Picture of a PinePhone prototype running Plasma Mobile
Let’s start with a quick recap of last month’s events: the Pinebook Pro went into production, software development on the PineTab started, we announced the SOEdge AI module and introduced our initiative for giving back to PinePhone Linux developers during the community meetup in London. This, however, is hardly everything. Let me segue into the core topic of this month’s update, namely the PinePhone. Behind the scenes prototype PinePhone PCBs and chassis have been produced and undergone extensive testing. With the testing now completed, we made the decision to manufacture a small batch of PinePhones for developers. We have also scheduled two larger production-runs, which will be open to early adopters later this year.
So, without further ado, I am hereby happy to announce that the first PinePhones have now entered production and will start shipping to developers this month. As you probably already gathered from this brief introduction there is a lot to cover, so let’s get started.
We recently announced that we’ll be donating $10 from each PinePhone sold to Linux-on-Phone projects working with us. If you haven’t done so yet, I strongly suggest you read the original announcement. In short, we intend to have OS-specific campaigns – complete production-runs with a particular OS pre-installed as well as stylised phones – but also a permanent system allowing users to select directly which project we should donate to. We wish for the donation process to be both transparent and, in the spirit of our community, also completely open. This means having the donations software hosted on GitHub/ GitLab for anyone to view, review and contribute to. If you’re interested in helping out in making this happen then please reach out to fire219 on the forum or in the chats.
During the meetup we also announced that we’ll do our share to contribute to closing the digital divide. Let me give you a short run-down of how it will work: money from the sales of soft cases for the PinePhone will be funneled into production of original 11.6” Pinebooks for those in need of a computer. I’ll be speaking to people in the community as well as notable persons in the broader Linux universe in the coming months to set up a panel that will put forth proposals, discuss them and subsequently vote on where the Pinebooks should be donated to. This initiative will start with the first public production-run of PinePhones; more information will follow once I have members of the panel lined up. I’d like to note this is a community initiative and therefore also completely open for all to participate in by sending in proposals, interacting with the panel as well as having insight into the panel’s workings.
Community meetup – sunny day in London 18 August, 2019
Before proceeding to discuss the PinePhone there are some Pinebook Pro news, which I think ought to be covered first. Let’s start with the shipping dates; the first community pre-orders will start shipping mid-September, followed by the public pre-orders in October. Please note that these dates are subject to change – if something changes you’ll be notified ASAP. A wide range of things can affect production at this early stage – as an example, we recently discovered that the Pinebook Pro does not power on from mains with the battery disconnected from the mainboard. Whilst this will not affect the great majority of users, a suitable workaround still had to be determined and implemented to mitigate the issue. Working out such things takes time and results in shipping dates slipping – thankfully, in the case described above, everything got sorted in a matter of a couple of days. A bypass cable, disconnected by default, has been added to the mainboard. In the event the laptop is required to run on mains power with the battery disconnected the cable needs to be joined; please read the engineering notice.
Onto the ‘PINE64’ logo key and its functionality. Before the community pre-orders began in July we announced that the Pinebook Pro will include privacy switches. In the same post I discussed the feedback we received regarding our decision not to brand the laptop, which prompted us to include a subtle touch in the form of a ‘PINE64’ logo key on the keyboard. Since then there was a lot of back-and-forth discussion regarding the functionality of the key. Eventually we put 2 and 2 together and reached a logical decision – the ‘PINE64’ logo key now functions as a regular Super key unless pressed down with F10, F11 and F12 key for 3 seconds. Pressing the combinations above will disable/ re-enable the laptop’s microphones, the WiFi/BT module and the webcam. We feel that this is a natural fit for the ‘PINE64’ logo key and its function, and we hope you feel the same way. Since we’re already talking about changes to hardware, and I have nowhere else to fit this piece of information, I am happy to let you know that the Pinebook Pro’s webcam has been updated to a 1080p cam; I’m sure that some of you will appreciate this.
Lastly, I want to discuss software related things. In the recent weeks ayufan has pushed a number of OS images for the RockPro64, the Rock64 and also the Pinebook Pro, which includes a very long list of improvements that result in great functionality and performance. A choice of Ubuntu with MATE desktop or LXDE as well as a great-performing build of Chromium OS will be available for you to try on day one. The default Debian with MATE desktop, which ships with the Pinebook Pro has also received a lot of development hours since the OS image was shipped to the factory. The list of improvements is quite lengthy so if you’re interested make sure to read the update-log here. The one truly vital improvement made is a patched U-Boot (pending feedback from early adopters), which alters the Pinebook Pro’s default boot sequence. This means that now the Pinebook Pro will boot OS images on the SD card and USB 2.0 / USB 3.0 ports prior to the onboard eMMC. It’s a simple way to try out other OS’, such as those offered by ayufan, without committing to wiping your current installation. To get this and the numerous other features please make sure to update your system using the included utility on first boot (please reference the update-log).
