I’ve been looking into non Google/Apple smartphone alternatives in a serious way since Google set a path to abandon sideloading (it’s happening, they will use a phased approach) as I use a lot of open source apps and I avoid Google Play whenever possible.
For whatever reason it seems Pine Phone is often very difficult to get up and running, this is of course just anecdotal evidence. I actually heard about Pine a long time ago when evaluating their Rock series SBCs; they looked good on paper, but practical implementations left much to be desired.
I want to get the 12/256 variant, so that works out to €800+.
Pricey considering I’ve been getting mid-range devices ($450 absolute max) for the last 10 years; but this seems like the most user friendly option for a phone that doesn’t run on a US-based software platform.
I’ve been looking into non Google/Apple smartphone alternatives in a serious way since Google set a path to abandon sideloading (it’s happening, they will use a phased approach) as I use a lot of open source apps and I avoid Google Play whenever possible.
For whatever reason it seems Pine Phone is often very difficult to get up and running, this is of course just anecdotal evidence. I actually heard about Pine a long time ago when evaluating their Rock series SBCs; they looked good on paper, but practical implementations left much to be desired.
I am personally saving up for Jolla phone:
https://commerce.jolla.com/products/jolla-phone-sep-ii-2026
I want to get the 12/256 variant, so that works out to €800+.
Pricey considering I’ve been getting mid-range devices ($450 absolute max) for the last 10 years; but this seems like the most user friendly option for a phone that doesn’t run on a US-based software platform.