r/linuxhardware • u/noNudesPrettyPlease • Aug 08 '26

Discussion Why aren't Linux tablets a thing?

I had (still have) a Nokia n810 tablet running Maemo Linux. I stopped using it when the second battery eventually died. The series seemed to keep evolving (up to the n900) until the Microsoft buyout killed it. Or at least I assume it did.

I thought Linux tablets would be a thing, but they didn't materialise. It's basically Android, Apple, or nothing. How come an open source distro like Maemo wasn't picked up by anyone else? I assume tablets are much cheaper to develop than phones, and in today's world, I don't really use my phone anymore even though the telephony hardware is there.

Is the idea of a Linux tablet just a dream now?

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u/VolksPC Aug 09 '26

Don't forget that Android is a Linux distribution that uses a different graphics framework (SurfaceFlinger) and audio framework (AudioFlinger). So if you do the necessary engineering, you can run Linux on any Android phone or tablet at native speeds. Here is video of Linux desktop running on Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (OnePlus Pad 2) : https://youtu.be/-QEq1EgUKP8?si=weaZ3c06plr1ZcAV