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Hi HN — I’m Emre, founder of Nex Computer (NexDock). After ~14 years working on “phone-as-PC,” we’re announcing NexPhone: a smartphone that runs Android by defa

Hi HN — I’m Emre, founder of Nex Computer (NexDock). After ~14 years working on “phone-as-PC,” we’re announcing NexPhone: a smartphone that runs Android by default, can launch a full Debian Linux environment on demand, and can dual-boot into Windows 11. Write-up with background + rationale: https://nexphone.com/blog/the-tale-of-nexphone-one-phone-every-computer https://nexphone.com/blog/the-tale-of-nexphone-one-phone-eve... Curious what HN thinks about the tradeoffs here: dual-boot vs virtualization, Linux as an app vs full replaceable OS, and what the “killer workflow” is for a phone-as-PC device. Would love to hear use-cases / critiques.

shams93 8mo ago
Even if it couldn't do win11 it would be amazing, but also transforming into a work pc setup is ingenious. Then there are the environmental benefits of reducing the footprint of eventual e-waste.
necovek 8mo ago
I'd love it to be the other way around: Linux is native, and you can start an Android environment in the userland for the few Android apps I can't avoid :) I don't care about Windows, but it's useful if I want to deal with a Windows only app (a few from the government locally).
- necovek 8mo ago
  But note that I am unlikely to get one today: with a drawer full of Linux phones (from Motorola A1200, Nokia N900 and N9, Palm Pre+, HP Pre 3, PinePhone, Meizu MX4 shipped with Ubuntu, and Nexus 4 running Ubuntu), I'd really be looking for something that does exactly what I want with enough performance to actually dock to my 8k TV or 4k dual screen setup.
  - fsflover 8mo ago
    Somehow your list misses Librem 5, which is more powerful than others, although not as powerful as the Nexphone will.
    - adrian_b 8mo ago
      It is hard to associate in the same sentence the word "powerful" with a quadruple Cortex-A53 CPU. Cortex-A78 is in a totally different class of "powerful", when compared with Cortex-A53. Cortex-A53 has not been designed as a top performer among Arm CPUs, but only as a low-power core. Even at its launch, in 2012, 14 years ago, Cortex-A53 was much slower than the older big Arm cores, like Cortex-A15 from 2010. I am aware of this from direct experience, because a decade ago I have developed software on several SBCs with Cortex-A53, including Raspberry Pi, and also on an ODROID model with Cortex-A15, which ran circles around them, and unlike them it delivered a passable desktop experience. On the other hand, at its launch in 2020, Cortex-A78 was faster than any older Arm CPU cores. It was then surpassed by the Cortex-X1 launched simultaneously with it, and then by the Apple M1, launched later that year. Even if some enthusiasts have used old Raspberry Pi and similar SBCs with Cortex-A53 as PCs, that was really not wise as they were too slow for a comfortable use and there were faster alternatives with a similar price (after you added the cost of all required peripherals).
    - necovek 8mo ago
      It's more expensive and not sufficiently more powerful: I would also have to pay customs duties to import it into Serbia. The above are actual devices I own or have owned, it's natural I did not get all of them (including like PinePhone Pro).
necovek 8mo ago
To separately answer the killer workflow: I'd love to reduce a number of devices, and another one might be an e-ink note taking screen to dock to (yes, I've got a reMarkable Paper Pro and Kindle Scribe). But other than docking to my keyboard, screen(s), external camera/mic and network, phone, laptop and eink with pen is what I care about. I'd also want more built-in, fast storage (2tb) to keep my basic data always with me (photos, documents...).
zb3 8mo ago
How does it deal with AVB? Does it have a secure element that works with Android keymint? Does the bootloader implement fastboot? Is it unlockable? What does the partition layout look like? I suppose the actual magic has to happen in the "abl" part and this is where it gets very interesting, but these announcements were extremely light on details..
DANmode 8mo ago
1) Is your supply chain plan published anywhere? Always seems to be the weak point making new entrants. 2) Please don’t add too many days to the patch interval of these OS, if any. 3) How will the hardware security rival the Pixel line? Wishing you success!

shams93 8mo ago

Even if it couldn't do win11 it would be amazing, but also transforming into a work pc setup is ingenious. Then there are the environmental benefits of reducing the footprint of eventual e-waste.

necovek 8mo ago

I'd love it to be the other way around: Linux is native, and you can start an Android environment in the userland for the few Android apps I can't avoid :) I don't care about Windows, but it's useful if I want to deal with a Windows only app (a few from the government locally).

necovek 8mo ago
But note that I am unlikely to get one today: with a drawer full of Linux phones (from Motorola A1200, Nokia N900 and N9, Palm Pre+, HP Pre 3, PinePhone, Meizu MX4 shipped with Ubuntu, and Nexus 4 running Ubuntu), I'd really be looking for something that does exactly what I want with enough performance to actually dock to my 8k TV or 4k dual screen setup.
- fsflover 8mo ago
  Somehow your list misses Librem 5, which is more powerful than others, although not as powerful as the Nexphone will.
  - adrian_b 8mo ago
    It is hard to associate in the same sentence the word "powerful" with a quadruple Cortex-A53 CPU. Cortex-A78 is in a totally different class of "powerful", when compared with Cortex-A53. Cortex-A53 has not been designed as a top performer among Arm CPUs, but only as a low-power core. Even at its launch, in 2012, 14 years ago, Cortex-A53 was much slower than the older big Arm cores, like Cortex-A15 from 2010. I am aware of this from direct experience, because a decade ago I have developed software on several SBCs with Cortex-A53, including Raspberry Pi, and also on an ODROID model with Cortex-A15, which ran circles around them, and unlike them it delivered a passable desktop experience. On the other hand, at its launch in 2020, Cortex-A78 was faster than any older Arm CPU cores. It was then surpassed by the Cortex-X1 launched simultaneously with it, and then by the Apple M1, launched later that year. Even if some enthusiasts have used old Raspberry Pi and similar SBCs with Cortex-A53 as PCs, that was really not wise as they were too slow for a comfortable use and there were faster alternatives with a similar price (after you added the cost of all required peripherals).
  - necovek 8mo ago
    It's more expensive and not sufficiently more powerful: I would also have to pay customs duties to import it into Serbia. The above are actual devices I own or have owned, it's natural I did not get all of them (including like PinePhone Pro).

necovek 8mo ago

To separately answer the killer workflow: I'd love to reduce a number of devices, and another one might be an e-ink note taking screen to dock to (yes, I've got a reMarkable Paper Pro and Kindle Scribe). But other than docking to my keyboard, screen(s), external camera/mic and network, phone, laptop and eink with pen is what I care about. I'd also want more built-in, fast storage (2tb) to keep my basic data always with me (photos, documents...).

zb3 8mo ago

How does it deal with AVB? Does it have a secure element that works with Android keymint? Does the bootloader implement fastboot? Is it unlockable? What does the partition layout look like? I suppose the actual magic has to happen in the "abl" part and this is where it gets very interesting, but these announcements were extremely light on details..

DANmode 8mo ago

1) Is your supply chain plan published anywhere? Always seems to be the weak point making new entrants. 2) Please don’t add too many days to the patch interval of these OS, if any. 3) How will the hardware security rival the Pixel line? Wishing you success!