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FLX1s phone is launched
https://furilabs.com/shop/flx1s/ https://furilabs.com/shop/flx1s/
- kelvinjps 1y agoWhy Ubuntu touch, it was discontinued right?
- CaptainOfCoit 1y agoIt says "The FLX1s from Furi Labs runs a fully optimized Linux system called FuriOS", never heard of FuriOS but seems they're not using Ubuntu Touch, at the very most it's a fork of it.
- linmob 1y agoYou're partially correct. Ubuntu Touch was discontinued by Canonical (the company behind Ubuntu) in April 2017. However, Ubuntu Touch was picked up by the UBports project (that by now has their own foundation) and has been continued to this day. Currently they are preparing a Ubuntu Touch release based on Ubuntu 24.04 (moving on from Ubuntu 20.04). See https://www.ubuntu-touch.io/ https://www.ubuntu-touch.io/ for more. Regarding the FLX1(s): FuriLabs worked on a way to support Ubuntu Touch apps (that can be found at https://open-store.io/ https://open-store.io/) natively on FuriOS. It's also possible to boot Ubuntu Touch on their FLX1 hardware.
- OccamsMirror 1y agoHug of death :(
- yorwba 1y agohttps://web.archive.org/web/20250920113525/https://furilabs.com/flx1s-is-launched/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250920113525/https://furilabs....
- input_sh 1y agoActually useful archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20250920071806/https://furilabs.com/shop/flx1s/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250920071806/https://furilabs.... > The FLX1s from Furi Labs runs a fully optimized Linux system called FuriOS, packing a lightning fast user interface, 3 hardware switches for microphone, camera and modem/gps, and a privacy centric approach like no other.
- eps 1y agoSeems to be working fine.
- pessimizer 1y agohttps://furilabs.com/shop/flx1s https://furilabs.com/shop/flx1s "Error establishing a database connection" So it only works fine if you don't care what a FLX1s is.
- eps 1y agoThe whole site was fast and responsive for me, this page included.
- taminka 1y agohow does that happen btw? like it's understandable when a website is hosted on a vape (lol), but even a cheap vps should be able to handle like 10-20k views in the span of a couple hours (which is the max load from HN i'm assuming), unless you're hosting video or some such
- homarp 1y agothe FuriPhone FLX1 was A Debian-powered brick that puts GNOME in your back pocket previous discussion https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41839326 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41839326
- cluckindan 1y ago[flagged]
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- simjnd 1y agoNew Linux phone drops Looks inside Still the good old A76 and A55 cores (they're 8 years old at this point)
- spaqin 1y agoAs much as I admire the FOSS nature, it's always the problem of underspeccing and overpricing the tech at the same time.
- hackrmn 1y agoAnd don't forget _overdimensioning_. Vendors love this because volume scales cubically with increase in any one of width, height and depth -- they're not the ones carrying the phone, but they can pack more features into one, quite literally. FOSS vendors more so since they need more ground to compete on (hardware being older and price being high enough because of economy of scale).
- nine_k 1y agoStandard-size phone screens are easier to procure. This determines the dimensions. Same for batteries.
- zamadatix 1y agoFOSS mobile hardware vendors already have a hard enough niche to target, "people who say they want small phones" is just fuel to the already burning fire for them. Each niche they add does not add the user base together, it multiplies the userbase percentages.
- marcos100 1y agoNo economies of scale. Niche things will always be more expensive.
- varispeed 1y agoIf you are small, there is no way around it if you want to grow. "overpricing" is often higher cost of parts at lower quantity, future R&D and other costs that are much higher than for big corporation.
- greyw 1y agoLooks interesting. Posh is a bit too adventurous for me (I wish there was a smartphone running FOSS android out of the box)
- nunobrito 1y agoThe website is down from all the visitors at the moment. Anyone here can share their experience with the phone?
- notRobot 1y agoProduct info: https://web.archive.org/web/20250920071806/https://furilabs.com/shop/flx1s/ https://web.archive.org/web/20250920071806/https://furilabs....
- hackrmn 1y agoWhy do they keep making them BIGGER and BIGGER? Our hands don't grow that fast, most adult males have been struggling using their phone with one hand. Only the vocal minority prefers to oversized phone-computer, most of us just want to use it briefly on the go before tucking it back into the pocket, without it tearing a hole in it (which my last two phones have done). If anyone is listening -- can you put a cap on the dimensions? 5.5" screen is plenty, if I want the cinema experience I will either a) go to cinema or b) use some VR/AR device, for the rest of use cases, like watching a movie on a bus/plane/train, it doesn't weigh up against carrying a brick with you.
