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If you want a Linux phone that could be your daily driver, I would highly recommend the furiphone of furilabs (https://furilabs.com/ https://furilabs.com/). I

If you want a Linux phone that could be your daily driver, I would highly recommend the furiphone of furilabs (https://furilabs.com/ https://furilabs.com/). I got one from the Fosdem and it is truly amazing! Contrary to previous things I tried, like the pinephone, this one is really totally usable for everyday with everything that you could need (phone, SMS, 4g/5g, ...). Especially, for one time it has a very good camera, on par with some Xiaomi phones, that is really ok when you like to take pictures. Basically, it is a kind of a debian, but there is something very amazing, waydroid, that allows to run Android apps like if it was native apps but with full control other their rights, like being in a sandbox. The only issue that is not really solvable is that a lot of apps are requiring the Google integrity verification shit, so your are forced to connect with your Google account to the play store or Google services to be able to use them. Like these shitty OpenAI and Mistral apps...

genewitch 2y ago
> so your are forced to connect with your Google account Slight adjustment to your verbiage: you are forced to interact with Google, but I don't recall having to give a phone number for emulators. Then again, one didn't need a microsofr account to use windows until recently, so I might be wrong. Tablets and things like x86 android exist so I don't know that Google can enforce phone numbers anyhow, if you want a separate login for each device...
- greatgib 2y ago
  It is not that you have to "interact" with Google the problem, in the sense of interacting like downloading an app. You can use the Aurora store, but once you try to use the app, the app itself will redirect you to an oauth2 login for your Google account, the kind that is associating your "phone"/Google service globally with your Google account. And this despite the fact that I will only use password login for openai and mistral, that should not be linked to Google anyway. In addition with integrity verification, I can easily think that they are using it for "push notifications" that will also travel through Google. So, it is not only that you will have to "interact" with Google, but the fact that you will be forced to let Google track you: which phone you use, which ip, which app with which account, used when, where, ...". That defects a little bit the purpose to have a "free" phone if you still have to give your data to Google. So the problem is the "push" not the "pull".
  - notpushkin 2y ago
    Aurora Store also runs a bunch of their own throwaway Google accounts you can use (the “anonymous” option on the sign-in screen). Usually works great, though sometimes takes a few tries to get a working account. Many apps do require passing the integrity check, though, but microG is getting better on that front (and IIRC you don’t need a Google account for that).
  - genewitch 2y ago
    sorry, my comment didn't convey my desired inflection. You don't need your google account. you just need a google account. As in, you can use a throw-away "google account". Or, one could, a year ago, at least. I get that there's still a google profile on your usage of the device, and i'm sure they have a way to link it to your other profile(s).
jpnc 2y ago
>fur iphone Science has gone too far! Seriously, thanks for pointing this one out. I haven't heard of it before.
- greatgib 2y ago
  Terrible auto complete, thanks for the notification, I was able to correct still. So furiphone (fxl1) and hopefully nothing related to "iphone".
lucb1e 2y ago
Since the shop is super slow and intermittently giving a "Error establishing a database connection", for those having trouble: it's just above 600€ (base 550$ + VAT + shipping). At 17x8cm it's among the largest phones you can get, competing with e.g. the Ulefone 18T Ultra (the one with the FLIR camera, but Android). It has a headphone jack (big plus) but at that size, I just can't use that sadly. This glowing review really made me reconsider whether to see if a "real Linux" phone can work for me given how many years I've been using Linux desktops exclusively now
- greatgib 2y ago
  Indeed, on the bad side it is a little large (like the biggest iphone I guess but can still dit in a jean pocket), a little heavy, battery life average, and not perfect, like with the expectable rough edges that makes it a developer/tech enthousiast thing but not general public. But, compared to the pinephone and co, this is the first one that could be used as a daily driver, without another read android backup phone. And it works well out of the box, without firmware flashing or any console/dev operation.
d3Xt3r 2y ago
For completeness sake, here are a couple of other decent alternatives to the FuriPhone: 1. The Volla Phone Quintus, with Ubuntu Touch: https://volla.online/de/shop/volla-phone-quintus/ https://volla.online/de/shop/volla-phone-quintus/ 2. Jolla C2 (or any other supported Xperia device), with SailfishOS: https://commerce.jolla.com/products/Jolla-community-phone https://commerce.jolla.com/products/Jolla-community-phone
- eraviloi 2y ago
  [dead]
- nextos 2y ago
  Jolla is really good. SFOS can even run lots of Android apps on an emulator, including banking apps, with zero issues. And the native ones are a delight to use, great indie apps. I wish they got funding from EU and became a completely open source alternative to the duopoly.
  - m4rtink 2y ago
    Have been running Sailfish OS on my primary phone since 2013 - works fine. Avoids a lot of the Android pitfalls, like being abble to easily SSH in and upload/backup data or total absence of advertizing anywhere. :)
- npodbielski 2y ago
  300 euros does not seem much. Worth a try.
  - thebruce87m 2y ago
    > Your purchase includes a 12-month Sailfish OS full license subscription valued at €59.88 (€4.99/month), granting access to all releases, commercial components, and feature upgrades. After the first year, you can choose to continue your subscription and support Sailfish OS development further. Even without renewal, your device will continue to function, but future software updates and commercial component upgrades will not be available. Just a note of something I came across when looking just now. Don’t mind paying for continued development but worth knowing before you buy.
seba_dos1 2y ago
It's an Android device with an old unsupported kernel that runs a hacked up Debian-ish userspace on top of Android layer. While that may be good enough for some, it's not what some of us want. I'll stay with my Librem 5, which is also totally usable, runs actual Debian, runs Waydroid too, and does not bring me Halium pain.
- Rooster61 2y ago
  Most of what I have read has indicated that the Librem 5 is NOT a great daily driver (which was a huge letdown for me). How do you like it?
  - margalabargala 2y ago
    Looking at what's missing from their roadmap here: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/ https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/ No videos? Fine, I rarely take videos. No bluetooth? Mildly annoying, but especially with the 3.5mm jack, I could live without it. No GPS? This one would be a deal-breaker for me. But depending on the person I can see it being usable.
    - AAAAaccountAAAA 2y ago
      Ouch. It seems to be even more incomplete than I thought. The lack of Bluetooth and GPS is kind of surprising, since those things have worked on Linux laptops for at least a couple of decades or so.
      - seba_dos1 2y ago
        Both work fine on Librem 5 as well and have worked for years now.
        brewdad 2y ago
        Then why haven't they updated their site to inform potential users? It would make me worry it's about to be an abandoned project. I've dealt with enough of those in my life.

