The Fairphone 4 — a user-repairable smartphone constructed utilizing ethically sourced supplies — is lastly coming to the US, virtually two years after it first debuted again in September 2021. Nicely, type of anyway. Fairphone is partnering with Murena, an organization finest recognized for de-Googling Android telephones, to launch the US pilot of the Murena Fairphone 4 — a variant of the handset that runs on a privacy-oriented Android-based working system: /e/OS.
There are two configurations accessible: one with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for $599 and one other with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $679. The storage of each fashions might be expanded by way of microSD, and the telephone encompasses a modular design that may be simply disassembled utilizing a typical Phillips #00 screwdriver to exchange damaged parts. It additionally has an IP54 score, that means the gadget is protected towards mud and water sprays.
The Murena Fairphone 4 will ship to US prospects with 5G and twin SIM assist, a detachable 3905mAh battery, a 48-megapixel foremost digicam, a 48-megapixel ultrawide, and a 25-megapixel selfie digicam. The telephones can be accessible to order solely from Murena’s webstore beginning in the present day.
The Murena Fairphone 4 additionally comes with the /e/ working system preinstalled, which is described as a privacy-focused, Google-free cellular ecosystem for people who wish to keep away from handing any knowledge over to the search big. As a substitute of the same old Google apps, the Fairphone 4 will include a variety of default Murena Cloud apps for issues like e mail, calendar, and cloud storage in addition to a devoted app retailer that highlights the privateness scores of every app to assist customers monitor how their on-line exercise is being tracked.
We should always word, nonetheless, that /e/OS isn’t solely Google-free. The Murena “App Lounge” technically does let you set up main Android apps, together with these made by Google, however Murena claims that it fetches apps instantly from the Play Retailer with out giving Google any of your non-public info.
The Fairphone comes unlocked, however the press launch mentions that T-Cellular and different operators primarily based on T-Cellular’s community are the one US carriers advisable for use with the gadget. Fairphone can be offering an prolonged five-year guarantee for the {hardware}, and /e/OS is equally dedicated to fixing bugs and supporting safety and have updates for 5 years.
The Murena model is the one Fairphone 4 mannequin being launched to the US, and there’s no point out of the usual Android OS mannequin becoming a member of it anytime quickly. “We all know primarily based on suggestions we’ve got obtained that there are lots of folks taken with Fairphone within the US. Nonetheless, at the moment our foremost focus is on the European market,” stated Fairphone CEO Eva Gouwens in a press launch. “This collaboration with e/OS/ is a good alternative for us to pilot promoting units within the US market with a longstanding associate and study extra concerning the American market.”