I’ve had an iPhone for years and tried to switch to Fairphone: this is what happened

My iPhone 6S is an old bone. So old that it even has a headphone jack. This is the round hole where the headphones used to be. Unfortunately, things get a little slower and worse with each new update. A change will soon become inevitable.

There are hardly any similarities between my faithful companion and the new iPhones. Therefore, the question arises: is this perhaps the time to switch to Android? I’ve been playing with a Fairphone for a long time, which our digital editor is currently testing.

And since such a profound change in daily life makes you a little nervous, it might not be a bad idea to try it out temporarily. So it happened that I was allowed to borrow the new Fairphone 5 for my three-week holiday in Scotland. This is what came out:

The bumpy beginning

Just changing the SIM card is an experience. I pull off the back of the Fairphone and look into the smartphone. I’m looking into a computer. Then I have to lift the battery (!) and push the SIM card into the appropriate eye. Incredible.

Then the first blow: as soon as I connected the Fairphone to the WLAN, I HAD to update it. No button for “later” or “tonight” or anything like that. I MUST now, otherwise I won’t be allowed to use the thing. I know this procedure from the office, when colleagues around me with Windows PCs snort loudly and say: “Update!” call before taking an enforced break of a few minutes.

So I stare at the equally bad Scottish weather for a few minutes on the bad Scottish WiFi. After waiting 20 minutes I have had enough for the first time, so I go for a walk while the smartphone installs itself.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t get any easier

Then it finally starts and I’m immediately back on the fence. Because you actually start with an empty smartphone and the app store is called “Play Store” – but a somewhat confusing name. After the first apps are installed, my nerves become further tense: the keyboard is too small, the ringtone is too loud and I can’t find the settings and the alarm clock anyway.

There are no icons for this anywhere on my home screen, just the apps I have installed. And the search I use to browse my apps on the iPhone takes me straight to Google. But I don’t want a definition of the term “settings”, I just want to find the settings on my smartphone!

I see all my prejudices confirmed: no one who has already become accustomed to Apple’s friendly design will ever get off to a good start here.

The personal advisor

Fortunately, my friend is more adept at using Android and intervened. “Swipe up,” she says. I do it and finally find everything I was looking for. The gear icon shines at me and next to it I also find all the other apps I missed: SMS, Contacts, Google Maps and also the alarm clock.

I’m slowly realizing that the whole thing is organized like a computer. The home screen is my desktop and all the applications are actually in a “folder”. If I want shortcuts from my home screen, I have to set them up first, but it’s pretty easy. I am reassured for now.

It gets even better

After this revelation, my exploration really begins. So I set an alarm and it can even be timed to certain days of the week. A feature I’ve always missed on the iPhone. The small keyboard is also adaptable to all my needs. Brilliant.

But the craziest thing: my home screen is not limited to apps. For example, I can also place predefined alarm clocks there. Or notes or bookmarks from the browser. The implementation of any idea is just a Google search away.

And so my requests pile up: “notes on the Android home screen,” “website on the Android home screen,” and “automations on the Android home screen.” Nothing seems impossible.

But the hardware is also convincing: I was even able to take some respectable photos in Scotland. The battery life is quite respectable, but I don’t have high expectations for my old iPhone.

Conclusion: It’s not all that bad

In fact, I’m dismayed to discover that most apps on Android are even better than on my iPhone. Spotify is much clearer and the email program offers considerably more options. When I switch back to my old iPhone after the holidays, I even miss the big Fairphone 5 a bit.

I am happy to spend the 629 francs that the new Fairphone costs. Especially when it comes to the durability of the smartphone and the fact that I would have to spend about 1,000 francs for a new iPhone. So nothing stands in the way of change and, apart from a mini nervous breakdown, getting used to it is not too bad. Except for a real Jass app, the Play Store unfortunately lacks that.

Fairphone 5: the specifications