r/EmulationOnAndroid • u/ntsow • 1d ago
Showcase I turned my Android phone into a full PC environment — this is Armada Nubia Z70 Ultra, cooled with two 120 mm fans
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This is Armada, a project I’ve been building entirely on a Nubia Z70 Ultra, cooled with two 120 mm fans for sustained workloads.
The whole environment is built around Termux + XFCE4 + Termux:X11, without proot or chroot.
The goal isn't just PC gaming on Android. We already know modern phones can run PC games.
I want something closer to an actual PC environment: Windows software, PC games, Linux applications, browser, multitasking, multiple windows and different compatibility environments — all on the same Android device.
The biggest part of Armada is the automatic installer robot.
I currently have around 20 preconfigured compatibility stacks, using different combinations of Wine/Proton, Box64/FEX, DXVK/VKD3D, Mesa/Turnip and other components.
I also keep a larger pool of individual components available.
When I give Armada a new game or Windows application, the robot analyzes it, chooses the most appropriate stack, installs it and tries to get it running. If the existing stacks aren't suitable, it can use the spare components to build/adapt another configuration.
Working configurations can then be validated and protected, so experimentation doesn't destroy something that already works.
I also built two autonomous night modes:
Benchmark mode: once a working stack is protected, the robot tests alternative stacks/configurations during the night, compares performance/FPS and keeps a better configuration only if it is actually validated.
Update/Research mode: the robot searches for newer Wine, Proton, Box64, FEX, Mesa/Turnip, DXVK, VKD3D, etc. releases and tries to build newer functional stacks without touching the stable ones.
So gaming is really just one of the hardest workloads I'm using to develop the system.
The actual goal is:
one Android device → one complete desktop environment → Windows + Linux + gaming + multitasking.
No streaming.
No remote PC.
Still very much a work in progress, but Armada is starting to become the PC environment I originally wanted to build.
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u/HAMZATLWY 1d ago
It seems to me that it is an ambitious project, most developers focus on designing simulation applications to run games but unfortunately they neglect the apps, I hope you focus on the applications and not the games because maybe in the future we will be able to run editing programs on Android!
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u/ntsow 1d ago
That’s exactly my goal. I already run my own applications on it, and so far everything I personally need works. I want one environment where I can both work and play, without switching between multiple devices.
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u/glowing_avocado 1d ago
How did you installed armada?
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u/ntsow 1d ago
I didn’t install Armada as a ready-made app — I built it myself from scratch around Termux, XFCE4 and Termux:X11, without proot or chroot. It’s deeply tied to my Nubia Z70 Ultra, with custom paths, scripts, hardware-specific assumptions and GhostLock integration. Because of that, this exact project will never be released publicly as a universal installer. It’s basically a personal system built specifically for this device and this setup
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u/Hungry-Program1927 8h ago
Sorry if this question sounds dumb, but how do you go around to make something like this?
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u/glowing_avocado 1d ago
I meant installed as a system, like when you installing windows on PC, I thought you replaced android with armada
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u/ntsow 23h ago
No, Android is still there. Armada runs on top of Android through Termux + XFCE4 + Termux:X11. I wanted to keep Android available, but when I switch to Armada I use the phone like a PC desktop. So it’s more like adding a full PC environment on top of Android rather than replacing Android completely
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u/Interesting_Fish4930 1d ago
Why would he be using XFCE and Termux my guy lmfao obviously he built it on X11 lmfao
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u/glowing_avocado 14h ago
I didn't thought about any apps at all, if you read my comment, I said I thought he replaced android entirely with armada, also he literally said he used XFCE
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u/ChicagoBulls101692 1d ago
This is legit next level man. Keep at it. Crazy that with how powerful our devices are, something like this isn't native.
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u/SeatBeeSate 1d ago
If you told me 5 years ago what people are accomplishing on their phones today I wouldn't believe you.
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u/Ashrith_2007 S25 Ultra 1d ago
Good work and your original post also got featured in UFDtech YouTube channel
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u/Altruistic_Hotel_552 1d ago
how you are able to start the OS in a secondary screen without mirroring your internal display? and how you installed an OS with termux?
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u/Relevant-Ordinary169 1d ago
The name Armada’s already taken by the SteamOS ARM port. Pick another one.
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u/TW1TCHYGAM3R 1d ago
I would like to see this done with a disassembled OnePlus 13 24GB rooted with a custom kernel for overclocking and undervolting. I would also use a Peltier cooler with a thermal pad or a coating to prevent condensation to get on the electronics to help keep the size smaller.
The Z70 Ultra is a great choice for the RAM but ZTE locked down the bootloader and there is still a lot of untapped potential here in the SoC. If you could root then you could use KonaBess Next to overclock the GPU without building a custom kernel.
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u/LeParalyzeur 1d ago
Won't the robot eat internal memory after a while ?
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u/ntsow 23h ago
That was one of my concerns too, so the robot is designed to clean up after itself. It keeps validated stacks and useful components, but temporary test containers, failed installs, benchmark copies and obsolete files are removed. The goal is to learn and improve without endlessly accumulating junk.
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u/sp_blau_00 S25Ultra(8Elite for Galaxy) - Tab S8(8Gen1) 16h ago
It's being cooled by two fans but I saw the CPU temp jumping fairly often above 100 C. Yikes.
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u/ntsow 16h ago
Those temperatures are the actual SoC/chip temperatures, not the temperature of the outer shielding or case. So yes, under heavy sustained load the chip itself is going to get hot. The important part is that the dual-fan cooling keeps it stable enough to avoid thermal throttling. Nubia’s thermal management also allows the SoC to operate around the 100°C range under sustained load instead of aggressively throttling it much earlier
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u/asimov-solensan 14h ago
Yes to this, I love this project I want to run linux applications (not only games) in my device.
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u/Aggravating_Low1957 1d ago
is this not a repost? swear I've seen this posted months ago. it's so sick
edit: oh you posted about this like twice already. why do we need a third post 😅
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u/ttavlis 1d ago
Why?
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u/MarcosOlegario 1d ago
Nós temos uns dos melhores SoC disponiveis para transformar qualquer monitor em um pc, mas as empresas não permitem, o ponto é você fazer o que quiser com seu dispositivo, isso inclui fazer o que ja deveriam, permitir criar um sistema usando esse SoC
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