Information about a device shows up on the device info pages when it completes development and testing. Work on the device is still ongoing. Once we are done we will make the code public and share the details on the info page.
Thatās a pretty big statement you make considering that you say: āthere is no info about this on the device info pageā. So how can you say you know it non-repairable? LOL
Because in the absence of evidence otherwise, thatās unfortunately the default assumption with any modern smartphone
Congratulations on your new device.
I hope it will be better maintained than my Teracube 2e purchased from Murena.
On official builds, OS OTA Upgrades are planned for all the devices we support or sell. The only factor would be when we would be able to release it. These devices also get support as long as the hardware would be able to handle newer versions of the OS. If you check the release year of list of supported devices there are devices from 2016 there.
Hi all-- weāre excited about all the positive feedback weāve received so far. With the Hiroh Phone, we really wanted to focus on pairing meaningful privacy features with a premium user experience. The team at Murena has been an outstanding partner in developing the phone throughout the whole process starting back when the phone was just an idea on a napkin. Our teams are fully aligned with the goal of developing technologies that offer accessible, easy to use privacy.
@Jqri, Iām impressed by your internet sleuthing but we are also happy to be transparent and answer any questions you might have. Our website is indeed a static site temporarily hosted on GitHub Pages. We donāt really need anything more than a static site until we integrate a way to process purchases. We use only privacy-friendly visitor analytics by way of Plausible.io which seemed aligned with our privacy values. We store no cookies on our visitorsā computers. To me, GitHub Pages seemed like a great temporary solution.
Why is it odd that the source code is public when we demand that so much other software remain open source for transparency? Our organization doesnāt have a need for GitHub Pro at this time. We are solely focused on producing an incredible phone which is a fairly significant endeavor.
Bivy Labs is indeed another project Iām involved with, and itās closely tied to the development of the Hiroh Phone.
On repairability: weāve made deliberate design decisions to ensure repairs are straightforward. While I love building hardware, itās frustrating to see the industryās waste ā both from discarded devices and the overall impact of manufacturing. Minimizing that footprint is important to us.
For anyone interested, the About page on the site at Hiroh website has been updated to provide a bit more information about who we are and why we are working so hard to make the launch of this phone a big success.
Thanks for the update @hiroh-alex . Appreciate you taking the time to clarify some of the queries raised by users in this post.
Users can check out the Hiroh site and the updated pages here
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your feedback.
While youāre here, Iād like to ask you this question. What sets you apart from Fairphone, Shiftphone, a Pixel on which itās also possible to add an AOSP ROM, or a Murena Phone?
Thanks
Thatās a very good thing, and I congratulate your team for it.
Yes, the subject of upgrades was raised over a year ago. Nothing has been done since then to upgrade the version. My device, which I purchased with four years of support, is no longer secure, according to the March patch. So I hope for the sake of those who purchase this device that it will be better maintained.
I use my phones with skins (or wraps or skin-wraps). In 3D (like honeycomb) for better grip without getting bulky. I really would like to know if this options comes available besides phonecovers. Believe it or not, that would be a deal breaker for me. Of course Iām happy to help.
A13 upgrade is to be planned. Just pinged the team about this. Will keep the forum updated on any progress.
Hi 18yt8zhg, Thanks for asking.
The primary features that set the HIROH phone apart from the phones that you mention is the addition of the privacy switches (which disable your camera/microphone electronically, and the radio communications) in addition to a more premium spec sheet. The phone contains a higher quality screen, more RAM, more storage, a faster CPU, and a better GPU. The materials of the HIROH phone are premium with an aluminum frame, a gorilla glass screen, and a premium glass back all with a thin 8.75mm thickness.
The Fairphone and the Shiftphone are great phones but they are trying to solve a different problem. We wanted to offer a premium experience with the additional privacy-oriented feature of being able to electronically disconnect your microphones and cameras.
The HIROH phone is the combination of privacy and premium.
Iām actually very interested in this phone, and have already pre-ordered (perhaps in a flurry of excitement). So there is one question I wanted to ask aboutā¦
On the website it says the phone is compatible with all major carriers worldwide. Iām just wondering if that would include AT&T in the US? The reason I bring it up is because compatibility of phones designed for the international market with US carriers has been very hit-and-miss from what my research tells me. It seems like most people living in the US who donāt want to run official Android have kind of accepted this odd situation where they either switch to a very specific carrier like T-Mobile thatās more compatible with non-US phones that arenāt really designed for our networks, or they buy a Google Pixel so they can have an unlocked phone that works on AT&T or other similar carriers.
So, am I right in assuming that this phone will be able to get around the typical wonky situation where de-Googled phones have to be either models made by Google, or else have poor compatibility with US mobile carriers? I know you technically addressed it on the website already, but Iām just double-checking because itās very unusual for phones designed for the international market to work well in the US, and it sounds like you intended for this one to be an exception to the unwritten āruleā that is usually the case.
Just wanted to be sure I wasnāt reading it wrong.
To bad it doesnāt have a headphones jack. Guess Iāll have to look elsewhere
No one have a headphone jack now, except maybe cheap phone.
I would also like to know. Iāve been closely following this for more information on the phone. I want to know if this phone could work with Verizon. I am on a shared plan where no one else wants to switch carriers (not to mention, Verizon is the only carrier with stable coverage in my area) so moving to T-Mobile is not an option for me.
I know Sony phones have it, but itās Sony. I really do not trust them with my data at all. Thereās another privacy phone, but the specs arenāt great, IIRC. Still sad that thatās the only real choice for those like me and Gquirt, who really want to have a headphone jack. I know thereās dongles and bluetooth, but neither of those would work well at all for me. I might have to cope though since this phone is the best-looking phone (so far) Iāve seen all year (provided it has an SD card slot) and I canāt afford to wait another year since my current 6 year old phone is starting to die on me.
@MircetK Hmmmm, of course i talk a lot and try to get my point across, sooo when Rogers tried to bully me?? Into getting a new phone because mine was incompatible, IMEI numbers did not ācompute,ā i did not have LtE or Volte, YES I DO, and our company did not have the necessary licenses, etc., to operate in Canada i went to work. No one was going to get rid of my new phone! I elevated my calls until i was speaking to someone who obviously āseemedā to have power. I listened to everything she had to say waited for her to totally finish, then i started telling her all of the benefits of working with Murena - all the benefits. You see i had come to the forum and i had a lot of input for me use. I have 5g service, the respect of the person I spoke to, and so far since the time they upgraded their whole system, my phone is doing well, thank you very much. Donāt let them get away with their flibber. Oh and i think i convinced her to get a phone from Murena - she was very interested.
@naillig59 Well, I really hope I donāt run into an issue like that, but if I do, I can only hope I can win them over to update their system like you did. I am not too good with phrasing on the fly, so hereās hoping it goes smoothly for me. lol
Yeah I forget Sony sorry. Itās so sad that they arenāt promoted more like Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, or other Chinese brands, because their smartphones are very, very goodāeven better.
More about the genesis of HIROH from CEO Victor Cocchia: