I went Graphene a while back and can’t be happier with it.
I’d still love to see a real Linux phone that really works and really has native Signal/etc apps but since buying a pinephone years ago to tinker with it, I’m not holding my breath.
If anyone here has fears/questions about installing/using it, I can give you basics. NOT an expert, but installation was the easiest thing I could have imagined, took MAYBE 10 minutes literally following their official guide.
The software for linux phones is pretty much there. Gnome and KDE mobile are surprisingly capable. There’s built in apps for every basic thing you’d need on a phone like a dialer, SMS app, camera, etc. plus all the normal apps adapted to work with mobile like the calculator and maps apps.
The only real limitation is with the hardware. I have no idea why all new linux phones launch with specs from a decade ago. You can get a better experience by flashing ported Postmarket OS to an Android phone like the Nothing phone or a OnePlus 6t.
It shouldn’t be like that, no idea why it’s impossible to just have a linux phone with decent specs and a good camera on par with modern flagships.
Linux phones try to build from upstream Linux, and the major phone SoC vendors HATE upstreaming their code.
They believe every character in their source code is absolutely top secret.
A middle ground I wish was considered more is taking Google’s kernel and the vendors DLKM partition/DTB/DTBO for hardware support, and putting a GNU userspace on top.
This has had problems in the past, because vendors would modify syscall tables such that they don’t match userspace anymore, but with GKI, I think we’re closer to that being a possibility
Agree. On my fifth anniversary with GrapheneOS and it still kicks ass.
The Pixel phones on the other hand still leave a lot to be desired as reliable hardware. My 8 Pro is the best of the ones I’ve owned, but not by much considering my Pixel 6 Pro had a shitty Tensor modem, and my Pixel 4 XL had a spicy pillow.
The sooner GrapheneOS moves to Motorola, the better.
I went 1 2 4 7 9. The first two where good 4 was shit 7 was even more shit and 9 has been slight better shit.
But it’s still better then fucking Samsung. Wish there was a good third option on Verizon that didn’t require me to jump through fucking hoops or is just a worse pixel.
I went Graphene a while back and can’t be happier with it.
I’d still love to see a real Linux phone that really works and really has native Signal/etc apps but since buying a pinephone years ago to tinker with it, I’m not holding my breath.
If anyone here has fears/questions about installing/using it, I can give you basics. NOT an expert, but installation was the easiest thing I could have imagined, took MAYBE 10 minutes literally following their official guide.
The software for linux phones is pretty much there. Gnome and KDE mobile are surprisingly capable. There’s built in apps for every basic thing you’d need on a phone like a dialer, SMS app, camera, etc. plus all the normal apps adapted to work with mobile like the calculator and maps apps.
The only real limitation is with the hardware. I have no idea why all new linux phones launch with specs from a decade ago. You can get a better experience by flashing ported Postmarket OS to an Android phone like the Nothing phone or a OnePlus 6t.
It shouldn’t be like that, no idea why it’s impossible to just have a linux phone with decent specs and a good camera on par with modern flagships.
Linux phones try to build from upstream Linux, and the major phone SoC vendors HATE upstreaming their code.
They believe every character in their source code is absolutely top secret.
A middle ground I wish was considered more is taking Google’s kernel and the vendors DLKM partition/DTB/DTBO for hardware support, and putting a GNU userspace on top.
This has had problems in the past, because vendors would modify syscall tables such that they don’t match userspace anymore, but with GKI, I think we’re closer to that being a possibility
Agree. On my fifth anniversary with GrapheneOS and it still kicks ass.
The Pixel phones on the other hand still leave a lot to be desired as reliable hardware. My 8 Pro is the best of the ones I’ve owned, but not by much considering my Pixel 6 Pro had a shitty Tensor modem, and my Pixel 4 XL had a spicy pillow.
The sooner GrapheneOS moves to Motorola, the better.
I went 1 2 4 7 9. The first two where good 4 was shit 7 was even more shit and 9 has been slight better shit.
But it’s still better then fucking Samsung. Wish there was a good third option on Verizon that didn’t require me to jump through fucking hoops or is just a worse pixel.