Europe is doing so well regarding Linux smartphones
Europe is doing so well regarding Linux smartphones
I have been looking at Fairphone and Volla, and it feels like the Smartphone scene for Linux is going very strong right now.
Think of it like this: We got 3-4 end-user ready Ubports smartphones, made by IN Europe(Volla/Gigaset is), with recent hardware, swappable battery, very good service and repairability in various formats. You can even purchase Gigaset phones (commercial equivalents of Volla) in stores/Amazon for a very good price.
The immediate orbiters of Linux smartphones like Fxtec, Planet Computers and Jolla are also based here.
I think we reached the year of the Linux phones. Atleast it is not the niche it was in 2020. I wonder how usable ubports is. If you got any experience with these phpnes on ubports, feel free to share.
Are these true Linux phones? Or are we talking Android loader/drivers then launching a Linux session? So far the only two devices i know to be true Linux phones are the Pinephone and the Librem.
Jolla is the successor to Nokia's Maemo/Meego OS which was proper Linux. Jolla does have seamless Android emulation. They don't do their own phones anymore, though.
Agreed, halium and Ubuntu Touch aren't true Linux phones in my book. To be a true Linux phone you need to run mainline, or at least very close to it (pmOS forks, Megi kernel, etc) and do things the Linux way not the Android way (KMS/DRM/Mesa stack, ALSA/Pulse/Pipewire stack). There are some phones that are getting there thanks to postmarketOS like the OnePlus 6/6T but the ones you listed are the main true Linux phones.
Typing this from my PinePhone Pro running postmarketOS.
How's that working these days? From time to time I dust off mine, try it a bit, and see that while there's progress, it's way too unstable for a daily driver. PPP even more so than old PP. I'm using a Pixel 7 running Graphene these days...
Volla has two official images, one is ubuntu mobile
Indeed they need Halium for it. On the other hand compare them to the nexuses and oneplus ones you had to put up with a few years ago.
I don't think Fairphone uses Linux. Pretty sure it uses Android.
By default, Fairphone uses Android yeah. But Ubports has support for some of their models.
I've had a Fairphone for a couple years now, didn't realize its Ubuntu ready? How if the Ubuntu smartphone OS?
How do you like it? I want one but I realize it's going to be a hit on the camera.
Yeah, I'm waiting for the day that it just works.
At the moment, MFA, hotspot and connect for lemmy are some of my requirements. I have also started with things like immich and open street map apps.
No wait, no I think about it, there are a lot of apps!
TIL Volla exists. Was confusing it with Jolla, who also had a Linux phone and OS but isn't developing either of them anymore (I think?)
They are still developing and selling Sailfish OS. They just stopped making their own hardware.
Until google takes over the whole android project degoogled android such as lineage os or graphene os can be good too
Conveniently, these are also the phones that would probably be worth buying for degoogled android/Lineage OS.
Does anyone know if Volla works with North American carriers? I'm already running graphene on a pixel, but ditching google completely would be great.
I am actually running Tizen on a Samsung A5 - bit of a shame that no one else seems to be interested in Tizen...
Second hand still very capable handset > postmarketOS > Done.
I use the Murena /e/ OS (developed in France). It's android-based, but totally degoogled (more so than LineageOS). Happy with it so far. I also installed Ubuntu Touch in an older phone, but it's definitely not ready.
Me too! /e/OS rock stable, even on my second-hand Samsung A5 (2017).
Why are people saying that Android isn't Linux ITT?
Because words are used on basis of usefulness. Non-useful meanings die out. This community is primarily a platform and only vaguely centered around Linux.
Neither is the BSD community closer to playstation users.
made by IN Europe
Huh? That'd be news to me.
Newer Gigaset phones are made in Germany. Volla phones are rebranded Gigaset devices.
I messed up in case of Fairphones, I will fix that. Although that phone is about fair worker conditions to begin with.
Tried sending text messages to my Ubports Pinephone the other day and it didn't work. On the Librem 5 it receives them fine.