- LorenDB 1y agoI like large screens because I value having plenty of context visible, e.g. in a webpage or a conversation. Also, don't forget the bigger batteries that large phones enable.
- daurentius523 1y agoI don't but could you not forget that some people don't have a car. You can walk or use transit in proper cities. When I need a bag then it is not a phone it is a laptop without keyboard.
- hackrmn 1y agoThe context is the same though, regardless of screen size? The UI and/or UX doesn't change much when the screen is physically smaller? The resolution usually stays the same, and even if it shrank or grew, most apps wouldn't care as the libraries used to render their widgets are more or less "resolution invariant". I mean I get what you're implying, I am just making sure I understand the meaning of "context" here. But if you have large fingers, smaller buttons obviously make the device harder to use, no two ways about it. However, in Android and iOS both, it's possible (for the user) to scale everything up, to help solve that very problem. The bigger battery argument is a valid one too, but you have to keep in mind that most of the battery is consumed by the screen on average, and larger screen will eat more battery, so it's a bit like the rocket equation -- bigger rocket needs more fuel, more fuel needs more space and adds weight to the rocket, more rocket more fuel again and so on. In terms of batteries and rockets both, there's a golden middle there somewhere, I think. But it's a moving quantity since both screens and batteries are different -- OLED vs LED-lit LCD screen and LiPo vs LiOn for battery and so on. In short: I don't think a 5,5" phone (my preferred size) will suffer from shorter battery life, perhaps on the contrary (vs. a 6,5"). Especially considering that _large_ phones tend to be made _thinner_, since their ergonomics depends more on thickness (for the large width and height), perhaps becoming a problem with more than 8mm thickness, while a 5,5" phone can in fact be used comfortably even if it was 8-10mm thick, since it's smaller in the other two dimensions. That extra afforded thickness can directly translate to a battery that is as large or larger in terms of capacity as one for a 7mm "slick" 6,5" phone.
- CaptainOfCoit 1y agoWhy do none of the modern phones have a flat back? It's crazy to me that seemingly everyone is jumping on the train to have the camera stick out from the back. I guess the camera lens needs more space, but why not then add some additional material so it's still even? I feel like I'm missing something obvious, do people not put down their phone on flat surfaces or something?
- sneak 1y agoPeople prefer thin to flat. It spends more time in a pocket than on a table. People don’t really put their phones down.
- CaptainOfCoit 1y agoBut is it really thin if there are parts that are thicker? The "depth" or whatever should be measured where it's thicker, not thinnest. I guess I'm too much of an office worker to get that most people have their phones in their pocket, as soon as I sit down at my desk the phone gets placed on the desk.
- throwawayben 1y agoI will always have a case that has a cut-out for the camera so it still lays flat and it's otherwise thinner (or the case is thicker and thus more protective) than it would be if the camera didn't stick out slightly
- mattnewton 1y agoYes because it’s thinner on the part I hold.
- ktosobcy 1y agoThis! Just add those 1-2mm and stuff bigger battery in there… (and make it more rugged so most likely no need for additional cover that is even more bulky)
- 1y ago
- deafpolygon 1y agohttps://www.topcpu.net/en/cpu-c/mediatek-dimensity-900-vs-apple-a18 https://www.topcpu.net/en/cpu-c/mediatek-dimensity-900-vs-ap... 1/3 to 1/2 of the performance of an Apple A18.
- christophilus 1y agoSo, perfectly serviceable, then.
- EasyMark 1y agoLIkely, as long as you aren't playing any demanding games or anything
- deafpolygon 1y agoIf all you want is a smartphone that runs Linux- this will do the job. But it's hardly serviceable when banking apps won't run on it.. and you're sure to get sub-par performance on anything else on top of the slow chip.
- imiric 1y agoAs much as I'm interested in running Linux on my next mobile device, I'm not inclined to trust a single company to provide both the device and the OS. I have no reason to distrust Furi Labs, but trust is earned, not granted. First of all, why is there so little documentation about "FuriOS"? What exactly has Furi Labs changed from the base Debian system to warrant a rebadging? Why can't I know which software it's using? Why are there so few screenshots and videos of the device (besides from the "volunteered" reviews)? I understand that selling hardware is how they recoup their development costs, and focusing on a single device allows them to deliver a better user experience. But I would still like to try their OS on a device I may already have, before I decide to shell out $550 for, frankly, pretty lackluster hardware.
