Android 7 upgrade is available for Fairphone 2

Fairphone has released Android 7.1.2 for the Fairphone 2. According to the manufacturer, it is the only phone with the Snapdragon 801 soc that has been upgraded to Android 7. Fairphone can now continue to provide security updates.

According to Fairphone, developing the Android 7 upgrade cost about half a million euros, including external development costs. The makers emphasize that this is a large investment, because the company itself is small and because only about 100,000 units of the Fairphone 2 have been sold.

The company continues to deliver the device, now with Android 7. Due to the upgrade to the new Android version, Fairphone can continue to offer security updates for the phone. Users can choose from two versions of Android 7 for their Fairphone 2: with or without Google apps.

Upgrading to a new version is difficult because of the soc. The device contains a Snapdragon 801, which is no longer supported by Qualcomm. Thanks to the open source community, the upgrade to Android 7 has still been possible.

The goal of Fairphone is to make smartphones that can last a long time and are produced fairly. The Fairphone 2 came out in 2015 and then ran on Android 5. Last year the upgrade to Android 6 came out. Furthermore, the manufacturer offers spare parts that customers can replace, including the LCD, micro USB port and battery.