this post was submitted on 22 Jun 2025
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Linux Phones
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Community about running GNU/Linux on phones. Projects like Ubuntu Touch, Plasma Mobile, PostmarketOS, Mobian etc. Either on former Android phones or hardware like the PinePhone.
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I've concluded that the only way I will be able to dump Android or iOS in the near future is with Harmony NextOS. Yeah, my data will be in the hands of the Chinese, but that sounds preferable to the US, NATO, and 5-Eyes at the moment. Maybe Burkina Faso will save us all by manufacturing and releasing an open source, repairable phone.
Reddit nihs when CCP does absolutely nothing different from their NSA: π‘π‘π‘
Btw what phone are you planning ROM?
China is probably doing same level of tracking but whether you are a journalist in your search of US government abuses, a woman looking for an abortion clinic out of the state, a anti-genocide protestor or an immigrant critical of an US government policy... China may like you or not, but besides banning you from entering China, little more that it can do to you.
Then, is the selling of personal data, Chinese companies have fewer interaction with data aggregators from the west and very few data to sell too, so far less exploited there for us. This, of course, can easily change.
In conclusion, nothing beats in privacy having GrapheneOS, /e/, CalixOS, etc... But if you want a different hardware from Googleβs and a new affordable yet powerful device (check the bands though!) while you think you can easily blend among the masses... Do go with a Chinese OS instead of stock Android or iOS.
I have zero brand loyalty when it comes to phones. The wife has a Xiaomi and an old Huawei she uses as an iPod. I'm using a Realme that I bought after my Samsung died.
How about /e/OS from Murena? Starts at 360EUR with a new phone https://murena.com/shop/smartphones/brand-new/murena-cmf-phone-1/ or refurbished Pixel 7 for 420 EUR
@Bronstein_Tardigrade You probably know about GrapheneOS and have a reason not to use it? If not, it might be worth looking at. (Buying an out of date used Pixel phone, required for Graphene, isn't expensive.)
I do not live in the US and Pixel phones are virtually non existent here. Unless I can load it on Samsung, Huawei, Vivo, or OPPO, it's not of much use. I have seen Harmony for offer on a few Huawei phones out of my price range, so have to wait on more market saturation.
@Bronstein_Tardigrade .ml being Mali? Do any of the global mail order places deliver there? (Not suggesting you use them, just wondering. Amazon-australia, for instance, sometimes doesn't deliver to New Zealand. π )
I'm pretty sure I've read recently about a Samsung model that works with linux (can't find it now of course). Things move pretty quick so it may be different now, but a couple of years ago when I was looking, none of the linux phones worked reliably as _phones_. If you need calling and texting, that's a problem!