We need more apps for linux phones and more userbase.

This is what killed the Windows phone. Microsoft’s attempt to break into the smartphone space had everything else. Massive user base, huge brand name recognition, deep industry ties for cheap mass production, fantastic hardware, advertising, and a great mobile OS. The dreaded Windows 8 tile system sucked for traditional desktops and laptops, but it was great on a phone screen. I had 2 Windows phones, to this day they are the only Microsoft products that I have anything good to say about.

But there were no apps available. I mean, sure, they had their own Microsoft apps like a mobile version of their office suite, and there were a handful of other popular apps that devs had ported over like Evernote. But their appstore had almost nothing compared to Apple or Android, and Microsoft never was able to convince devs to port their apps to a third platform.

Linux is in a much worse initial starting point. ARM-based versions of Linux have always lagged behind the typical x86 versions. That’s changed a little in the last few years due to popular ARM SBCs like the Raspberry Pi, but it’s still not nearly where it would need to be for anybody other than hardcore enthusiasts to adopt.

No normie is going to be interested in paying $500+ for a phone that has a few hours of battery life, worse performance, far less compatible software, and no compatibility with Apple/Android integrations for things like car play.

I’ve wanted to switch to a Linux phone for at least 5 years. Every new mobile Linux project that comes up I was following closely, but they all fail in similar ways. Sadly, I think that Google will have to basically kill open Android before we see a really strong push towards a Linux phone that isn’t just a tinkering platform for early adopters and devs.