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Very true. I just installed LineageOS 22 on a Pixel 2 XL, and on top of being significantly more performant and efficient (as well as app compatibility going up from being on a newer Android version), I have more refined options for features such as the “squeeze for assistant” (I can change more of those settings, as well as even make it not bring up an assistant at all but do something else) and notification light. That much is very cool to see.

And yes, I’d also love to see Linux phones take off, and worst-case scenario, this might end up being the big push for that. After all, Linux on ARM saw a very similar push with Asahi Linux after Apple switched to ARM processors, then the Steam Deck arrived and changed much of the PC gaming landscape. Both of these factors, as well as how Android phones have gotten increasingly capable, point towards Linux phones potentially being the answer in ways even peak Android might’ve been unable to achieve.

A sad thing to be sure, though installing custom operating systems is reducing in popularity. I’m all for options, but as newer versions of Android get programs and functions that were previously only available via rooting and custom ROMs, hopefully it won’t be too bad…? I am sad about the potential loss of sideloading though, especially as even iOS now supports it to an extent in certain regions.

There really aren’t a ton of truly “small” phones these days… a Samsung S-series base model is about as compact as these phones are at this point unless you’re in more Eastern markets, in which case there might be a few more options. You likely won’t get the same level of Android software updates though, that being another reason I’d been looking at Samsung again.

Speaking from macOS and iOS use, Orion’s great in terms of performance and efficiency in my testing, and I’m excited to see what all can be done on Linux.

Hey, there you go. I’ve yet to encounter one myself, but the Fairphone 6 seems to finally be “viable” for most people. Battery’s still on the weaker side and performance is a bit behind most comparable phones, but in terms of ethics and sustainability, they’re unmatched.

I’d love to check out a budget flagship-killer like the Nothing or CMF Phones, but software update support was crucial enough to have kept me from fully switching to Android for years. I happen to be partial to Samsung after having their tablets for so long, but other brands (so long as they offer comparable update support) have stepped up significantly. Since Fairphone does have that much down though, go for it.

Shame… that stinks. Well, if it’s any consolation, Samsung phones are finally at the 7 years of software update promise, so you might be able to get an S24 or A34 (or higher, of course, just two options), load it up with Material-style launchers and icon packs, even maybe the open Pixel Camera app from that one website, and turn it into your new “Pixel” until the battery FULLY dies. That, or you can embrace ONE UI or another Android skin entirely, up to you.

It might be worth trying one or two other launchers (Nova and Microsoft, perhaps?) and checking OS versions to see if it’s possibly a Pixel issue, an OS issue, or something else entirely. I think recall vaguely hearing about Google discouraging third-party launchers, but I don’t know that they actually did anything to make them worse.

Could someone test this with programs like GIMP, Darktable, and Inkscape? I’m curious about the potential of the Android phone as PC, particularly with the merging of Android and Chrome OS. If Android’s desktop mode progresses enough to a level of maturity to run Linux programs sufficiently, this combined with the general Linux on ARM efforts of Asahi and others could prove to be THE solution. Just imagine one of those tri-folding phones unfold to a tablet size with a folio-style keyboard and trackpad, then plugging the tablet-phone into a monitor and desktop setup to “get real work done.”

Understandable sentiments. I’m a MS Edge user, for instance, and despite slowly switching almost all my other services, MS Edge just gets it all right. Brave’s featureset is basically a lesser version, and Firefox is getting better, but Microsoft (of all companies) genuinely made a great browser.

Software. Everyone gets hung up on the hardware aesthetic and all, especially with this new phone’s more… “questionable” design compared to the last ones, which were debatably more “cool.” Nothing’s supposed specialty is the software side, which goes beyond just a simple minimal monochrome skin or some fancy text.

According to most my friends with Nothing phones, it’s all the little details and refinements… but yeah, I’d still buy a Phone (2) or 3a before this since it’s otherwise an underpowered flagship. This formula’s great when undercutting the competition price-wise, but this phone just feels like a substantial price bump SOLELY for a better processor… and still not the best one.

‘Nother former Asashi Linux user here (now using a Fedora VM on my M4 MBA until Asahi is natively supported 🤞); just here to say we are all for it! From the moment I first tested it on my M1 MBA, I knew this was the way for the future, and I am glad to see wider adoption of Linux on ARM device devices beyond Apple Silicon.