Fairphone and Murena partner to launch the modular Fairphone 4 in the US for $599+, running the Google-free /e/ OS instead of Android OS, available unlocked
The storage of both models can be expanded via microSD, and the phone features a modular design that can be easily disassembled using …
Context & Ripple Effects
Fairphone has spent a decade building modular, ethically sourced phones for Europe only — from the €525 Fairphone 2 in 2015 through the Fairphone 3+ with recycled plastics — and announced the Fairphone 4 itself back in September 2021 at €579. The US launch is therefore not a new product but a new market entry, two years after the hardware debuted.
The twist is software: rather than shipping Android, Fairphone enters the US through Murena with the Google-free /e/ OS on an unlocked $599+ device. That makes this the first time the repairability pitch and a de-Googled software stack arrive together for American buyers.
First-order effects
- US buyers can now purchase an unlocked, microSD-expandable, user-repairable phone with no Google services preinstalled — a configuration previously unavailable to them from Fairphone.
- Murena gains a flagship hardware vehicle for /e/ OS in its largest potential market, while Fairphone gets US distribution without building carrier or retail relationships of its own.
Second-order effects
- Google faces a visible, if niche, proof point that an Android-compatible handset can sell in the US with its services layer stripped out — pressure on the assumption that Play Services bundling is inseparable from Android hardware.
- The $599+ unlocked price sets a reference point against subsidized carrier phones, forcing the value comparison onto repairability and software independence rather than upfront cost.
Third-order effects
- If the Murena channel works, it establishes a template for hardware makers entering the US through independent-OS partners instead of carriers — decoupling device longevity from any single software vendor.
- A sustained de-Googled niche would push regulators and right-to-repair advocates a concrete example that modular design and alternative OS distribution can coexist commercially, strengthening the case for both.
The trend: Smartphones are slowly splitting into two tracks — carrier-distributed Google-bundled devices and independently distributed, repairable hardware running alternative operating systems.