Comparing specs of upcoming Linux phones

A LAN-only phone was never really something that I wanted. Cellular is a minefield in many ways but …

I’m interested: any more info about that?

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I don’t have any more info other than the comment made by Brian Lunduke on his show, but I assume that he heard a rumor. My guess is that it is some company like Star Labs, Gemini, or one of the makers of ARM dev boards.

It’s not dead yet.

Update: https://necunos.com/news/nc_1-update/

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Really odd how they waited so long for an update. Someone said the last one was in April, last year…

Maybe I expect too much but with communities like this, frequent updates are crucial imo.

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I don’t see them as 'in competition". I wish Pine the best of luck as do I Purism :slight_smile:

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I’d agree with @DemBeesDoneStolenAll

Because the option of choosing different Linux phones supports them all - more appeal to (almost) average consumers and more development behind the scenes. Even more manufacturers and models are needed to sustain Linux phone ecosystem (and the manufactuerer/distro specific ecosystems within that).

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True. Going completely quiet for 8 or 9 months would be a way of losing interested customers.

Yeah that’s exactly what I was thinking.

@amosbatto : hello, could we consider adding Volla phone as a serious other Linux phone (mainly the Nemo & Ubuntu versions) ?

AOSP based - not quite linux. Nemo and UT have always lived on hybris so nothing new for them, but for normal linux OS it’s a showstopper

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The Kickstarter hasn’t reached its “alternative OS” stretch goal and it’s hardware is very locked down (MediaTek so no kernel sources, they claim they will be able to provide it later but manufacturers often claim this and then fail to deliver).

It will likely not work without the Halium compatibility layer which Ubuntu Touch has.

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Thank you for your reply !

… and doesn’t look like doing so?

If I am reading it right, the stretch goal is 490,000 euros - while they have only currently raised 19,000 euros!

However there is a later update:

We are thrilled to announce some great news today: Supporters can get the Volla Phone with a preinstalled Ubuntu Touch.

This has become possible because we could raise additional funds outside the campaign to invest in the development of the Volla Phone.

Where do I get “additional funds” like that? :slight_smile:

Anyway, I hope they produce something and reach financial sustainability. The more freed choices the better.

While on that topic, I noticed: https://tuxphones.com/linux-kernel-boots-on-t8010-a10-iphone-7-via-pongoos/

There’s hope for my old spiPhone yet (not that I have a spiPhone 7).

and if you are a backer outside the EU, you would have about zero chance of enforcing your consumer rights, if that commitment were even legally binding.

I love Volla’s idea of an AOSP phone focused on security without Google’s proprietary software, plus the option to install UBports and Sailfish OS, so I really hope that this succeeds. The Volla looks like a good option for people who want a better camera and better specs than the PinePhone or Librem 5 can offer, but are less committed to standard Linux or software freedom.

When I checked the Gigaset web site, the closest model to the Volla phone that I can find is the Gigaset GS290. The only difference that I can see in the specs is the Volla Phone has a 5000 mAh battery, whereas the GS290 has a 4700 mAh battery. Gigaset is interesting because it assembles its phones in Germany, so this an option for people who don’t want a phone made in China. (Is this the only company that assembles phones in Europe?)

The Gigaset GS290 was released at a price of US$290 and currently sells at US$264. The Volla Phone is crowdfunding at a price of €359 (US$397), so the markup for adding Volla OS, which is based on AOSP, isn’t that high.

Of course, I’m more interested in its ports to UBports and Sailfish OS (and potentially Nemo Mobile). It remains to be seen how well those ports will work. According to the twitter post, it uses a public kernel with a board support package (BSP) (that I assume is proprietary), but I can’t find any kernel for the MediaTek Helio P29 when I search online.

Since the Volla’s Linux support depends on how many orders it receives and the work of the community, it isn’t as sure that you will get Linux support like the PinePhone and the Librem 5 will have. Another option if you want Linux is the Gemini PDA (with a MediaTek Helio X27) from Planet Computers in the UK. It offers the option of triple booting with Android, Debian, Kali, Sailfish OS and Sailfish X. It also promises to offer Debian, Kali and Sailfish in its new Cosmo PDA (with a MediaTek Helio P70).

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There may be multiple reasons for not wanting a phone that is assembled in China.

If it’s labor standards or environmental standards then OK.

If it’s pre-installed spying from Chinese entities then assembling the phone in Europe may not solve that problem because a) there’s “assemble” and then there’s “assemble” i.e. the assembly that is done in Europe may be so high level that the spying is already there, and b) the spying may be embedded inside a chip so that even with assembly only done in Europe the component is already compromised.

In other words, if you are worried about pre-installed spying from China then you need not only assembly outside China but you also need to ensure that no components are sourced from China.

The reality is that you have to get your components from somewhere and at the current time, you don’t have any means of verifying the component.

PS

The Necunos NC_1 may likewise be assembled in Europe, that is if you could get one yet.

we don’t have/want factory for mass production, our production is in Finland, the high quality components come from Europe

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Thank you for your feedback. It is good to know people have options like Linux phone with open hardware / Android blobs hardware + Linux OS / Android / Apple.

Regarding the Pine phone, have you seen this new video ?

KDE Neon seems to be interesting (it still need bug fixes and smoothness, but I really like this alternative OS).

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Why leave?
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Water off a duck’s back!

Not sure why you are interpreting this as disrespect. I am actually encouraging you to ignore the fools and continue to exercise your right to free speech!

Sorry my mistake, I get offended a lot here.
Even the person being offensive said in one post “this ps memt as a offense” O report or over 1 week ago and Zero reply from admins :d they did not even respond to my request with yes no.
Unmanaged forum encourage trolls and people to be mean, sadly this forum is unmanaged or admins are too busy.
In Any case worst experience in a forum just wanna be gone and done with it.