The builders behind the /e/OS working system have been round for some time. For the previous 5 years, you’ve got been ready to make use of the software program on a handful of commercially out there Android telephones just like the Galaxy and even purchase them with the software program already put in for those who weren’t as much as doing it your self.
However now the e Basis has a cellphone of its personal, the Murena One. I have been utilizing it for a number of weeks and I’ve to say that is all the things I like about Android in a single package deal.
It is in all probability not the cellphone for everybody and even most individuals. However it’s a showcase of why open-source software program (like quite a lot of Android) is cool and how one can have a smartphone that respects your privateness.
This is not a daily evaluate as a result of this is not only a common Android cellphone. That is one thing completely different for a cellphone that is completely different.
Murena One: The cellphone {hardware}
This is not a cellphone for spec junkies. It is not even pretending to be that cellphone. It is a cellphone with modest {hardware} and an equally modest value of $379.
It is small for an Android cellphone coming in at 6 inches tall by 3 inches large and has a 6.53-inch LCD across the entrance. Listed below are the total specs.
| Class | Murena One | |
|---|---|---|
| Working system | /e/OS 1.0 (based mostly on Android 10) | |
| Show | 6.53-inch LCD | |
| 2242 x 1080 pixels | ||
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio P60 | |
| RAM | 4GB | |
| Storage | 128GB | |
| MicroSD assist | ✅ | |
| Rear digicam 1 | 48 Megapixel, f/1.8 | |
| Rear digicam 2 | 8 Megapixel, f/2.0 | |
| Entrance digicam | 25 Megapixel, f/2.0 | |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, 3G and 4G world-wide band assist | |
| Battery | 4,500 mAh | |
| Dimensions | 161.8 x 76.9 x 8.9mm | |
| Weight | 186 grams | |
| Worth | $379 |
The cellphone is provider unlocked and has dual-SIM assist (or an SD card slot, decide one), nevertheless it presents no 5G connectivity. I’ve used it on T-Cellular right here within the U.S. and it connects like another LTE cellphone I’ve used.
You will discover a fingerprint reader alongside the facet like we have seen on different telephones and it really works nicely. It is a capacitive sensor so it is not topic to the problems an in-screen reader has, which was a pleasant change.
The cameras are OK however nothing to get enthusiastic about. Actually, that is a wonderful method to describe the {hardware} package deal general: It is OK. It really works high-quality however lacks most of the whiz-bag options many different telephones supply, however there is not a lot to complain about for the value.
However the {hardware} is not what makes this cellphone particular — that will be the software program.
Murena One: The software program
I fell into the identical entice I’ve seen a number of others fall into when speaking about any cellphone that runs /e/OS 1.0 — I’ve tried to shoehorn Google stuff again onto it.
It is price noting you possibly can nonetheless undoubtedly try this. With assist for the microG undertaking, a slimmed-down model of Google’s proprietary additions to Android, you possibly can have apps like Gmail, Google Images, or Maps operating by way of the Applab retailer. It really works for probably the most half, and you will find nearly each app you’ll discover on the true Google Play retailer.
However for those who do that, simply know you will nonetheless have a greater expertise shopping for a “common” Android cellphone. I made a decision to wipe the gadget, scrap all of the phrases I would written, and begin over with what I had versus making an attempt so as to add extra Google to “plain” Android.
I am actually glad I did. It allowed me to give attention to all of the issues the e Basis will get proper whereas realizing that the issues lacking have been only a fast set up away if I wanted them. Spoiler alert: I did not.
The cellphone comes with all of the fundamentals put in: an online browser, e mail shopper, calendar, maps, textual content messenger, and all the remaining. A ton of different apps, like Sign (my most popular messenger shopper), are available by way of the cellphone’s built-in app listing. In fact, you additionally get entry to third-party app shops like F-Droid if that is the way you need to get your apps.
Simply because there isn’t a Google baked in does not imply you do not have entry to a sturdy set of cloud providers. Each gadget comes with a Murena cloud account that gives an e mail tackle, backup house, cloud connectivity on your calendar, contacts, paperwork, and necessities, in addition to 1GB of personal storage for all the things else.
The most important distinction although between the Murena One and each different commercially out there cellphone operating Android is contained in the settings app. There you will discover all the data you’ll ever have to learn about how apps can entry your data, how they’ll observe you, and even how one can present a pretend location for the pesky apps that demand one.
You’ll by no means discover this with any cellphone that makes use of Google’s providers out of the field. I think about a lot of it’s a direct violation of the GMS settlement between Google and cellphone makers that enables the latter to incorporate all of the Google-y bits with out paying. It is also an excellent factor that must be on each single Android cellphone.
That is what Android is all about. Actual alternative.
In the long run, that is what Android is all about, the free and open elements, anyway. An organization just like the e Basis can take what’s there (although /e/OS is a fork of LineageOS, which is forked from AOSP, the purpose nonetheless stands) and make a extremely good smartphone with it whereas excluding Google from the image.
Telephones offered for the Chinese language market have been doing this for years so it is superior to see it finished for the West and with none authorities interference.
Is the Murena One for you?
The expertise is just about the identical as another mid-range Android cellphone for me. I am not an enormous app man so all the things I wished was out there, and I discovered that e Basis’s default providers labored fairly nicely.
The distinction is that I used to be capable of do all of this with out Google holding observe of me as I did it. That is a double-edged sword as a result of a few of the issues Google does that I like depend on monitoring, like with Assistant. However I may stay with out it if I hadn’t already purchased into it.
That is the place our paths in all probability diverge. Most individuals need an Android cellphone due to all of the issues Google provides. Look no additional than the downfall of Huawei for those who want additional proof.
Most individuals aren’t going to go to an F-Droid repo and set up the microG suite of providers both, which implies no assist for something from Google. And that is high-quality.
Some people simply need to purchase the perfect cellphone and revel in it with out worrying about Google realizing what apps you utilize or holding observe of the belongings you seek for. As talked about, the good thing about Google realizing issues such as you shopping for airplane tickets to Hawaii means it you get entry to reminders, boarding passes, and all the things else that makes the journey simpler.
However for those who use a smartphone as simply one other instrument and do not actually squeeze it for all it is price, this cellphone might be for you. Even for those who do need to fill it with video games and apps and care about Google monitoring you, this may be the cellphone for you.
Murena One
The Murena One is the primary cellphone from the e Basis and it runs the wonderful Google-free /e/OS. It is an amazing cellphone for anybody who desires much less Google of their lives.
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