Fairphone takes a different approach from most phones on the market as it focuses on sustainability. As of press time, the company will finally bring what was described as "sustainability-focused" smartphones to a new US market.
The Fairphone 4 Finally Launches in the US with Two Variants Available
According to an official Twitter announcement, Fairphone said they would finally arrive in the US with its first model, the Fairphone 4. It was noted that to purchase the device, buyers can go to Murena's website to order.
According to the story by Engadget, the entry of the company to US customers would start with a version of its Fairphone 4. The device, dubbed the Murena Fairphone 4, was said to be available as of press time.
The price of the sustainability-focused smartphone starts at $599 for the basic variant, which offers 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. Buyers that want a more powerful variant can purchase one for $679 to get 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage.
Buyers can still Expand Their Storage Manually with a microSD if They Don't Want to Purchase the 256 GB Version
However, regarding storage, buyers don't need to purchase the higher storage variant since they would be able to expand the storage of their devices with microSD. The article by Engadget also reminds people that the two-year-old device comes with a 2020 mid-range Qualcomm chip.
Regarding the Murena Fairphone 4, the device was described as "much more than the pure specs." This was because of how it was ultimately focused on privacy, being an Android device that was detangled from Google.
The device uses the /e/ operating system from Murena, which doesn't pack Google's stock apps. This means that instead of apps like Google Maps, users will immediately get an open-source alternative.
Murena Still Gives Buyers the Option to Install a Standard Version of Android but Warns Against Voiding Warranty
The device reportedly includes its very own directory that provides each app with its very own privacy rating. Because of this, users will be able to know just how much they're being tracked by certain apps even before installing them.
It was also revealed that users are still free to install Google-built apps. According to The Verge, Murena purports to try and snag certain apps coming from the Play Store even without giving the user's information to Google.
It was also noted that users are free to install a standard version of Android if they want. However, Murena does warn users that if they do this, their warranty will automatically be void.
Europe Buyers Can Choose Between /e/ or Stock Android OS Variants Out of the Box
In Europe, it was noted that Fairphone 4 buyers would be given an option of getting the /e/ or stock Android operating system variant. Murena reportedly plans to give software updates and security patches for at least five years.
Fairphone itself already offers a five-year hardware warranty. It was noted thatFairphone centers around repairability and designs its devices to last a long time.
iFixit gives the Fairphone 4 a 10 out of 10 repairability score.
