Modular Fairphone 4 finally lands in the US but isn't running Android anymore
The Fairphone 4 modular smartphone launched back in 2021, at least in Europe. It's only now making its way to the US, believe it or not, but with a twist.
The device is being brought to the States by Murena, a company that specializes in "de-Googling" Android phones. As such, the US-only Murena Fairphone 4 won't run Android like its European counterpart. Instead, it will boot Murena's "/e/OS".
This is described by the company as a privacy-focused, Google-free OS, aimed at those who are wary of sharing their data with the search giant. The OS 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 the apps from the Play Store. That said, Murena claims it's not giving 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 means you can replace parts with a standard Phillips screwdriver. It's IP54 certified for dust ingress and water sprays, 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 warranty for the hardware, and very 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 for a device that made its debut in 2021. You get a 6.3-inch 1080x2340 60 Hz LCD screen, the Snapdragon 750 chipset at the helm, a triple rear camera system (48 MP main with OIS, 48 MP ultrawide with autofocus, and a ToF 3D sensor), a 25 MP selfie snapper, and a 3,905 mAh battery with support for 20W wired charging.