- mixmastamyk 1y agoInteresting since Apple and Goog both ship their OS on their hardware. It's Debian with Phosh and Halium (Android drivers) installed to an older ubiquitous Android handset. Not perfect but a compelling shortcut. Distros have been created with less differentiation. First Linux phone in a while that is not a decade behind hardware wise. This one is only perhaps half that, haha. My iPhone 6s is still snappy however, so it should be fine.
- fossman 1y agoIt may be possible to install Ubuntu Touch or Droidian on it...?
- p_ing 1y ago[flagged]
- ktosobcy 1y agoHmm... great to see another linux phone but... why on earth they are so vague about the OS? Not to mention no screenshots of the UI... Also - not so sold on the privacy switches…
- oncallthrow 1y agoFuri is such a dreadful name
- yonatan8070 1y ago> 6.7" 1600x720 It's probably usable, but dips down below what even extra-cheap Xiaomis and such offer. I really want to see a Linux phone's specsheet that's even a little competitive.
- Aachen 1y agoI've always considered it a benefit if they don't spend needless money and waste my battery life on rendering more pixels than I'll ever see. My eyesight hasn't gotten better and as a teenager the 720p pixel density of the phablet called Galaxy Note 2 was already smaller than I can make out during normal use (i.e. not if I'm actively trying to see if I can make them out) But sure, higher number sells better, no matter if this actually makes any difference to anyone
- zamadatix 1y agoIf it were just that "higher number sells better" reasoning then it wouldn't make sense the density increases had a pretty hard stop after ~2014. Same with why 8k TV hype died down but 4k TV became mainstream - it's about the genuine limit for a typical person at typical TV viewing distance unless they have an absolutely massive TV. I always thought Samsung had a clever approach with a toggle to just render at the lower resolution if you wanted the lower rendering load. Then you still only need to develop 1 cutting edge screen with all of the latest improvements but it will please both use cases well as the cost overhead of shipping models 2 separate screens would.
- Aachen 1y ago> why 8k TV hype died down but 4k TV became mainstream People also stop getting eight kids the generation after child mortality plummets. The experience I had until 1080p on computer screens (not 6 inch phones) is that it added sharpness in video reproduction. I can't tell you why people then went for 4k, besides speculating it's the same phenomenon. We've also got a 4k TV simply because there was no additional cost for the featureset we were looking for anyway, and it was the biggest TV we've ever had so it didn't sound weird to have more pixels in it, but indeed, now that I own it, I can say there was no point and I'll not upgrade to a higher pixel density if there were to be a price difference or other downside (like how power draw would show up on the energy label) Regarding the Samsung rendering thing, is that on TVs specifically? Because I don't think I've noticed that on my Samsung phones, where the impact ought to be more noticeable than for a wall-powered device
- hellcow 1y agoThe comments here are awful. What happened to “Hacker” news? This is a Linux phone that actually works, running Debian. It has a battery that competes with the runtime of any modern phone. It has a snappy UI and can reliably make calls. Already it’s the best Linux phone in the world, just on that basis. They’re selling it for the same price as the outgoing model despite tons of bullshit tariffs being levied against them. What an achievement! I want a Linux phone that works, and I want to support a world where Linux phones exist and are financially viable to make, therefore I will buy this as my next phone.
- p_ing 1y ago> Already it’s the best Linux phone in the world, That is a vanishingly low bar, apparently. We don't need to praise something just because it is FOSS. With it's quite old hardware and limited software it instantly becomes unattractive for many.
- numpad0 1y agoThat was always the challenge for computer phones, to get the phone part of the phone work. There's been many Wi-Fi only PDAs, non-calling data cards for those, non-calling but cellular-enabled ones, etc. before iOS/Android happened.
- throwaway74354 1y ago>I want a Linux phone that works That's Jolla C2 or some Sailfish-compatible Xperia 10. Both GNOME Shell in the phone context and Plasma Mobile are evolutionary dead ends.
- fooqux 1y ago> Both GNOME Shell in the phone context and Plasma Mobile are evolutionary dead ends. That's a hell of a hot take. Could you elaborate on why you think so?
- throwaway74354 1y ago
- xrd 1y agoI'm excited about this. But it still seems like pixel hardware plus grapheneos is a better option? This is a question.
- mikem170 1y agoAt the moment GrapheneOS is better for more people. It's secure, reliable and polished. But in the long run the continued development of Linux phones and getting away from the current duopoly is definitely a good thing. I'm using GrapheneOS now, and will switch to a Linux phone when the basics are nailed down and the price is reasonable.
- acheron 1y ago“Buying Google products” is never a better option.
