Unhappy with immature Hardware

[jojuma]

I need to get something off my chest and I hope, I will find help here.
 
I am not a Linux Pro, but I am using Linux on my Laptops and PCs for many years now.
When Ubuntu Touch came up, I immediatly ordered a BQ E5 Ubuntu Edition. 
I've been using Ubuntu Touch for years now and I was happy, when the Pinephone came up. Finally open Hardware!

I own more than one Pinephone and I know people who own one. And I am absolutely happy using them and tinkering around.
But let's take 5 Pinephones. At least 3 of them have hardware issues (not just some dead pixels, which would be happily accept). Summed up, these phones have been in use for not more than a months's time and have never left the building. They're absolutely in mint condition. So too heavy "use" can't be a reason.

• We have one with a display defect (parts are darker/brighter than others)
  
• We have one, gotten hot and startet to damage the display
  
• We have one, which gets hot as soon as the speaker is active
  

that makes 3 out of 5 Phones which have defects.
I am located in Europe. Until a Pinephone reaches me, I got to pay about 275€.
Though this is beta and so on, this is too much money to take from people for this compensation. Maybe it's too beta and I think that should not always be an excuse.  

Also, you don't really get support or a hardware exchange. I know, if there was proper support, the phones would be two or three times the price. I do  understand the spirit of the community attempt to create a great phone nevertheless. But that also should not be an excuse for letting people pay for hardware that immature.

I have a Pinetime, too (which is great with no issues) and I was looking forward to buy some other Pine64 products, but I am hesitating now. I don't want more hardware which can't be used due to immaturity. If all three Pinephones should be replaced, that would be more than 800€ again and I still don't know, if the new phones are ok then.
I simply don't want to deal with these specific devices, which are defective from the start, which will never function correctly, no matter what updates are about to come. 

BTW: There's a Librem 5 available, too, which has no issues despite pretty similar software. With this background (having to buy 2 or 3 PPs to get one without defects), the price wasn't too high, I guess.


So what would be your advice. Continue with all this or sell all of this? Accept all of this due to "beta" and "community driven approach" or might I be right? That leaves me behind a bit desperate and sad since I don't WANT to quit.
I hope I could explain myself well and hopefully you understand my point.

Thanks for reading this!

P.S.
And one thing about the software: Suddenly, tow-boot and such things come around the corner. Over the years, I got some experience with all this stuff. Not much, but sufficiently, to deal somehow with that. But as a non pro, it's hard to keep up and regarding such things, I wonder, if it is wanted that non geeks are part of all this?

EDIT:
I forgot something about my Pinetime: I got one of these packs that contain three watches. The first one had ugly stripes under the screen after some weeks. The second one works fine for months now. The third one I haven't tried, yet. But here also: that makes at least 1 out of 3 faulty...

[zetabeta]

I am located in Europe. Until a Pinephone reaches me, I got to pay about 275€.

there is VAT tax, therefore you help european governmentSSSSHSSSHSSH!

• We have one with a display defect (parts are darker/brighter than others)
  
• We have one, gotten hot and startet to damage the display
  
• We have one, which gets hot as soon as the speaker is active
  

i think you could fix and reassemble one functional. three phones as spare parts sound too many.

my first pp, screen also got damaged because of heating. although heating was clearly generated by bad software.

that makes 3 out of 5 Phones which have defects.
I am located in Europe. Until a Pinephone reaches me, I got to pay about 275€.
Though this is beta and so on, this is too much money to take from people for this compensation. Maybe it's too beta and I think that should not always be an excuse. 

Also, you don't really get support or a hardware exchange. I know, if there was proper support, the phones would be two or three times the price. I do  understand the spirit of the community attempt to create a great phone nevertheless. But that also should not be an excuse for letting people pay for hardware that immature.

I have a Pinetime, too (which is great with no issues) and I was looking forward to buy some other Pine64 products, but I am hesitating now. I don't want more hardware which can't be used due to immaturity. If all three Pinephones should be replaced, that would be more than 800€ again and I still don't know, if the new phones are ok then.
I simply don't want to deal with these specific devices, which are defective from the start, which will never function correctly, no matter what updates are about to come.

BTW: There's a Librem 5 available, too, which has no issues despite pretty similar software. With this background (having to buy 2 or 3 PPs to get one without defects), the price wasn't too high, I guess.


So what would be your advice. Continue with all this or sell all of this? Accept all of this due to "beta" and "community driven approach" or might I be right? That leaves me behind a bit desperate and sad since I don't WANT to quit.
I hope I could explain myself well and hopefully you understand my point.

pinephone has low-end components, but is it too low-end. still, it's some kind of compromise, should we have 300 us$ phone!? generally speaking, hardware should work though.

there is cheap androids available, but i personally don't want to go back those. too much unlocking bootloader, rooting, debloating, installing custom roms and etc.