Murena One with /e/OS: New Android smartphone without Google services
Murena is the company behind the Google-free Android variant /e/OS and launches its first own smartphone with the One.
So far, Murena has supplied smartphones from other manufacturers, such as the Fairphone 4 or the Galaxy S9 with the alternative operating system /e/OS. The Murena One is the first own smartphone and cheaper than the Fairphone.
Privacy as a purchase argument
The main reason for buying the Murena One is not to share your data with Google. The smartphone manages this well. Murena had to develop some own apps for /e/OS to replace Google services. These include an email program, a map app that uses OpenStreetMap, a browser, contact management and a calendar or its own messenger. You can install additional apps via the App Lounge. It gets the apps from the Play Store, but does not tell Google on which device they are installed.
However, the Murena One is not only behind the Fairphone 4 with /e/OS in terms of price and is less sustainable. Unlike the competition from the Netherlands, you cannot disassemble it.
The Murena One has a 6.53-inch LCD touchscreen. The Helios P60 has over eight processing cores and was in the upper mid-range when it was introduced, but it is from 2018. That does not sound up-to-date - just like the restriction to 4G. The Helios processor is supported by four gigabytes of working memory.
You can expand the 128 gigabyte internal storage with a microSD card. The smartphone also accommodates two SIM cards. The 4500 mAh battery is permanently installed.
There are three cameras on the back of the Murena One: 48-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 5-megapixel camera without a more precisely titled function. The front camera takes selfies at 25 megapixels.
Price and availability
The Murena One is only available directly from the manufacturer for now. There it costs 346 Euros or 290 Euros if I claim to want to buy it from Switzerland. However, the interest seems to be high and already shortly after the presentation, the smartphone is marked as "Out of stock". You can sign up for a waiting list, though.
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