- zamadatix 1y agoMaybe, but I think that's a conclusion for an individual to reach rather than a piece of information to help them decide.
- xrd 1y agoI like buying used. I feel better about that. Maybe that is misguided.
- gf000 1y agoWhy? It's not like any of them is completely open-source hardware, so why bother? Pixels have decent hardware and have an open-bootloader. I'm fairly sure your desktop is not better/worse than that either.
- lproven 1y agoDefine "better". With a de-Googled Android device you get lots more apps, but it's still Android. This is Debian atop an Android kernel, with Android in a container. The native OS is a desktop Linux. You can upgrade your OS with `apt update ; apt-get full-upgrade -y`. If you want a pocket Linux phone, I think it's about the best.
- fifteen1506 1y agoHappy it has multi-boot. Not a buyer, but it's a feature I intend to keep my eye on.
- BLKNSLVR 1y agoDoes this support connection to a docking station so it can be used like a desktop? If so, I'm very interested. Edited to add: some reviews say it supports mouse and keyboard via dock, The Register says it didn't support an external USB-C display (that was from March this year, so the earlier version), but then another review said that used it as an Ethernet router, so Ethernet via dock must work.
- ranguna 1y agoIt does mot support display output via USB C, and I'm guessing Ethernet will also be very limited because the usb is 2.0, which is very sad to see on a Linux phone.
- lproven 1y agoI am the Register reviewer. I tested with 2 different USB-C docks and a USB-C to HDMI monitor cable. They're the only ones I have. One is from a Gemini PDA and has USB-A, USB-C and Ethernet. I think I did not test Ethernet but I can do that. The dock contains an Ethernet controller: it's a USB-attached Ethernet card, effectively. It works on Android, macOS, Windows, Linux, etc. As far as I recall the FLX1 detected the Ethernet port but I didn't test it. The other dock has audio, various sizes of USB, and HDMI out. All the ports worked except display. You can drive the phone with a full sized keyboard and mouse, which is amusing but useless. You can power the phone from the dock while in use. But it can't drive a display, which is a damned shame and a deal-breaker for the form-factor. Otherwise this could be a real PC in your pocket. The company told me it was working on wireless display support but I do not own any wireless displays to test with.
- BLKNSLVR 1y agoThank you for clarifying, and thanks for your contributions to The Register! It's most definitely a shame that it doesn't support an external display via the dock (which kinda makes moot the fact it supports other peripherals), I've used two different docks (both requiring DisplayLink drivers) with my home Linux setup and every kernel update is a crapshoot as to whether the dock-connected displays will blink back into life post reboot, or stubbornly stay blank until I roll back to the previous kernel version and await the drivers to catch up. As such, I kinda understand that it may be harder than expected to get working for a device like this. Having recently setup a new GrapheneOS device, however, it means I'm less motived to change mobile platforms again. Desktop-via-dock support could have convinced me.
- lta 1y agoOmfg ! The phone I didn't know I wanted. I've grown so sick of Google's BS with android and their policies. I want a phone that I own and I can hack a little bit. This is going to be my next phone ! I'm very curious about the Android app support and if by any magic it can do payment. But even if it doesn't it's still going to be an improvement over my pixel
- mixmastamyk 1y agoWhat does the 's' at the end signify? Has the hardware been revved? (I've been waiting for something like this for perhaps a decade. Now it's here and I don't have enough work to afford it. :-/)
- greatgib 1y agoMy best guess would be "slim" as the flx1 is quite bulky and looking at the spec, this one is a little bit less large but suite thinner.
- anonzzzies 1y agoI wish someone with with money would just make a deal with a niche Chinese company like blackview or oukitel to allow making a Linux for their hardware. Not trying to make the same stuff as everyone does as it will be niche for quite a while.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- esbranson 1y agoHopefully it's the base Debian with a thin vendor package set (kernel, u-boot, DTBs, firmware, out-of-tree DKMS, and a Halium-based bridge to HALs) tied together by a meta-package. With apt pinning, upgrades would become normal Debian transactions, security updates would track Debian, and the vendor layer stays limited to an LTS kernel delta, boot bits, and a small Halium shim.
- zozbot234 1y agoDroidian is effectively what you describe. It's the closest feasible thing to Debian, packaged as a Project Treble GSI (so yes, it needs Halium since it coexists with the device-specific kernel build and the usual AOSP early boot environment).
- globular-toast 1y agoIs Furi supposed to be pronounced like fury or furry?