The ‘PINE64’ logo key and privacy F-row keys
It has only been 8 months since we announced the PinePhone at FOSDEM 2019, but the idea of creating a FOSS Linux phone has been with us for years. Indeed the phone topic was first discussed in 2017 over a pint of beer at a pub in Brussels during FOSDEM of that year. I remember TL brought with him a tablet chassis and talked about how we could have an A64-based device ecosystem: a SBC, a SODIMM module, a laptop, a tablet and a phone, all of which would run mainline Linux on a common platform. Soon after, however, the creation of a phone was deemed too complex and expensive. Looking back I think we felt it would be an undertaking that would deplete all of our energy and resources, which at the time were being pumped into Rock64 and RockPro64 development. The phone discussion resumed last year once all SBCs that were in the pipeline hit the market. Having done some research on mobile Linux operating systems, on October 2018 I joined UBPorts and started talks with the project developers. It wasn’t long after that I wrote to TL: “These guys seems really friendly and (…) I think they are up for it”. We have since established contact and welcomed into the fold all major Linux-on-phone projects, whom are now collectively working towards making the PinePhone the best device it can be. Only 11 months after committing to creating a mobile phone, the first PinePhones are now being assembled at the factory. I dare say, this is no small feat for a reasonably small and community driven project.
Developer pre-orders are now live and it won’t be long before core enthusiasts get their hands on the PinePhone too. This is just the start of our journey with the PinePhone, but with both software and hardware progressing at Warp 10 speed I am confident that in early 2020 everyone interested in a Linux phone will be able to purchase one.
PinePhone with battery inserted
PinePhone without battery + back cover off
These PinePhones are prototypes and are aimed solely at developers. More specifically, we intend for these early units to find their way into the hands of developers with extensive Linux experience and an interest in Linux-on-phone. Sorry app developers, tinkerers and end-users, you will have to wait a little longer. Due to the very limited number of these prototype phones available at this time, the pre-orders will be made on a bespoke basis. In this way we can ensure that each and single unit goes out to someone who can contribute to the project at its current stage and help us deliver the software for the first public production-runs.
Regarding the actual hardware; the phones are nearly identical to units that will ship later this year and in early 2020. I write ‘nearly identical since the antenna calibration hasn’t been completed as of yet and there may be additional tweaks to the PCB design based on the feedback we’ll receive in the coming weeks. As for the software, this edition of the PinePhone will ship with a custom OS built for debugging hardware on the PinePhone. It is meant as a reference point which can be used during development. All relevant information pertaining to the build will, of course, also be available for those interested. The greatest resource of all, the developers themselves, are readily available in the chats and we expect to see the owners of these early PinePhones joining them in the near future.
Main page dev pre-order widget at the time of writing
We are planning on having two early adopter production-runs this year. We chose to call these two batches the “Brave Heart” editions, since no complete OS images will be available at the time of shipping. So, in other words, these production-runs are only for those of you whom are brave enough to buy a device without a fully functional OS. Rest assured that we will make sure information about the state of software is front-and-center at the time of shipping. These two production runs will be geared towards the bleeding edge enthusiasts who also wish to contribute to development by debugging, testing builds and offering feedback. These phones will ship without an OS preinstalled – we expect that people who will pick up a Brave Heart edition will want to hold off from flashing any OS to the eMMC in favor of trying out weekly or daily builds on SD cards. A pre-flashed OS would be significantly outdated by the time it would end up in users hands anyways. The turn-over time for builds is presently quite fast and I expect this pace will keep up for quite some time, especially with detailed bug reports from early adopters pouring in.
We are planning on starting the production line on mid-October, just over a month from now. Pre-orders for the Brave Heart edition will start around the same time and will be open to all. This batch of PinePhones is scheduled to be delivered in November. The second batch will be built the following month, on 15 November, and will be delivered to end-users some time before Christmas. Please keep in mind that these dates are tentative and we may instead opt to pool together the two production-runs into a larger batch in early-to-mid October. This schedule depends on the feedback we receive from developers and their experience with pre-production units. A commercial-scale production of PinePhones has currently been scheduled for March 2020. By this point in time we expect to have – at the very least – one end-user ready OS image with all core functionality.
