[Underphil]

I can't quite understand what you're saying here. A PS5 devkit can't make calls but it's still developed for. Why does a phone need to be your daily driver to be able to develop for it?

I call tell I'm obviously missing something here and happy to be called out.

[spicybright]

A PS5 dev kit functions as a full PS5 though, so you can be reasonably certain a game developed for it will work on a real PS5. You can test it like someone playing a PS5 would by sitting in front of it with a controller.

A phone that has trouble with basic features you're expecting a final product to get right is much more effort. If you're not going to be using it like a normal phone daily, you won't find certain bugs.

What if your map app crashes when the GPS location jitters too much like in the real world? Or gives inaccurate results when you walk next to high current power line that screws with it's internal compass? It's nearly impossible to simulate day to day usage to catch these things.

But sure, you can develop for it now. But when bugs with basic features you rely on happen, you'll have to make a guess whether it's your code or the phone's bug.

Then when bugs are either fixed or deemed not OS issues, you'll have to re-test and re-develop parts of your code to cope with that over and over.

A proper working dev kit that works as a day to day phone is much more worth developing for, unless you're REALLY into the pinephone and don't mind extra work.

[Underphil]

That's a fair and measured answer. I sit corrected. Hadn't considered it from that point of view.