[roughly]

Genuine question - my impression of the Librem phones is they’re not particularly usable as phones - is a Librem an actually viable smartphone right now? Like, if I want to do all the normal stuff - use maps, message friends (say, text and signal), maybe even catch an uber - is a Librem a viable choice for normal phone use?

[kop316]

I have been using a Librem 5 on Mobian for 3+ years, and the answer is yes. I can use sms/mms, have Signal Desktop installed, i can use Pure Maps for maps and navigation, and i can use Android Apps via Waydroid (though that is admittedly cumbersome).

[roughly]

Interesting - I've looked at them before, but have always been hesitant. What kind of battery life are you getting, and how stable is it? What are the primary tradeoffs for you?

[kop316]

Sorry just saw this. Standby is 15 hours or so. If I am active with it, it drops closer to 4-5 hours.

It's reasonably stable. The 3 GB limitation is kind of annoying, because a lot of apps like to use 400-500 MB each, so I really can only have one app open at a time.

I don't use too many apps (the only social media I have is Mastodon), so there isn't much tradeoffs to me. Ironically, most of the tradeoffs I used to have to make, I helped fix. I made a meshtastic app, I helped to get GPS working with geoclue for navigation, I made a voicemail app. The main tradeoff for me is the battery really. But in a day to day scenario, I do sit in an office or at home, so it really just sits on one of two chargers.

[fileoffset]

Got a Librem5 and sold it immediately. Too large, too heavy, shitty, buggy software and the battery was terrible. This was admittedly a few years ago but I wouldnt touch them.

[kop316]

A few years has made a huge difference in stability and usage I would offer. It sounds weird to say, but I like its size and heft now.

I said it in a sibling comment, but yeah, battery life leaves a lot to be desired with heavy usage.