I’ll divide this section into a discussion on the PCB and the body of the phone. I’ll also touch on the notable differences between the development kits and the PinePhone. Let me get the differences between the phone and the dev kit out of the way first. The things that I’ll list may seem obvious to many of you, but I will go over them anyways, since I’ve recently been made aware they aren’t immediately apparent to everyone interested in the project. As I already mentioned, the form factor of the kit and phone PCBs is different as the design had to be shrunk down to something that would fit inside a phone chassis. The dev kit is also modular, with the individual parts being detachable from the mainboard, while the phone has most of the key components permanently soldered onto the PCB. While a modular phone is conceptually very cool, it is rather impractical and significantly increases the manufacturing complexity, and thus also the cost of the device. Lastly there is the question of physical space that components take up; phone chassis are rather cramped, so having a modular design effectively means having a thick phone. For the same reason, the full-sized Ethernet and HDMI ports found on the dev kits didn’t find their way into the actual handset either. I’d like to note, however, that both video-out and Ethernet functionality is achievable via the USB-C port on the phone. The last and most important difference is the touchscreen used on the actual phone. The LCD display is slightly larger at 6” and the touch panel includes a drastically better high-precision driver.
Left PinePhone // Right development kit (v1.2)
We have also made some significant improvements to the phone’s chassis since the original design was publicly unveiled. The inner section of the plastic body has since been infused with an aluminum alloy and tooled to be compatible with an existing 3000mAh big-brand battery. Having the body infused with an aluminum alloy serves two purposes: it significantly strengthens the core structure of the phone and improves component heat dissipation. With metal now being an integral part of the assembly, the PinePhone also feels considerably more sturdy in the hand. The entire inner construction of the phone, and most of the components, are held in place using standard Phillips-head screws. Very little adhesive is used on components that are not soldered onto the main PCB such as the cameras, so removing these parts is also pretty straightforward. The detachable back panel – which covers the privacy switches, pogo pins and the removable battery – is made of a durable soft-touch plastic. Subjectively speaking, it’s nice to the touch and attract fewer greasy fingerprints than glass or metal. Taking the phone apart is achievable by anyone and should take no longer than 5 minutes from start to finish. This time estimate excludes the LCD+touch panel, which I suggest end-users do not attempt to disassemble; it is possible, but requires some finesse.
Case with aluminum alloy infusion (prototype)
PinePhone mainboard + daughterboard (prototype)
Onto the last point on my list, namely the PCBs used in the phone. The mainboard is an 8-layer Blind Via PCB, and it is the most complex PINE64 design to date. There is also a smaller daughterboard, which is connected to the mainboard using a ribbon cable, that houses the microphone and USB-C port. The USB-C port on the PinePhone does not only support alternate mode video out and data, but also 3A 5V quick charge (follows USB PD spec) when using a compatible charger. The Allwinner A64 SOC, powering the PinePhone, and Quectel EG25-G modem are placed on opposite sides of the mainboard, with the A64 facing inwards. The A64 makes contact with metal on the LCD back-plate via a thermal pad. This solution provides ample heat dissipation, even under load. All components on the mainboard are covered by a removable metal shroud (not in picture above), which is similar to those found on the Pinebook and Pinebook Pro. The mainboard is covered and held in place using the internal structure of the phone’s body, but leaves the following components and ports exposed: I2C pogo pins, privacy switches, SIM card as well as micro SD card sockets. Access to all the above is fast and easy, and only requires you to pull off the back cover of the PinePhone, which pops easily using a fingernail or the edge of a credit card.
Compared to modern big-brand smartphones the PinePhone is remarkably simple, and we trust this is a good thing. Repairing and maintaining the phone is straightforward and achievable by anyone with a screwdriver and patience. Batteries for the phone can be had for under $10 online throughout the world and we’ll be stocking replacement parts as soon as larger-scale production starts next year. Before we move onto software, let me say that this isn’t the end of updates to PinePhone hardware; as it has always been the case with PINE64, we’re continually looking to improve currently listed specs. More surprises are in the store for this device so make sure to check the PinePhone spec-sheet closer to public-release date.
I am happy to report that a tremendous amount of progress has been made on the PinePhone software in the past month. Most notably perhaps we’ve got our first glimpse at the Ubuntu Touch build on the PinePhone, which I know many of you have been looking forward to seeing. As I’ve mentioned in the past – and on more than one occasion – I am not the most competent person to assess software. That said, even I can tell when something is running well; and yes, the Ubuntu Touch build that I’ve gotten to experiment with runs really quite smoothly. The animations are fluid, applications now launch and the overall experience is massively improved over my past experiences. Moreover, mobile and wireless connectivity are now also functional. Below is a clip from Marius (UBPorts) showing the UI running snappily as he toggles between the different GUI elements. That isn’t to say that the build is production ready, but it’s coming along very quickly and will likely be one of the launch OSs. I will wait for another month or so, and give Marius and Nikita a bit more time with the build before I showcase it on the PINE64 youtube channel. It will, however, be the first thing I load up on my pre-production PinePhone when I get it next month.
