Dodgy eMMC/image or issues with Plasma itself

[grump_fiddle_reinstall]

I got my PinePhone a couple of weeks and struggled with the default Manjaro/Plasma combination for a while. It took three attempts to get the OS set up with the PinePhone freezing the first two times. I managed to get the OS updated. After it was set up the PinePhone would hang for short and longer periods, the UI would become unresponsive to swipes and taps and generally it felt like I was using an alpha product. I also experienced the dark screen after login issue which I was able to fix with information from the forum.

I am now running stock Mobian off an SD card and the difference is like light and day. Running from SD card Mobian is faster and much more usable. The UI is much more responsive. I would have assumed that the eMMC is faster than an SD card so was a bit surprised by this.

So, could it be that I have a problem with the OS image my PinePhone shipped with, or the eMMC or is my experience with Manjaro/Plasma about par for the (current) course?

I have to admit that the Manjaro repository having a build of SeaMonkey is almost enough to make me want to switch back even though "sudo apt-get" is ingrained in my finger memory

[kqlnut]

Mobian has Phosh as its "desktop" environment/UI which is completely different from Plasma. The differences are almost certainly not related to your eMMC. Try a newer image of Manjaro Plasma, that probably works better. You can also use Manjaro Phosh if you want to use Phosh with Manjaro's repositories.

[grump_fiddle_reinstall]

Mobian has Phosh as its "desktop" environment/UI which is completely different from Plasma. The differences are almost certainly not related to your eMMC. Try a newer image of Manjaro Plasma, that probably works better. You can also use Manjaro Phosh if you want to use Phosh with Manjaro's repositories.

Thanks for the reply. I was aware of the Manjaro/phosh combination which might be worth considering in the future. Ultimately it is down to which applications are available but also stability is important. I am also interested in experimenting with the XFCE desktop as I find mobile UI lacking generally in terms of usability. I guess I am really looking for a netbook that can make phonecalls.