Agreed. Though, back in the day, I used Android primarily because it was Linux (used the Linux kernel). I also felt that the power was largely with the people, with Google’s role being the ones who maintained mainline Android on Nexus phones and kept the AOSP repository. A lot of smart and cool people were making custom firmware based on AOSP. The big players were Cyanogen, Paranoid, and AOKP. I used a fork of, I think AOKP, called LiquidSmooth, and it was awesome. Based on 4.2.1 Jellybean.

There are Linux phones coming out in the EU, but they won’t be as powerful as Android phones (let alone, iPhones). They may work in the US or other territories.

I’m super excited for Linux phones. I actually use both platforms, and I refreshed my iPhone last year (16 Pro Max). It’s funny because my Android phone is a Galaxy S10. It boots maybe a few seconds slower, takes a few seconds to load the home screen (I use Nova Prime; I know about some of the bullshit but it still does what I need), but after that? It’s perfectly fine. Has the better keyboard. I like my Lemmy app (Mlem) on iOS more than the one I have on Android (Voyager), but they’re both great. My Animal Crossing tracker is a little nicer on Android. I use Apple Music on both of them, and it’s about the same. Android has the better browser, where I have Firefox with uBlock Origin. The browsing is almost as good on iOS (Safari, with uBlock Lite), but between the two, I gotta hand it to Android).

In a few years, I’ll refresh my Android phone, and I’d like it to be a Linux phone where I’m in control, not Apple or Google. I think we should all be fighting for an open phone, or cyberdeck, or mobile computing device, whatever you want to call it. (I don’t like calling them phones because I don’t use the phone much on it, they’re my handheld PCs.) For a laptop, I’ll stick with MacBook, but for a desktop, I can see going to Linux at some point. I don’t want to go back to Windows (except at work where it’s not my machine), but I could see going to Linux on the desktop.

I’ve moved to CyanogenMod, then LineageOS, then GrapheneOS on phones and tablets. No real Linux options on tablets yet.

The last straw for me was when they wouldn’t let me write access /Android/data or /Android/obb on my own device to sync a save files & assets across 2 Android 11+ devices.

I’ve had daily driven a Librem 5, but you need the microSD as your mounted home folder to make it useable, and I still carry an Android for some key apps. Just waiting for a better specification phone like the Liberux Nexx, Librem 5v2 or full support on a fair phone to switch over to a modern 5G GNU/Linux phone with better cameras, more storage. Bluetooth access simultaneously on Waydroid and Linux host remains a major issue.

If you’re looking to dip your feet, a regular tablet is a good choice, or a gaming tablet like the upcoming Legion Go 2 with KDE Plasma Mobile installed, Waydroid + Aurora to bridge the gap.

Unlike the past where any computer could run Linux with varying levels of support. You need direct builds for arm based phones or specific hardware. Feels like google keeps squeezing Linux feels like an eventuality but it’s not close to a reality yet. Been thinking about picking up a pine phone see how much I lose going to Linux.