genewitch 2y ago

> so your are forced to connect with your Google account Slight adjustment to your verbiage: you are forced to interact with Google, but I don't recall having to give a phone number for emulators. Then again, one didn't need a microsofr account to use windows until recently, so I might be wrong. Tablets and things like x86 android exist so I don't know that Google can enforce phone numbers anyhow, if you want a separate login for each device...

greatgib 2y ago
It is not that you have to "interact" with Google the problem, in the sense of interacting like downloading an app. You can use the Aurora store, but once you try to use the app, the app itself will redirect you to an oauth2 login for your Google account, the kind that is associating your "phone"/Google service globally with your Google account. And this despite the fact that I will only use password login for openai and mistral, that should not be linked to Google anyway. In addition with integrity verification, I can easily think that they are using it for "push notifications" that will also travel through Google. So, it is not only that you will have to "interact" with Google, but the fact that you will be forced to let Google track you: which phone you use, which ip, which app with which account, used when, where, ...". That defects a little bit the purpose to have a "free" phone if you still have to give your data to Google. So the problem is the "push" not the "pull".
- notpushkin 2y ago
  Aurora Store also runs a bunch of their own throwaway Google accounts you can use (the “anonymous” option on the sign-in screen). Usually works great, though sometimes takes a few tries to get a working account. Many apps do require passing the integrity check, though, but microG is getting better on that front (and IIRC you don’t need a Google account for that).
- genewitch 2y ago
  sorry, my comment didn't convey my desired inflection. You don't need your google account. you just need a google account. As in, you can use a throw-away "google account". Or, one could, a year ago, at least. I get that there's still a google profile on your usage of the device, and i'm sure they have a way to link it to your other profile(s).

