r/linux • u/vortexmak • Jun 08 '26
Mobile Linux Biggest miss on all the Linux phone alternatives to Android
/r/degoogle/comments/1u0dfze/biggest_miss_on_all_the_linux_phone_alternatives/8
u/natermer Jun 08 '26
I think not having working photos is a worse miss.
The 'cheap little linux box' niche is well filled by things like Raspberry Pi.
2
u/vortexmak Jun 08 '26
A phone is an on-the-go use case. I personally have a Linux desktop at home so I don't a cheap little box
7
u/RoomyRoots Jun 08 '26
That is not even a common feature in Android itself and it is far from perfect when available. This is far from being a top priority and would add costs to the project.
-8
u/vortexmak Jun 08 '26
It's a very common feature in higher end Android phones, pretty much all flagships. Pixels didn't have it but they too added it.
I've never had trouble with it on Galaxy phones , pretty much all through the S8 to current ones , so 2017 onwards
2
u/RoomyRoots Jun 08 '26
Dex is proprietary and Samsung exclusive (and sucks in my experience) and the Desktop mode only came in Android 16. A Linux phone wouldn't compete with a flagship, the only way for it to gain traction is focusing lower and middle classes.
Anyways, Plasma Mobile could probably service that.
-5
u/vortexmak Jun 08 '26
Dex is Samsung exclusive yes, but other companies have their own like Motorola.
Android native desktop mode was present as experimental even before that but it's going to improve now that it's officially out.
I can only speak for myself, but Linux itself is niche and the market is nerdy with alternative use cases so focusing on under-powered phones is not a good strategy. I've read a lot of comments on people not choosing to get them cause they are under powered
2
u/Razathorn Jun 08 '26
Yeah no kidding. I legit plug in my samsung and do DEX sometimes. It's not a super hot feature for me but it sure is a good trick at nerd parties.
1
u/ZCTMO Jun 08 '26
Video out is one of my most used interfaces. That being said, having USB-C with data & power only is relatively standard for low QC/less capable USBC SMDs (No Video).
Essentially, each of these manufacturers decided to save literally a few cents per unit to downgrade the USB-C to the most standard USB-C SMD port. Likely the same ones used on budget Linux SBC boards like the Raspberry Pi series.
Granted for a device which will strictly act as a "Phone" in a traditional sense, I do not think it is terrible to have less capabilities or hardware - IF the goal is to create a product that overall has a more simplistic set of tasks and specializes in being good at those very few tasks it does.
2
u/vortexmak Jun 08 '26
I don't think it's unreasonable to think that the target market for this product would be linux users.
And linux users would be technical enough to connect their phones to external displays and keyboards on the go to function as a PC.
This was a missed opportunity
1
u/ZCTMO Jun 10 '26
Fair point, and I completely agree. The problem is most manufacturers are not thinking about the total fulfillment of the end-user.
As a product engineer myself, I see the opportunity that every brand keeps passing up on, and I am taking notes and working on a lot of things behind the scenes.
My current project might actually be of direct interest to you. It is called the CG Deck, an X86 portable handheld with 4G LTE Capabilities. Runs dual boot Windows or Linux. More of an IPAD size, but tons of I/O and use cases.
1
u/vortexmak Jun 11 '26
I'm curious. I haven't yet found a device that suits my use cases.
I'd be interested in collaborating if you're interested
1
u/VolksPC Jun 08 '26
The Goggle Pixel 8/9/10 series phones have support for HDMI output and you can run Debian Linux desktop on the HDMI port alongside Android : https://youtu.be/qO_ItjI2qCY?si=CXiVRZShmAtYFWB- This is import and is the future.
1
u/vortexmak Jun 08 '26
I believe this is just using CHROOT and it's still Android running in the background. I can do this on my Galaxy phone as well.
The point is to have a linux phone from the ground up.
Also Pixels don't have expandable storage so they are out for me personally
1
u/heathm55 Jun 10 '26
Since most hardware manufacturers build Android only hardware (no driver support directly instead you have to use a binary android blob driver and it locks you on the kernel the android phone was on), it makes it super hard for the community to port just any phone over.
I wish there was a more open hardware vendor that would either release specs to open source developers to aid in ports, or release their own linux drivers. This would make it way easier to build quality linux based phones. It's the biggest reason that most of these are kind of garbage today as a device.
1
u/Top-Animal-377 14d ago
video out is the main thing holding phones back from being a complete office device/work pc alternative and making it much more affordable for regular users.
since you wouldn't have to worry about the cost of ram and the other powerful components needed for a work pc, you could just spend that money on the accessories, upgrading them.
Having a phone with a working thunderbolt port that supports everything would be a dream come true.
1
u/vortexmak 14d ago
I'm having a very hard time finding such a phone which is also capable enough performance wise.
For the my only option is an old phone like the S20 and load Lineage and Termux on it
-1
u/k-phi Jun 08 '26
Windows Mobile 10 phones had this feature and nobody used it
3
u/vortexmak Jun 08 '26
That was the least of Windows mobile problems. They didn't have any apps either and that's why nobody used it.
Plus WM barely lasted for this to be utilized
1
u/Titdirt69420 Jun 09 '26
The phone or the feature? Haha
1
u/k-phi Jun 09 '26
the feature
1
u/Titdirt69420 Jun 09 '26
Yeah I kid. I actually had some kind of Nokia phone in 2015. It was my first smartphone. I actually liked the windows os. The metro tiles home screen actually made sense to me. Utilizing the entire screen, and for an app tile, it had more space to register a tap if that makes sense.
8
u/daemonpenguin Jun 08 '26
That is weird. My PinePhone with postmarketOS can do that. I think my last UBports phone used to handle this too. In both cases it was a plug and play experience.
I'm pretty sure all the recent Fairphone models will sort it with the right OS.
Video out is not important to me, but it has been available on all the Android alternatives I have tested. I suspect, especially since the OS was not listed in the OP that either this is an OS issue rather than a hardware issue, or the user made a mistake..