better pinephone

[RTP]

this is my preliminary view and mostly likely will change.

i pre-ordered pinephone. this is some kind of testing purchase and i hope open platforms will become serious possibility in the future. i have some ...uhum... opinions about two dominant platform at the moment.

pine probably should introduce improved pinephone, which is similar to pinebook pro https://www.pine64.org/pinebook-pro/ . particularly i'm concerced of following issues: small battery, lack of wifi ac (5GHz), small mmc, lack of fullhd and small ram. of course price would go higher but pinebook pro is selling at ~200$, so i don't think it would be much higher. most likely physical size will increase as well. with current pinephone specs i don't think pinephone is usable for long time.

I understand what you are saying but personally I think Pine64 has navigated perfectly.

I have watched/experienced the improvements in software on the Pinephone and for a phone I believe it has everything it needs hardware wise. The software can still improve. I wouldn't judge the hardware based on any current bugs you may be experiencing.

For many people $300 is too much for a phone (if you want to reach the largest Linux phone market possible).

By making a $150 phone (especially first entrance Linux phone) the amount of people reached will be much greater than a more expensive phone's entrance to the market. Keeping in mind a greater number of phones means not just more users but also developers. The more people who can afford a Pinephone, the better the Pinephone can become (given software is community based).

I believe the goal was never to compete with Android/iPhone hardware. This would be a losing battle.

While sure, you can get a cheaper Android phone (like $100 for BLU), tradeoff is that phone installing malware, wifi scanning for mac addresses in your home, and syphoning your data during updates. On a similarly priced Android phone you really don't know what you are getting.

I'm sure it has been said before, but I believe this is the right time for privacy respecting phones. People at large are becoming more aware of the way our data is weaponized against us. The ability to control your software remains a major bonus for potential Pinephone users. Pinephone appeals to everyday people who just want more control of what their phone is up to. Not everyone wants to run games.

Personally I think they have a winning strategy vs more upgraded hardware, being able to reach many users and developers at an affordable cost should in theory, lead to a better product.

Of course this is just my opinion.