The original post: /r/linux by /u/Gugalcrom123 on 2024-11-20 16:14:55.

It’s more than privacy.

I want a GNU/Linux phone because iOS and Android are both very bad OSes. I have Android, because it’s a little better, but I don’t enjoy having Android. How can any OS not allow you to specify the file path to a photo in 2024?

I don’t want a “minimalist” phone. I want more, not less. I want to run desktop browsers, program and make presentations on my phone which is already capable of it, but it’s got inadequate software.

I also want more privacy, but this is secondary. And no fake privacy (we’re crippling apps so no one can spy but us).

I want to be able to use the hardware to its full potential, and to make sure I can control it as much as possible. How can Samsung or Apple convince me to buy an €2000 phone, if it barely does anything better than the €360 model? Does it run Instagram more smoothly and has an AI that fakes pictures? I don’t need that.

Android isn’t a smart phone. It’s a java phone, but it’s the best we have. Of course, since everyone nowadays needs Uber, Revolut, TikTok and Lidl Plus, the manufacturers won’t bother making a better phone.

My ideal phone would be a modern Nokia N900. It had OK power for its time, it was supported and from a normal manufacturer (no, I’m not ordering a developer’s device), and also had the keyboard. It was designed to be as useful as possible, unlike all modern phones which are optimised for AI “photos” and stupid social media. If an N900 with a slightly better CPU, more RAM and a capacitive touchscreen, at a reasonable price appeared, I would instantly buy it.