Concept Idea: The "Murena Utility" – An Uncompromising Digital Detox Phone (OLED & Hi-Res Audio)

/e/OS Foundation & Community
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Hello Murena Community and Developer Team,

I’ve been following Murena and /e/OS for a long time and I am thrilled by the independence the system offers. However, I feel there’s a crucial puzzle piece missing in the current lineup that I (and many others) desperately need in everyday life: A true “Utility Phone” for digital minimalism.

The market for digital detox devices is growing, but current solutions like the Light Phone or Mudita often fail in practice due to impractical E-Ink displays, poor cameras, or the lack of essential everyday apps (banking, navigation, messengers). At the same time, standard smartphones (even the Teracube) are too big and encourage endless scrolling through built-in app stores.

I’ve put together a concept for a device that uses the existing Murena infrastructure to build the ultimate tool phone. Here is my idea:

**
The Hardware: Pragmatism & Audiophile Focus**

  • The Form Factor: Inspired by the highly ergonomic dimensions of the Mudita Kompakt. An intentionally thicker body (approx. 12.5 mm) that feels fantastic in the hand.
  • The Display: Instead of thick bezels and E-Ink, it features a bezel-less, high-contrast 4.7-inch OLED display.
  • The Audio Hero USP: The device doubles as a High-Res audio player. A dedicated DAC (Bit-Perfect) bypassing the Android audio bottleneck, plus a 3.5mm headphone jack. The thick chassis provides the resonance chamber for excellent speakers. (A collaboration between two European tech pioneers – Murena & Qobuz – would be an absolute dream here!).
  • Longevity: 6 to 8 GB of RAM to ensure smooth performance for a 6-year lifespan, space for a massive replaceable battery, and a single, high-quality camera lens (iPhone 13 level).
  • Focus Hardware: A physical, tactile slider switch that physically cuts off the internet connection (Wi-Fi/Cellular).

The Software: “Intentional Friction” via the Murena Workspace

The device runs on /e/OS, but with a radical restriction:

  • Intentional Reduction Out of the Box: In its default settings, there is neither a browser nor an email client, and no app store on the device itself.
  • PC-Only Management: You select essential everyday tools (banking, wallet, public transit, car sharing, Signal, Garmin) centrally on your computer via the Murena Workspace. From there, they are pushed over-the-air to the phone.
  • The Vacation Mode: A browser and an email client can be temporarily unlocked for travel via the PC dashboard. After the trip, both vanish again with a single click.
  • Perfect for Families: The existing Murena parental control features can be seamlessly managed through this PC dashboard.

Why Murena?

Murena already has the perfect ecosystem (privacy, microG, Workspace, custom mobile plans). It is only missing this compact, radically focused hardware vessel. Such a device could stand as a strong European statement for digital and acoustic sovereignty and fill a massive niche.

I am burning to know: What does the community think about this? Would you also have a need for such an uncompromising tool phone? I look forward to your feedback, and maybe the Murena team is reading along too!

Best regards!

2 Likes
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Welcome to the forums, MaikKloss!

I…I think you can get at least half of what you want with LineageOS by itself, without having to reinvent the wheel.

LineageOS does have a browser and a mail client, but both can be disabled or removed pretty easily. It doesn’t have an App Store out of the box, and while I can apprecate a hardware-based kill switch for the cellular modem, I submit that an on-screen widget that enables or disables Airplane Mode is a middle-of-the-road solution that achieves the goal on any phone at all.

The PC management part already exists; it’s called ADB AppControl, and again, you can use it on ‘whatever’.

Finally, in terms of your audio request, again, a compromise with a counterbalance: the TempoTec Sonata is a USB-C DAC that has extremely good reviews for its audio quality. Yes, its a separate device, but it costs $57 on Amazon and works with every Android phone on the market, so again - no dedicated hardware run necessary.

While “less-smart smartphones” are the kind of thing that many people are saying that they want - and I’ll even grant that most of those people actually do want such a device, the problem is that the “one or two things I want it to do” gets pretty long, pretty quickly, and by time you’ve appealed to everyone, you’re back to a smartphone again. Some people may still need something that works with an MFA app like Duo or Microsoft Authenticator for work. Others may want a music player like you, but would either want Spotify to work, or find themselves needing a 2000s-era software stack for their computer to turn an MP3 collection into something useful for the device to play back. Others may need some obscure app for a storage unit or parking garage, and the whole forum here knows how many hoops /e/ has to go through for banking apps…and by time everyone’s one-or-two-required-apps are handled, you’re so close to a normal smartphone that a low-volume hardware run becomes a tough sell from both sides - if it’s too limited, it’s not going to have enough value to justify buying vs. a cheaper/used/modded phone, and if it’s too flexible, it’s just a matter of branding.

So, I’m not saying that there’s zero market for what you’re looking for, but instead that there are a number of ways to get at least some of what you want using already-existing hardware and software, either free, or inexpensively.

Hope it gets you some of the way there!

3 Likes