Video by Marius Gripsgard from UBPorts
Similarly, the PostmarketOS Plasma Mobile build also works quite well. Animations are smooth, applications start as they should and even little things such as the brightness slider are functional. Sadly the build currently suffers from an issue allowing it to only run properly on the first boot – on subsequent reboots the UI errors out and only displays a black screen. I am told this is a problem which is not isolated to the PinePhone dev kit, but affect all supported devices. Apart from this error, there are also a few lesser issues, most of which are related to the Lima GPU driver. This build too has undergone very significant improvements over the course of last two months. Until very recently, many of the UI elements were incorrectly rendered as transparent and applications did not launch. If you are interested in seeing Plasma run on the PinePhone then please make sure to check out Martijn Braam’s youtube channel, where he demos WIP builds.
PostmarketOS running Plasma Mobile by Martijn Braam
I also had a chance to get my first hands-on experience with SailfishOS this month, and I was very positively surprised by how well it runs. My surprise stems from the fact that the UI has always appeared to me to be quite intricate and complex, which had me believe that it was more resource hungry than other OSs. It also uses experimental Lima drivers as opposed to the (currently faster) mali blob. Thankfully when swiping between tabs, opening applications and scrolling through the settings menu I was greeted by smooth OS functions. Adam and Dylan have posted videos showing the performance of the OS that I am including in this post for you to check out. It is my understanding that most of the functionality already available in other OS builds is also present in SailfishOS. I now have high hopes for SailfishOS on our platform, and I hope that the large and thriving community behind this OS will appreciate the unique feature set that the PinePhone brings to the table.
Videos by Adam Pigg and Dylan Van Assche from SailfishOS
I did not try out LuneOS this month, in part because I’ve already done so recently and know that it runs very well on our hardware. I spoke to Tofe, the LuneOS developer behind the builds, and he told me that a lot of progress has been made recently. LuneOS currently expects to have an early release available within a month’s time. Functionality of this early release will have to be confirmed on the developer PinePhone, but LuneOS ran well on the dev kit hardware and so any negative performance changes are unlikely. I also reached out to Wizzup from Maemo Leste asking for a development progress report. Maemo Leste has been working on their phone and cellular support in recent months. Below is a screenshot showing off their cellular status applet (showing signal strength and access technology) and operator name applet (showing the operator name – KPN). Setting up a cellular data connection, which is automatically provisioned is now also possible. Sending and receiving SMSes also works using Empathy and Telepathy-ring – the attached screenshot shows the PinePhone-side of the affairs with Maemo Leste receiving SMS messages. Maemo Leste also have a (long) update post of the various software improvements I suggest you read here.
Screenshots by Merlijn (Wizzup) Wajer. Left UI with visible networking // Right SMS on PinePhone development kit
I get the sense that everything is coming together in a rather fast and orderly fashion. Modem functionality is also coming along very well. Developers are planning on debugging remaining modem-related issues – some of which prevent phone calls from working properly – this month and they are positive that everything will be working soon. Phone calls aside, both GPS and LTE data already work, and SMS messages have already been sent and received from the development kit on most OSs. I have tested WiFi myself on more than one build and it functions properly, as do a number of sensors on the development kit, including the gyro and ambient light sensor. For those keen to learn of all the details, you can check the PMOS bug tracker that details what has already been implemented and confirmed as working. I am not certain if this bug tracker is representative of the majority of PinePhone OS images, it may very well not be, but it certainly gives you an idea about overall progress and state of software. In a nutshell, software is getting close but it still has some way to go.
That’s all for now, stay tuned to this blog as well as Twitter + Mastodon for more news in the coming weeks!
94 responses to “September Update: The PinePhone is real & shipping soon”
Will the Pinephone be compatible with all networks? In the US, I know Verizon is annoying because they are not GSM, but I would really hope that the Pinephone would work on Verizon. That’s my only concern, otherwise, this is looking great and the Pinephone will likely be my next phone.
Its compatible with Verizon’s CDMA bands, yes. But it is my understanding that, unlike GSM carriers, Verizon requires manufacturers to go though some verification/ approval process. We won’t be doing this.
