Looking through available documentation users and consumers maybe misled into believing there are lots of option of phones out there that can be used, or on which mobile linux distributions can be installed (such as pureos, postmarket os etc…) . But from that review there appear to be only two phones that currently work:
- pinephone
- librem 5/ liberty phone
Please correct me if I am wrong, but there are only two options where the phone actually works with a linux install. There are lots of options where the phone does not work and an OS can be somehow bootstrapped but is lacking in functionality for various components. I am talking mostly about a phone hardware and its various components allowing users to:
- makes calls
- sms support
- camera works
- power management (charging) is implemented
- orientation sensor, compass, light sensor etc works
- gps works
To me the above represent sortof the minimum. There is Sailfish OS of course with phones where all those features work, but doesn’t it require Android install to actually make it work (that feels like having two operating systems running instead of one)? Also there is ubuntu touch which i have used on Volla, but while the hardware works the software is woefully insufficient (getting open VPN to work is almost impossible). I am not aware of any Plasma OS phone that is fully supported, so if that actually exists I am interested.
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Yet another topic about open source linux phones
Yes Sony Xperia, Oneplus, Google nexus, Vollas, many more.
But I can’t install postmarket os on a volla phone and it will work fully, or is it possible?
Well i not sure about PMOS but i know that Vollas is working fantastic with Sailfish SO y Ubuntu Touch
Hear hear, maybe I am just not a fan of ubuntu touch, the linux installer was very difficult to use and unstable. The apps are even more limited than what is available on pureos and as far as i know you can’t install flatpak linux apps?
Phosh is has more apps than Ubuntu Touch.
As far i know Ubuntu touch has the best UI installer.
Well first Flatpak it is not Linux app but Gnome app.
True if you wanted to use the phone as a phone only I suppose the Volla Phone with Ubuntu Touch can work for basic usage (as long as apps aren’t needed). I am surprised you tought the UI installer was good, I used it on MacOS and Linux and it was terrible (as in almost non functional) from my experience (also it reminded me of flashing OS on android or iOS where you first had to enable developer settings, unlock bootloader etc making it a pain - message shows during boot your device can’t be trusted etc…). If I compare it to just reimaging the L5 it is flawless.
On the plus side if i leave my Volla Phone in a drawer, and start it up 1 year later more than 50% of battery typically is still remaining.
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Well back in 2019 the Necunos NC_1 ran on Plasma Mobile. I have not heard of anyone ever receiving the device itself, but considering its target audience I highly doubt anyone will come forth to claim such at this point.
Interesting it looks like some hardware was produced at some point but was never for sale, probably testing
I have PostmarketOS on a OnePlus 6 for testing from time to time.
Phosh : camera & NFC don’t work unfortunately. Otherwise, it is a really good experience. Depending on the SIM card provider, I could fix GPS location quickly or not at all with 4G enabled, and of course, web/calls/SMS/MMS work well (on the Librem 5, I still can’t receive MMS and call audio are bad according to my interlocutors…). In terms of smoothness, I feel Phosh has a (much more) smoother experience on the OnePlus 6 than on the Librem 5.
GNOME Mobile : it is still in development but it has a very nice UI and is becoming more and more good. Since a few time, 4G works so you can use it for browsing, calls, SMS, emails, etc. but it still has some missing features (no rotate button, few framedrops, Firefox touch support broken, nautilus not ready for smartphone experience, etc.).
I think the Librem 5 is currently not ready as a daily driver (I use it as daily driver but I feel frustration for some features / bugs). I really hope experience will become better.
EDIT : GNOME Mobile is stable so Firefox works as in the below video (with Pinephone) :
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Only one batch was made, and the exact quantity within it is not clear.
