I ended up selling it due to issues that primarily had to do with hardware.
Linux can run on a phone, but where is the hardware?
I don’t mean that these devices have grown old with time.
These phones offered up to 3GB of RAM at a time when even budget phones came with 8GB.
With phones now shipping 12GB or even 16GB of RAM, the difference is even more stark.
It’s not just about how the numbers compare.
If the experience ran smoothly, then it wouldn’t be an issue.
But I found both Mozilla Firefox and GNOME Web barely functional on the Librem 5.
Webpages were slow to load, if the online window didn’t crash entirely.
Lucas Gouveia / How-To Geek | Pine64
A modern phone’s processor can outperform many laptop CPUs.
That’s a vision I find very appealing.
If you press down on it, you might feel it give.
Justin Duino / How-To Geek
Neither gear is dust-proof or water resistant.
The PinePhone Pro improved in various areas, but this wasn’t one of them.
And, by the time I got my hands on one, it did!
Joe Fedewa / How-To Geek
But there’s more to a phone than the technical ability to manage a call.
My Librem 5 would silently lose connection without any on-screen indication.
I simply wasn’t receiving them!
Say Goodbye to a Good Camera
Linux phones lack comparable camera hardware.
Expect as low as a 5MP shooter or a high as 13MP.
The hardware is only part of the story.
When it comes to smartphone photography, software is the bigger issue.
These devices were already playing catch up when they launched, and now they’re even further behind.
That gear can still be considered barely daily drivable.
Flip-style foldables like the modern Moto Razr have made flip phones cool again.
I’ve used Linux’s GNOME interface on a phone, and it’s great.
In many ways, I prefer it to Android.
I’m just waiting for a good phone to put it on.