- viraptor 1y ago> Furi is pronounced “Fury”. FuriOS is pronounced “Furious”. We simply couldn’t afford the Fury part of the domain names. https://furilabs.com/faq/ https://furilabs.com/faq/ Although it makes me think of pronouncing like FLCL.
- autoexec 1y agoIt looks pretty good! If they come out with one that includes a headphone jack I'll be sold
- mixmastamyk 1y agoThe previous model had a headphone jack, and a better spec or two.
- fossman 1y agoI need a head phone jack too, but I guess using a USB-C to 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Adapter is way cheaper and simpler than engineering a brand new Linux phone that caters exactly to everyone's preferences : )
- nopelynopington 1y agoMy first time hearing of this and I'm very interested. Does anyone know if it can run a full desktop mode when docked? Windows phones and some Samsung phones used to be able to do this and it was a neat trick. I would love to have a phone I could hook up to a hotel TV with a keyboard and use like a lite desktop
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- BLKNSLVR 1y agoI asked this question as well: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45318229 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45318229 Answer: no, but they're working on wireless display support.
- fhcbix 1y ago"USB-C 2.0" in the specs reveals that. DisplayPort Alt Mode requires at least USB 3.0, the PinePhone Pro would be a Linux phone supporting that. On another note, I've successfully connected to wireless displays (Miracast) on Linux using https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-network-displays https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-network-displays
- linmob 1y ago> "USB-C 2.0" in the specs reveals that. DisplayPort Alt Mode requires at least USB 3.0, the PinePhone Pro would be a Linux phone supporting that. That's not quite accurate IMHO, as the OG PinePhone also supports the feature, despite being USB 2.0. The fact that PINE64 only got it working in PinePhone hardware revision 1.2a maybe also reveals why few phones (whether they support USB 2 or 3.*, e.g., the Pixel 8 was the first Pixel phone to support the feature) actually support DisplayPort Alt Mode: It does not just add cost for parts, but also makes the design more complicated (and may require multiple design iterations to get right, which are expensive). So: If DisplayPort Alt Mode or somthing like "USB-C video out" is not mentioned, you can usually safely assume that the device does not support it.
- Aerbil313 1y agoWe desperately need Linux phones to succeed, especially in the current geopolitical situation. Not everybody lives in a country aligned with either the US (Apple/Google) or China (Xiaomi etc.).
- codedokode 1y agoAnother expensive phone... sorry but the price is 3x of my phone which has 6Gb RAM (compared to 8 Gb here) and the same number of cores, maybe less performant but who cares, I am not planning to do machine learning on a phone anyway. Also mine has better screen resolution despite lower price. Yes the firmware is non-free, but I have kernel sources so I can either try to port a open-source OS on it, or simply reverse-engineer and patch the existing firmware. Also I am not sure if Linux desktop environment (Wayland, Pipewire and friends) is a good choice. Why not use AOSP, which is free, has everything, is optimized, has lot of f-droid apps and is tested on millions of devices? It has modern languages like Kotlin, and GUI frameworks like Flutter. And are there mobile apps for standard Linux desktop? > Whether used for coding, ... designing, or multitasking with everyday apps, our device delivers the performance Sorry, I don't think small screen with tiny keyboard is any good for coding or design. Smartphone is only good for taking/watching photos, reading or chatting.
- mixmastamyk 1y agoModern(ish) languages like Rust, Python, and Kotlin support Linux. Flutter as well. ssh also exists, for development and other things.
- codedokode 1y agoThere is a difference between a programming language support and having complete GUI framework, set of libraries and applications. Also what would you use to write GUI for Linux? Non-reactive libraries are not an option due to being outdated and inefficient programming style. It is one thing if AOSP has some fundamental issues that cannot be patched/fixed, and another thing if someone just doesn't like it.
- mixmastamyk 1y agoGtk and Qt have been making mobile apps for years, possibly a decade. Flutter is newer but works well already. Kivvy was a competitor for a while.
- scosman 1y agoThat industrial design sure looks familiar...
- nerpderp82 1y agoIt is a mistake to not offer a separate switch for GPS. It means you can't use a map without turning on your cellular modem.
- th0truth 1y agoPersonally, I'd rather to buy a Google Pixel and then install GrepheneOS. But, it depends on your budget and willingness to sacrifice features.
- mixmastamyk 1y agoI found more detailed specs here: https://liliputing.com/flx1s-is-a-new-linux-phone-thats-mostly-a-downgrade-from-the-flx1/ https://liliputing.com/flx1s-is-a-new-linux-phone-thats-most... Shame, it lost a few things.