jpnc 2y ago

>fur iphone Science has gone too far! Seriously, thanks for pointing this one out. I haven't heard of it before.

greatgib 2y ago
Terrible auto complete, thanks for the notification, I was able to correct still. So furiphone (fxl1) and hopefully nothing related to "iphone".

lucb1e 2y ago

Since the shop is super slow and intermittently giving a "Error establishing a database connection", for those having trouble: it's just above 600€ (base 550$ + VAT + shipping). At 17x8cm it's among the largest phones you can get, competing with e.g. the Ulefone 18T Ultra (the one with the FLIR camera, but Android). It has a headphone jack (big plus) but at that size, I just can't use that sadly. This glowing review really made me reconsider whether to see if a "real Linux" phone can work for me given how many years I've been using Linux desktops exclusively now

greatgib 2y ago
Indeed, on the bad side it is a little large (like the biggest iphone I guess but can still dit in a jean pocket), a little heavy, battery life average, and not perfect, like with the expectable rough edges that makes it a developer/tech enthousiast thing but not general public. But, compared to the pinephone and co, this is the first one that could be used as a daily driver, without another read android backup phone. And it works well out of the box, without firmware flashing or any console/dev operation.

d3Xt3r 2y ago

For completeness sake, here are a couple of other decent alternatives to the FuriPhone: 1. The Volla Phone Quintus, with Ubuntu Touch: https://volla.online/de/shop/volla-phone-quintus/ https://volla.online/de/shop/volla-phone-quintus/ 2. Jolla C2 (or any other supported Xperia device), with SailfishOS: https://commerce.jolla.com/products/Jolla-community-phone https://commerce.jolla.com/products/Jolla-community-phone

eraviloi 2y ago
[dead]
nextos 2y ago
Jolla is really good. SFOS can even run lots of Android apps on an emulator, including banking apps, with zero issues. And the native ones are a delight to use, great indie apps. I wish they got funding from EU and became a completely open source alternative to the duopoly.
- m4rtink 2y ago
  Have been running Sailfish OS on my primary phone since 2013 - works fine. Avoids a lot of the Android pitfalls, like being abble to easily SSH in and upload/backup data or total absence of advertizing anywhere. :)
npodbielski 2y ago
300 euros does not seem much. Worth a try.
- thebruce87m 2y ago
  > Your purchase includes a 12-month Sailfish OS full license subscription valued at €59.88 (€4.99/month), granting access to all releases, commercial components, and feature upgrades. After the first year, you can choose to continue your subscription and support Sailfish OS development further. Even without renewal, your device will continue to function, but future software updates and commercial component upgrades will not be available. Just a note of something I came across when looking just now. Don’t mind paying for continued development but worth knowing before you buy.

seba_dos1 2y ago

It's an Android device with an old unsupported kernel that runs a hacked up Debian-ish userspace on top of Android layer. While that may be good enough for some, it's not what some of us want. I'll stay with my Librem 5, which is also totally usable, runs actual Debian, runs Waydroid too, and does not bring me Halium pain.

Rooster61 2y ago
Most of what I have read has indicated that the Librem 5 is NOT a great daily driver (which was a huge letdown for me). How do you like it?
- margalabargala 2y ago
  Looking at what's missing from their roadmap here: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/ https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/ No videos? Fine, I rarely take videos. No bluetooth? Mildly annoying, but especially with the 3.5mm jack, I could live without it. No GPS? This one would be a deal-breaker for me. But depending on the person I can see it being usable.
  - AAAAaccountAAAA 2y ago
    Ouch. It seems to be even more incomplete than I thought. The lack of Bluetooth and GPS is kind of surprising, since those things have worked on Linux laptops for at least a couple of decades or so.
    - seba_dos1 2y ago
      Both work fine on Librem 5 as well and have worked for years now.
      - brewdad 2y ago
        Then why haven't they updated their site to inform potential users? It would make me worry it's about to be an abandoned project. I've dealt with enough of those in my life.