possible it could last even longer than the official Fairphone android version.
I could however see that tech may change enough that a ~10 year old phone may need replacement regardless if you can buy replacement parts.
Couldn’t you then install an alternative OS like lineage or /e/os or even PostmarketOS?
Yes. I currently have /e/os on it. I dunno how long devices are kept up to date with that. But if any of the OSes are no longer maintained you can hopefully find one that is. So it’s possible it could last even longer than the official Fairphone android version.
I could however see that tech may change enough that a ~10 year old phone may need replacement regardless if you can buy replacement parts.