The modem used should already be approved, however, but there is nothing stopping them from kicking the actual phone off the network. So, should it work? – yes ; will it work? – no clue
Verizon has an online tool that allows you to enter an IMEI and it will tell you if you can use the phone with Verizon: https://www.verizonwireless.com/od/prepaid/bring-your-own-device/#/checkDevice
Also it seems that as of recently, Verizon has lifted the BYOD blacklist: https://www.reddit.com/r/verizon/comments/ar8w4m/verizon_prepaid_byod_how_to_find_a_compatible/
We have a few friendly devs in the States; guess we’ll need to kindly ask one to try get a prepaid Verizon SIM (they have those I assume?) and see what happens when you put it into the PinePhone
Thanks, Lukasz. I’ve got a similar question, but I’m on Sprint, not Verizon. I believe Sprint’s prepaid plains are now handled through Boost Mobile.
If any US devs are able to confirm that the PinePhone works on Sprint’s network, then I look forward to buying one. I haven’t decided whether I’d be interested in trying a Brave Heart edition or wait for the March run, but my Nexus 5 has seen better days and I’m going to need a new daily driver when it finally gives up the ghost.
Sure. In general I suggest that unless you want to help polish the product by testing then hold off until next year. As for the US networks, we need to ask one of the partner project devs in the States to give it a go.
Verizon doesn’t like phones that weren’t purchased from them, this I know from experience. I forget what it was, but they refused to do something for another member of my account while my SIM was in my BlackBerry KeyONE. Put the SIM back in my old phone and they were fine. Very idiotic. However the KeyONE itself (and all my other CDMA phones not purchased from Verizon) worked fine using the Verizon SIM, so I think as long as you have the right bands you can use Verizon, even though they don’t like it.
This is correct, they will not support it but they won’t refuse your money for the service. I never purchase hardware from them anymore, I just switch the SIM card over.
Yeah me too, so I think the Pinephone will be fine as long as it has the right CDMA support, which Lukasz said it does.
Just for reference, here are the bands. The modem *should* have already been approved on all the below and ‘just work’ – however, whether it will work on a CDMA carrier or not, is something that I’d like users to report to us.
Worldwide, Global LTE bands:
LTE-FDD: B1/ B2/ B3/ B4/ B5/ B7/ B8/ B12/ B13/ B18/ B19/ B20/ B25/ B26/ B28
LTE-TDD: B38/ B39/ B40/ B41
WCDMA: B1/ B2/ B4/ B5/ B6/ B8/ B19
GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
[…] At the start of the year, Pine64 announced plans to build a $150 smartphone, and they’ve been releasing status updates throughout the year. Now the company says it’s manufacturing a “small batch of PinePhones” and will begin shipping them to developers this month. […]
[…] estás buscando una alternativa a Android o al iPhone, esta noticia te interesa: tal y como nos explica PINE64 y KDE Community ha compartido en redes sociales, el PinePhone empezará a estar […]
I’m curious about how far along on-screen keyboards are in the various OS’s the PinePhone will run. Sailfish has been around long enough that I expect its keyboard is pretty mature, but I haven’t used it.
I’ve tried Ubuntu Touch/UBports and the keyboard is the main thing preventing me from using it as a daily driver. It’s unwieldy; it doesn’t appear to have a US English layout, the alternate symbols on its main layout are not used in US English, and common symbols (@ – ! () ” etc) are relegated to the secondary symbols page (see screenshots at https://ubports.com/blog/ubports-blog-1/post/ubuntu-touch-on-screen-keyboard-osk-140 ). I can use it when I have to, but it’s a slow and frustrating experience.
The other thing that’s made me leery of using UBports as a daily driver is that it’s still early days for the Morph Browser. I consider an adblocker to be a must-have feature in a browser, and Morph doesn’t have one yet. What’s the state of the browsers on the other OS’s? For example, do the mobile versions of Plasma and GNOME just use Konqueror and GNOME Web with mobile frontends?
Hi, I´m Florian from UBports. The keyboard is very easy to modify, if you can do a little pull request on Github we might be able to add a layout that is more appropriate, though I really wonder what could be the problem, since we got a lot of users in the US. As an example here is a PR for a Dvorak layout: https://github.com/ubports/keyboard-component/pull/86/files
The Morph Browser is in its early stages, but we got now uAdBlock which uses DNS blacklists to block ads on that level, and the seems to work quite well. You could give this a try.
BR Florian
How about Swype? Any chance that might be coming to ubports? Keyboard works fine on my Nexus 5, but l really miss gliding my fingers across the screen.
Thanks for your response, Florian. I still have some questions about how to make those changes to the QML files, but if I need more help I’ll post on the UBports boards.
