Why should they do this? And why should it not be possible (with known obstacles)?
Not everyone want a de-Googled phone. Many people actually like the google services.
Why shouldnāt it be possible? What if e/OS/ had to do some hacks in order to get it working that did not get āupstreamedā to FPOS? What if the US version has hardware that is unsupported by FPOS?
Press release
Full press release up now (PDF) at Ingoās link:
"Murena Fairphone 4 with /e/OS software now available in the United States"
Murena Fairphone 4 with /e/OS software now available in the United States
Fairphone and Murena announce pilot of Murena Fairphone 4 with /e/OS in the US
Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 5 July 2023 - Fairphone, the Dutch social enterprise
building a market for ethical phones and motivating the industry to act more
responsibly and Murena, the main contributor to the privacy by design operating system
/e/OS that focuses on protecting user data, have announced the pilot of Murena
Fairphone 4 with /e/OS in the United States. This is the first time Fairphones will be for
sale in the United States.Since 2020 with Fairphone 3, /e/OS and Fairphone have teamed up to provide
Fairphone users with a privacy by design operating system. Fairphone has always
valued open source software as a way of reaching its goal of bringing more fairness to
software. The first of its kind, the collaboration between Fairphone and /e/OS provides
users with the first privacy conscious and sustainable smartphone. With /e/OS,
Fairphone gives its users options, letting them choose from the standard Android OS
(available in Europe only) and /e/OS, for those who value an extra layer of protection for
their personal data.Eva Gouwens, Fairphoneās CEO comments: āWe know based on feedback we have
received that there are many people interested in Fairphone in the US. However,
currently our main focus is on the European market. This collaboration with e/OS/ is a
great opportunity for us to pilot selling devices in the US market with a long-standing
partner and learn more about the American market.āGaĆ«l Duval, Murena CEO and /e/OS founder states: āWe are excited to bring highquality sustainable phones with advanced privacy features to the USA. With the
inclusion of our pro-privacy operating system /e/OS, we are proud to offer users a
device that not only lasts longer but also protects peopleās personal data. At Murena, we
are convinced that this is the perfect combination for a more ethical phone."Fairphone 4 is a more sustainable choice that is made to be fair to people and planet.
Thanks to its unique modular design, Fairphone 4 is built to last, anyone can make
repairs with a standard screwdriver. The device has the highest iFixit score on the
market - 10/10 - and has received a 9.3 in the French Repairability Index. Fairphone 4 is
also the first modular phone with an IP rating. It has a rating of IP54, meaning that the
device is protected from dust-ingress and protected from rain. The device is also the first
smartphone certified according to TCO Certified, a third-party sustainability
certification for IT products.Fairphone 4 offers a step up in tech specifications. It has up-to-date specs such as three
high-quality cameras, a future-proof 5G with dual SIM, a powerful processor, and a fastcharging battery. The camera comes with a pair of premium lenses ā a 48MP main
camera for all the details and a 48MP ultrawide camera for the bigger picture ā and to
top it off, a 25MP selfie camera.Fairphone 4 is available to purchase on the Murena online shop for RRP $599 for the
6GB/128GB and $679 for the 8GB/256GB across the United States. The device is
recommended for use with T-Mobile and MVNOs based on the T-Mobile network in the
United States. Using Fairphone 4 with other US carriers is not recommended.About Fairphone
Fairphone is building a market for ethical phones, motivating the industry to act more
responsibly and pioneering more sustainable ways to make smartphones. Our latest
device, Fairphone 4, is described with the tagline āSustainable. Long-lasting. Fair.
Fairphone 4 offers an unprecedented 5-year warranty*, is a unique electronic wasteneutral handset, contains fairly sourced and recycled materials and pays workers in the
supply chain a living wage, challenging the electronics industry to take a more
responsible approach. It is the only smartphone on the market certified with the German
eco-label Blue Angel and TCO Certified (for sustainable IT products).ā 5G and dual SIM
ā Modular design for easy repair
ā 5-year warranty* for maximum longevity
ā 48MP dual rear cameras with supporting sensor and 25MP selfie cameraThe smartphone was launched in 2021 at a suggested retail price of ā¬579 (6GB RAM,
128GB internal memory) or ā¬649 (8GB RAM, 256GB internal memory). The two variants
of the device are available in Europe from a wide distribution network of (online) retailers
and network operators and Fairphoneās website. To learn more about Fairphone 4 click
here.*if bought before 31/08/2023, and warranty activated within 90 days on Fairphone.com/warranty
About /e/OS and Murena
Founded by Gaƫl Duval, /e/OS builds mobile operating systems with pre-installed apps
and online services that help users regain control of their personal data on their
phones. /e/OS is committed to providing better data privacy and security for
individuals and corporations, along with a state-of-the-art user-friendly experience./e/OS is a global project, supported by an international core team of experienced
entrepreneurs, developers and designers, and a vibrant growing community of
contributors. Its mission is to make technology that makes user privacy accessible to
everyone.Murena is the new brand name for /e/OS smartphones and premium online services,
including āMurena Cloudā. Murena smartphones are phones with preinstalled /e/OS
ready to buy, shipping in Europe and North America.https://e.foundation
https://murena.comFor additional information and interview requests, please contact:
Veronika Pozdniakova (Murena)
Email: media@murena.com
2 Likes
As someone who currently lives in Europe, but is planning to move to the US basically as soon as I can manage: if I order a Fairphone now, which component will I have to replace for it to work well in the US? I assume thereās a hardware upgrade to work well with US-based carriers.
