I don't think they will be around for long. Their products went from being the highly anticipated to most trashed for being totally non functional and hostile behaviour towards customers.
I agree, it's not ready yet. What we see is a community forming, developing the software/protocols/skillsets needed to make Linux Mobile viable. It's expected that it's messy in the beginning. :)
Being the best in an extremely niche market with little competition doesn't really mean very much. Purism is currently appealing to the overlap of people who specifically want a GNU/Linux (not Android) device and those for whom poor performance (compared to other flagship devices) is not a deal-breaker. Each of those segments of the market is already very small, and the overlap between them is minuscule.
The only way that a Linux phone could be economically viable is if it's rock solid and performs well, and based on the first-hand accounts that I've heard/read, Purism hasn't cracked that yet, which makes me pessimistic about them ever getting there.
> The only way that a Linux phone could be economically viable is if it's rock solid and performs well
This is where we disagree. Generally, this is not true, as proven by Pine64 business model. Of course the Librem 5's price is much higher, but it offers more features that could be useful to many: https://source.puri.sm/Librem5/community-wiki/-/wikis/Freque...
> Generally, this is not true, as proven by Pine64 business model.
Pine64 hasn't proven anything. I bought a PinePhone in excitement when it first came out, and after the first two weeks, it's been on my shelf collecting dust. I imagine that most buyers are in the same boat. Yes, they built up some hype and got some sales early on, but I think it's unlikely that this will continue into the future.
To be clear, "useful" and "economically viable" are not the same thing. It's great that these options exist, and as long as they're around, they will continue to be useful to some subset of people, but I think there is little chance of any of these Linux phones replacing my Android phone for daily use over the next 5 years—and I say that as someone who's pretty tolerant when it comes to bugs, poor performance, and lack of features.
I am not sure in this case, is it a stable experience?
Linux mobile (non android) does not has the best reputation, which is what this comment is hinting at.
Working the best can mean 80%, when users expect 100% of basic functionality, with no regular restart and short battery life. So .. do you know details of the current state?
I'm using Librem 5 as a daily driver. The battery is sufficient for one day, but not more. The experience is definitely not 100% but maybe 95%+. Here is a list of complains, most of which I personally do not have (they are likely connected to older hardware): https://forums.puri.sm/t/l5-items-that-still-need-to-be-poli...
Apart from that, GNU/Linux provides many features that you can't get elsewhere: true convergence, desktop apps (including Firefox with all plugins), full terminal and so on. And no tracking unlike the duopoly: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26639261. Also, hardware kill switches and a smartcard are really useful.
Librem 5 is the most suitable/polished/stable daily driver for Linux Mobile at the moment.
I'm curious if some Linux phone can consistently make and receive calls, its battery lasts three days and I can buy it for less than 200€.
I only use calls, the camera, whatsapp (I could try a replacement), the alarm clock (a lot), sometimes vlc and sound recorder. Firefox, maps, etc. are nice to have, but not needed.
I wonder if I'm one of a kind user. But the three requirements doesn't seem much and support my current usage.
Pinephone is the only GNU/Linux phone that cost $200. Calls work, but I'm not using them much. The battery lasts one day, but you can have a spare one. Whatsapp installation can be complicated, since they (intentionally) don't have a Linux app. But some people I saw did install it. Firefox is the desktop version btw. The camera is very basic and slow.
Thank you! That looks promising. I would install some alternative app for messaging, but even whatsapp has a web version. I don't need much of a camera.
Calls work, but I'm not using them much.
For that I do need some reassurance :) I'll take a look to their forums to see how progress goes.
As much as I like pine, the pinephone is heavily subsidized by librem who actually hires software devs to make things work. If you like your pinephone, you have librem to thank for it in large parts.
Yeah they aren't fully equivalent offerings. But you could spend $800 on a donation to the KDE Plasma Mobile, Unity8, SXMO projects, $100-$200 on the hardware itself, and come out even, no?
For years linux people we asking for hardware like pine gives: just let us have it and we will write drivers and make it work. Now that someone delivers they get criticized for it. While Pine isn't perfect, they are filling a niche that I've long wanted.
Fairphone provides a version with a de-Googled Android (/e/OS) and I think that enough for people who care about their privacy and don't want to share their data with Big Tech.
Having an actual Linux phone with the same userspace as a Linux Desktop is cool, but it's even more niche.
Librem 5 is the most suitable/polished/stable daily driver for Linux Mobile at the moment.
Purism are funding a lot of the development (Phosh, in particular) that other phones benefit from.
Purism's other products don't seem to have as strong an advantage over their competitors though.