[…] estás buscando una alternativa a Android o al iPhone, esta noticia te interesa: tal y como nos explica PINE64 y KDE Community ha compartido en redes sociales, el PinePhone empezará a estar […]
[…] At the start of the year, Pine64 announced plans to build a $150 smartphone, and they’ve been releasing status updates throughout the year. Now the company says it’s manufacturing a “small batch of PinePhones” and will begin shipping them to developers this month. […]
It’s great to see how the PinePhone is progressing. It really gives me hope that Linux might one day challenge the duopoly that is Android and iOS, and help guarantee your digital rights.
In case anyone is on the fence, trying to decide whether to order the PinePhone, Librem 5 or Necunos NC_1, I created a table comparing their differences in hardware:
https://forums.puri.sm/t/comparing-specs-of-upcoming-linux-phones/6827
It looks like I’m going to have to update a few details with this new announcement. I’m glad to see that the pogo pin connector is now confirmed. Please let me know if anything else is not correct.
How about a replicant port? Are there any plans for that?
I am still waiting for the developers to reach out to me directly 🙂 I’ve heard, from third persons, that they are interested.
Please read your pm on
pine64.org forum.
Thanks. Will respond on Monday and write the email.
Does this mean that the second batch of community preorders will also ship somewhere in September? Or does this ship with the public preorders?
Are you asking about the PinePhone or Pinebook Pro?
Sorry forgot to mention, I am talking about the Pinebook Pro
The second community batch and community preorders (batch 1 & 2 of community preorders) will ship in October. We’re slightly behind schedule.
[…] team che lo sviluppa, entro inizio 2020 tutti saranno in grado di acquistarlo. Trovate altre info sul sito ufficiale. Per acquistarlo, probabilmente dovrete guardare qui non appena sarà […]
[…] experience inside more finished products, like the Pinebook ARM-based laptops. As the team’s Lukasz Erecinski narrates, the decision to add a smartphone to that list wasn’t an easy or quick one but it was the most […]
The keyboard in Sailfish OS is very mature and can be customized to your hearts content (bigger, spacebar, emojis, other layouts, etc) using patches. THe browser support adblock, however it’s a rather outdated Firefox build, I think FF44 (might get a bump soon, but who knows?).
[…] experience inside more finished products, like the Pinebook ARM-based laptops. As the team’s Lukasz Erecinski narrates, the decision to add a smartphone to that list wasn’t an easy or quick one but it was the most […]
I turned off my AM/FM battery operated radio and thought. What would it take to add an internal component or reprogram the Wi-Fi/BT receiver, or add a thumb drive size component to the USB-C port to receive AM, FM, HDTV, and other broadcast emergency alert audio signals, and then broadcast HDTV video signals.
A thumb drive component for the USB-C port might be the easiest and cheapest to produce and it would provide you revenue for other Linux projects.
How is the modem isolated from the main RAM and CPU? Does it have access to any of that or other system components?
Will Pine64 sell a physical keyboard case that is attached via I2C?
What about electromagnetic radiation values (from modem and Wi-Fi)? My iPhone 8 is very bad at this, according to the tests by German magazine „connect“ (who actually professionally measured this), and I definitely want my next phone to be better at this.
The modem is complete separated (black box) – effectively its an onboard ‘dongle’. It does not have access to any system components. As for a keyboard, we are exploring something exciting. But it will have to come a little later because between the Pinebook Pro and PinePhone we’ve got our hands full.
Cannot answer the electromagnetic radiation values question.
Won’t you need to pass FCC emissions tests to sell phones in the US? Or do they only check for interference with reserved RF bands?
[…] gerade erst Purism die Auslieferung des Librem 5 verkündet hat, bestätigt Pine64 die Auslieferung von einem Prototyp des PinePhone an Entwickler und die Community noch in diesem […]
any news about the pinetab?
I hoped to have it before the pinephone to try some app development, since it has the same processor and touch. So probably the same OS and interaction.
For now I wait on my PBP delivery, although faster and no touch 🙂
Check last months update 🙂
obawiam się prędkości. Na załączonych filmikach telefon się przycina. Moje doświadczenie z malymi komputerkami pokroju orange pi czy podobnymi to wiecej niż 4 rdzenie i dobrej jakości pamięć na prawde dużo daje.
Wolałbym miec 8 najnowszych rdzeni ARM taktowanych 70% niż 6 ustawione na 100% mocy.
druga sprawa to usb host, nie ma sily, ludzie beda chcieli uzywac klawiatury, myszki, dodatkowej karty wifi czy czegos co wymysla za 10 lat 😉 usb host jest potrzebny. Najlepiej obok zwyklego do danych klient i zasilania.
Wtedy mamy klawiature i mysz, lub klawiature i zasilanie.
Wymienny akumulator to bardzo duży plus! Ale czy da się używac tego telefonu bez akumulatora? Powiedzmy za 5 lat chcemy miec serwer z tej komórki, jest szansa by dodac otwory na śróbki i wtyczke by się dało po prostu dokręcić na stałe.