This is literally the one thing holding me back from buying the phone. I just donāt wanna buy it twice, would be quite wasteful.
I doubt anyone here in the Fairphone community knows the answer. Personally I wouldnāt have expected any h/w difference, but I could be wrong. But Iāve just asked that question in their announcement topic (which needs approval first). Letās see what the response is.
4 Likes
Welcome to our community forum.
So far I cannot find any tiny hint that the Murena Fairphone 4 includes any different hardware than the standard version. However (from the press release I just posted):
5 Likes
oh, i see! so itās basically just the same phone youād get if you imported a european model to the us?
and yeah, hi there!
1 Like
Technically, yes. Cost-wise, the Murena offer might save you lots of added taxes, import charges, customs etc. though. If you want to do a proper cost-comparison, ask the folks over at Fairphone owners in the USA (FP2 FP3 FP4).
Last but not least, the Murena offer must give you the same Support that Fairphone only gives you in Europe ā this does not really apply to self-imported phones, or is much more complicated. Again, ask the other US FP4 users for details.
4 Likes
awesome, thanks!
welp, my plan right now is to buy the phone now and just take it with me whenever i move, so i guess iāll take whatever that entails. the murena offer does sound super cool though for people already living there, hope it extends to spare parts as well
Hi all,
This is great news. This is how I found out about it (Telegram):
I canāt work out where /e/os press releases are thoughā¦
And this is where you buy it:
Obviously green with 256GB is the one you want! 
I believe itās the same model as in Europe because thereās been no additional certification by the FCC as far as I can tell, therefore you need to heed the troubles that existing USA-based FP4 owners have experienced.
Cheers 
3 Likes
Reminder that /e/OS hasnāt updated the included browser/system WebView since December of 2022 or their included PDF viewer since January of 2016 leaving users vulnerable to hundreds of known security issues: https://divestos.org/misc/e.txt
Changing out the browser and removing the PDF viewer will not fix the issues, as the system WebView is a special app that canāt be changed by users in normal operation.
If you are a customer or are thinking about becoming one please urge Murena to stop neglecting their customers and spend the few hours necessary to actually perform the update process.
6 Likes
Pre-installed /e/OS will be based on Android 12 (Thanks for asking, @urs_lesse).
Hardware is the same as sold in the EU (Thanks for asking, @Ingo).
(And yes, Fairphone themselves donāt strictly only sell it in the EU currently, there are other parts of Europe, too, and a partnership with a vendor in Taiwan.)
I made the first post a Wiki post, so everybody can edit it directly to e.g. add or update important info or links.
5 Likes
Just received mine 5 days after ordering and set it all up. The only limiting factor for me to commit to using this phone full-time is lack of Android Auto.
As I assume that unlike Fairphone OS, /e/OS on the Murena Fairphone 4 will not issue periodical reminders of this, it might make sense to remind buyers here of the need to register for the extended warranty (5 years): https://murena.com/america/shop/smartphones/brand-new/murena-fairphone-4/#warranty
6 Likes
I cannot purchase the Murena version in Taiwan, so I have to install Murena on the Fairphone 4 by myself. 
I find Murena to be more user-friendly than Android. 
2 Likes
The Murena /e/OS is Android.
4 Likes
Welcome to the forum 
Great to have someone from Taiwan ā the first and so far only country outside of Europe where Fairphone (directly) sells ā here in our Fairphone Community. Make yourself comfortable and if you want, you can also say hello here: Welcome! Introduce yourself here! As for all things /e/OS, Murenaās user forum is also recommendable. (P.S.: I invited KaMiao to our forum)
7 Likes
In reality, the act of shopping follows a cycle of both delight and disappointment. The initial joy of acquiring a new gadget fades away after a few months, replaced by a sense of loss, trapping me in a continuous loop of frustration 
.
Upon reflection, I decided it might be better to invest in something more enduring, like FairPhone. When the phone ages and its performance becomes inadequate, I can seek out a compatible operating system to install and give it a new life on it .
Itās not an unattainable goal; with the right operating system, even older devices can handle applications and games effectively .
This is precisely why I choose FairPhone ā the ability to manually adjust the aging hardware and keep it functioning reliably 
.
Thank you, finally. Iām currently looking for the Murena Forum, and Iāll be joining. 
3 Likes
Interesting: Murena now offers cellular + data plans (contracts) in the USA: murena.com/mobile
Hardly surprising, these are based on T-Mobile (Murena already advised to use their Murena Fairphone 4 with T-Mobile before this development).
More background (eSIM, Europe expansion):
6 Likes