this post was submitted on 18 Jul 2023
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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.

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[–] [email protected] 54 points 1 year ago (4 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

This, if there's a successor (an actual working one), it's probably SailfishOS. Runs pretty well on my Xperia 10 III and the UI is super nice :)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Is Maemo Leste not working?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Replying from my Xperia 10 IV.

It's purchase was a mistake.

I'm stuck on Android :(

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Can you not sell it and grab a III? They are pretty cheap used/refurb now - I got 2 in good condition for £200 each.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

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...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Volla has two official images, one is ubuntu mobile

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Yeah but is it a low level android or is it a full Linux boot? As mentioned, the only two phones I know of that boot full Linux from scratch with Linux drivers are the Pinephone (and the Pinephone Pro) and the Librem 5. Both with their own set of issues.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It is 100% Linux with 0% Android. I had a Volla Phone X for a few weeks.

Edit: It uses vendor blobs to communicate with the hardware. Besides that, it used some lineageOS code in Halium, which is a layer between ubuntu touch and the vendor blobs.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

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.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think Fairphone uses Linux. Pretty sure it uses Android.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

By default, Fairphone uses Android yeah. But Ubports has support for some of their models.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've had a Fairphone for a couple years now, didn't realize its Ubuntu ready? How if the Ubuntu smartphone OS?

[–] huskypenguin 4 points 1 year ago

How do you like it? I want one but I realize it's going to be a hit on the camera.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

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!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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?)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

They are still developing and selling Sailfish OS. They just stopped making their own hardware.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Until google takes over the whole android project degoogled android such as lineage os or graphene os can be good too

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Conveniently, these are also the phones that would probably be worth buying for degoogled android/Lineage OS.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Me too! /e/OS rock stable, even on my second-hand Samsung A5 (2017).

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

I am actually running Tizen on a Samsung A5 - bit of a shame that no one else seems to be interested in Tizen...

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Second hand still very capable handset > postmarketOS > Done.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why are people saying that Android isn't Linux ITT?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Tried sending text messages to my Ubports Pinephone the other day and it didn't work. On the Librem 5 it receives them fine.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

made by IN Europe

Huh? That'd be news to me.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

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.

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