Czy drogo było by dodać dodatkowe plecki z wiekszym akumulatorem? Wiele osob zgodziło by sie na 2 razy grubszy telefon, ale działający 3 razy dłużej. A najlepiej by działało jak powerbank (wracamy do hosta)
Brakuje mi zwykłego otworu na smycz. Lubie miec przy komórce klucze albo nosic ja na szyi. Oczywiście najlepiej miec opakowanie survivalowe jak https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1826434149/stowawaytm-tools-and-carriers-edc-redefined
Regarding performance I don’t think you have anything to worry about:
I understand that some users want a higher-end spec Linux phone. To those who require more raw power I say – there are options out there. We chose to create an affordable device so that everyone willing to try Linux-on-phone can have the opportunity to try it. There are other reasons too, which I explained at length here: https://forums.ubports.com/topic/2403/pinephone/16
There is no need for crowdfund of this or any other product. KS and similar platforms are good to get projects of the ground, but for mature projects they are mostly just hassle.
You are the first person to mention a key-ring / chain attachment hole. Frankly speaking, no one requested it and we didn’t think about it or find it necessary. At this point, there is nothing to be done about this even if we wanted to, since case production is underway.
I can’t tell you how excited I am! A date! Only six months out! For ordinary users!
/*jumps up and down. wants to find a queue to stand in*/
Seriously. My next phone. Looks great. And once I can get an addon physical keyboard I’m going to be in 7th heaven. 😀
Well, if you are happy to help the process out then you can get your hands on a unit earlier than that, in either October or November.
Won’t any decent BT keyboard work? There are plenty that are sized similarly to typical phone dimensions/scale.
Will the phone work in Brazil? with the Brazilian telephone structure?
Based on this, it’s a yes: https://www.frequencycheck.com/countries/brazil
[…] as Purism announced Librem 5 would start shipping on September 24, while Pinephone first batch is scheduled for mid-October, which should also be the date for the launch of pre-orders, and shipment will start in […]
Lukasz, I’d be delighted to help out, but I read the kinds of expertise you need and I’m not sure that’s me. I’m pretty much an end user. I can flash rom — while being nervous — and with step-by-step instructions. I’m fairly good at user manuals and how to present information, but it doesn’t look like you need anyone for that. Those home screens look comprehensible right out of the gate.
Anyway, if I can help, I’d love to.
Developers first and enthusiasts a month or so later 🙂 Perhaps you’re up to picking up a Brave Heart edition ?
How do I get a phone? I have no problem putting money down for a device and I’d love to work to test Plasma – I’m an experienced application developer.
Direct link: https://store.pine64.org/?product=pinephone-linux-smartphone-prototype-batch-solely-for-developers
[…] Pinephone 64 is shipping […]
How many devices are planned for the Brave Heart edition? I would really like to pick one of this 🙂
Too early to say. Likely somewhere between 1-3K.
Hopefully this will meet the requests
[…] Pinephone shipping soon […]
[…] Pinephone shipping soon […]
[…] company is also developing the PineTab, and is edging closer to shipping its FOSS Linux-based PinePhone, which runs KDE Plasma mobile and is expected to cost roughly […]
[…] company is also developing the PineTab, and is edging closer to shipping its FOSS Linux-based PinePhone, which runs KDE Plasma mobile and is expected to cost roughly […]
[…] that we have Librem 5 up for preorders and PinePhone soon to be available. It is definitely a great time to introduce a companion device to compliment and expand the […]
[…] company is also developing the PineTab, and is edging closer to shipping its FOSS Linux-based PinePhone, which runs KDE Plasma mobile and is expected to cost roughly […]
[…] PinePhone Developer PreOrders […]
I’m off to remind myself what’s involved in being a Brave Heart 😀
Finished phone and unfinished software.
[…] Este prototipo del PinePhone demuestra que el proyecto va a buen ritmo: en este caso se muestra su interfaz basada en Plasma Mobile. Fuente: Pine64. […]
[…] is taking limited pre-orders for the developer prototype of the Linux PinePhone this month and it is taking pre-orders for a […]
[…] is taking limited pre-orders for the developer prototype of the Linux PinePhone this month and it is taking pre-orders for a […]
How about mesh network (at least for most popular like protocols) support by default for connection? For reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wireless_community_networks_by_region
What about it ? 🙂
[…] is taking limited pre-orders for the developer prototype of the Linux PinePhone this month and it is taking pre-orders for a […]
[…] is taking limited pre-orders for the developer prototype of the Linux PinePhone this month and it is taking pre-orders for a […]
I’m eagerly awaiting the PinePhone and can’t wait until they’re available. 🙂
I’ve heard various possible prices being tossed around, but is there a any reliable info as to what the final price will be?
