I’ve owned a Pinephone Pro since launch, and have tried to daily drive it on and off for years with limited success. It’s sitting in a drawer at the moment because echo cancellation doesn’t work on phone calls regularly.
Anyways, I have a Pixel 3a sitting around that needs a battery replacement, but I wanted to ask here if anyone else is running Linux on it? And if so, how is the experience? I’ve been using Linux for decades, so I have no problem working around quirks, but I just want a Linux phone I can text and make phone calls on. I really don’t have too many advanced app needs other than podcasts and web browsing.
Thanks in advance to anyone that replies.
Running Nura (PostmarketOS) on Pixel 3a XL.
Texting and calling work perfectly fine. Angelfish is pre-installed, and as far as Linux mobile browsing goes, it seems to be my favorite. Don’t listen to podcasts, but there are podcast apps available. The battery life is superb. Ability to SSH into the phone is awesome.
That said, the phone feels a little sluggish. It doesn’t freeze, no, but it’s just not as snappy as my Android phone. Since I took Pixel 3a specifically to install Nura, I can’t tell whether it’s Nura, Linux overall or just the fact Pixel 3a is quite old.
Speaking more of experience, the Linux phone is exciting as a project, but overall it feels very…boring. For some, in a good way. It’s there to do exactly what you want, but entertainment options are somewhat limited, and the phone isn’t there to entertain you, either. I found myself just shelving my Pixel to barely remember about it.
@Allero @boaratio Sounds like you’ve made an accidental discovery like penicillin, only this one works on social media 😆