The Fairphone 4 modular smartphone was launched in 2021, at least in Europe. It’s only now making its way to the United States, believe it or not, but with a twist.
The device was brought to the US by Murena, a company that specializes in “de-Googling” Android phones. As such, for the United States only Moray Fairphone 4 it won’t run Android like its European counterpart. Instead, it will start Murena’s “/e/OS”.
This is described by the company as a privacy-focused, Google-free operating system aimed at those wary of sharing their data with the search giant. The operating system has its own app store and Murena Cloud apps for things like email, calendar, and cloud storage. The app store highlights the privacy ratings of each app, but apparently still gets apps from the play store. That said, Murena claims not to give any of your private information to Google in the process.
The Murena Fairphone 4 starts at $629.90 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and goes up to $699.90 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It supports microSD expansion and the modular system allows parts to be replaced with a standard Phillips screwdriver. It is IP54 certified for dust and splash water ingress and has 5G and dual-SIM support. That said, while the phone you buy is unlocked, the documentation says your best bet for using it is T-Mobile and its assortment of MVNOs.
You get a five-year hardware warranty and minimal packaging with no adapter, not even a cable. Just the phone and a quick start guide. The Fairphone 4 has a 10/10 “repairability score” from iFixit, which is a very, very rare sight in the mobile world.
That said, the specs are about what you’d expect from a device that made its debut in 2021. You get a 6.3-inch 1080×2340 60Hz LCD screen, the Snapdragon 750 chipset at the helm, a triple rear camera system (48 Main MP with OIS, 48MP ultrawide with autofocus and 3D ToF sensor), a 25MP selfie snapper, and a 3,905mAh battery with support for 20W wired charging.
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