Its going to be $150
$150? At that price, I will not buy one. (I’ll probably buy 2, lol)
Just wanted to say Pine64, you are awesome!
Thanks, we try 😉
[…] PineBook Pro now in pre-order and shipping to community members in small batches, and the PinePhone shipping ‘soon’, that family just got an addition: the PineTime, a Linux-based […]
Question: Is there a collected source of known carrier acceptance for the PinePhone. If not, how could the developer and future “Brave Heart” users go about setting up such a list and contribute information or actual funding to try connections to carriers of interest?
Many of the comments have centered on the (primarily American user) questions about what networks/carriers will allow the PinePhone (go ahead rest of world, laugh… we deserve it). The usual response seems to be “you might try asking the USA-based developers.” and also suggestions about different carriers having IMEI lookup services. Those are fair responses, but looking around I don’t see much more information on the different ports sites. Maybe there is info buried in different forums or threads or maybe there is already a central location for this info that I haven’t found (that would be great!).
If there isn’t already an effort to collect and organize this information, how could that be done? It’s not really a job for the porting groups to collect (carrier acceptance does not depend on the OS being run… or does it? I don’t know). Maybe a forum group where users could submit success and failures to be summarized on a page on the Pine64 wiki? That way a prospective buyer could be directed to that page and see, for example, a listing for Verizon with X reported successes and/or Y reported failures along with any notes about how good the service is or why the users couldn’t get access).
I would not be too worried about US carrier acceptance as I have ported a Verizon phone to (Verizon-branded Moto Razer X with “world ready” GSM HSPA radio in addtion to standard CDMA) to AT&T as part of their “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) plans 4 years ago. I believe all of them, including Verizon have gotten on board with that to remain competitive. The carriers themselves should be the best source of that info, so check with whichever one you want to use the phone with. The only issue I have is knowing which bands cover which geographical areas (look it up at various sites that monitor such info), and whether a phone of interest has the matching bands.
Great thing!
Thanks Pine64.
No waiting for the Dev Phone to get my Handon SailfishOS
I’m eagerly awaiting the PinePhone and I’d happily pre-order one, including the “braveheart” early-adopter version.
… [Trackback]
[…] There you will find 46854 more Infos: pine64.org/2019/09/05/september-update-the-pinephone-is-real-shipping-soon/ […]
Hi.
I live in the Netherlands and my question is will the Pinephone 64 or the Braveheart become available in the Netherlands to be used on T-Mobile or Vodafone networks
Thx
Hi again.
I forgot something . The Pine tab and also the Pinebook pro, will they too become available in the Netherlands.
Thx
Henry B
I have a question about messengers in general.
Obviously WhatsApp is not possible on the pinephone but what about signal or telegram?
They have a linux version so will this install and run on the pinephone?
Keep in mind that Linux offical Telegram client is built on top of Electron framework (neutered Chrome + JS). Are you really ready into going for 80% shorter battery life in favour of messaging client?
Telegram is on pole position anyway as it’s API is open for everyone and there exist at least one worth of noticing port – Pidgin’s plugin.
Don’t know about Signal though (i am not an user), but i start for looking for more native clients right now
Łukasz, are you able to give me a heads up regarding BraveHeart being actually available for end-users? I’ve read in many places that “base date” is 15Nov, however always there was a little “but” saying it can be changed.
I am really into trying PinePhone (linux nerd here, although not develeper, at least not C one), but i wouldn’t like to miss earliest opportunity to lay my hands down on this device ;).
Also, are you able to estimate shipping costs as well as time to Poland?
PinePhone + Sailfish OS – I will absolutely go for that!
Lukasz, I’d be delighted to help out, but I read the kinds of expertise you need and I’m not sure that’s me. I’m pretty much an end user. I can flash rom — while being nervous — and with step-by-step instructions. I’m fairly good at user manuals and how to present information, but it doesn’t look like you need anyone for that. Those home screens look comprehensible right out of the gate.
Thanks for sharing your valuable information
[…] 5. באותו הזמן הודיעה יצרנית Pinephone, סמארטפון אחר, שהוא גם יושק […]
thanks for sharing this important information. It really helps people.
I am in the process of learning linux and am very much excited about this phone and looking forward to ordering one. I am switching to linux on all of my devices where possible. I am also learning coding and programming.
This is a very on time development!! Many thanks to all! Elizabeth
nice article thanks for sharing this
Pinephone looks so excellent, I will look forward to this.