I am thrilled to announce that the next Community Edition (CE) of the PinePhone will feature Manjaro. For those of you who do not know, Manjaro is an Arch-based Linux operating system designed with user-friendliness in mind. But Manjaro is more than just an operating system, it is also a large and vibrant community of contributors and end-users, which I highly encourage you to join.
Manjaro has offered support for PINE64 devices since the very beginning – with high-quality OS builds now available for nearly all our SBCs and devices – and the PinePhone is no exception in this regard. There are currently three Manjaro PinePhone build variants (Lomiri, Phosh and Plasma Mobile) for users to try out – all available for download from Manjaro’s downloads repository.
To learn more about Manjaro’s plans for their edition of the PinePhone, please read the complimentary announcement post on their forum.
This community edition will ship in a custom presentation box designed by Manjaro’s development team, and the PinePhone itself will feature a sleek-looking Manjaro logo on the back-cover (see renders for reference).
This PinePhone CE will be available in two hardware configurations:
$149 — 2GB RAM; 16GB eMMC
$199 — 3GB RAM; 32GB eMMC (includes a bundled USB-C dock)
Both configurations of the Manjaro CE PinePhones feature rev. 1.2a PCBA, introduced with postmarketOS CE that is currently shipping. The $199 hardware variant, called convergence package, also features a USB-C dock equipped with 10/100 Ethernet, 2x USB type A ports, HDMI digital video output and power-in via USB-C.
We will donate $10 per unit sold to the Manjaro development team. To learn more about this scheme please click here.
Pre-orders for the Manjaro Community Edition PinePhone open mid-September. To be notified when pre-orders go live make sure to subscribe to this blog, the Telegram PINE64 News Channel (not chat) and follow us on Twitter and Mastodon.
82 responses to “PinePhone Manjaro Community Edition”
Will this phone work in the UK on the networks here and around the world from the start?
It would appear so. All LTE carriers in the U.K. use bands 3 and 20, which this supports. Carriers O2 and Three use only those bands. EE also uses band 7 (supported). Vodaphone additionally uses bands 1 and 7 (supported). The hardware for LTE should work. However, not everything is going to be turnkey in software. If you were merely asking about frequency compatibility, you are probably good.
Co ze sklepem w Polsce!?
If the PCB just included a tiny eSIM/eUICC module…
Hey Lucas! I bought the pOS Convergence Package and pinebook pro and haven’t gotten notified that they were shipped. I’m a little anxious, but I know you always read your comments and was hoping you could tell me if i should be worried.
Hello, look at this post in the community forum: http://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=11134
There, you’ll see the latest updates and can exchange your experiences if you are worried. Luke has responded to some concerns. Didn’t know this either, I think it should be stated somewhere clear that the community forum is the place where to look for these things.
Hope it helped you.
No info about warehouse in Poland this month? And still without delivery to Russia? Any update would be helpful.
i dla mnie też napisz
will this work with verizon?
Bandwise, yes. Verizon’s main band is 13, with additional services on 2, 4, and 5. All of these bands are supported by the device. Software support is another factor, and not everything will necessarily work out of the box, but the hardware is capable of operating on this network.
What do you mean by “software support is another factor?”
Will you be able to make and receive calls and text messages on Verizon’s network?
I am running “Android Messages” (AUR) on Manjaro Openbox
So I assume it would.
When I speak of possible software issues, I’m trying to be cautious. I have not yet purchased one of these, and I don’t have test results on various networks. So when I say that the device supports a network, the only thing I can check is whether its hardware supports the frequencies used by the network. In this case, the device supports all of Verizon’s bands, so it is compatible. Most likely, when the bands match up, the device is going to work, calls, SMS, data, and all. It is possible, however, for some networks to be unhelpful and make this process harder. They could explicitly block the PinePhone, though I can see no good reason that they would want to. They could also require a special carrier-specific configuration. To the best of my knowledge, Verizon has done neither of those things. I would therefore predict that you would encounter no problems. Since it’s theoretically possible that problems could occur, I feel I should specify that possibility so you are as informed as possible.
I have tested a couple different distro’s, on BH, UBP-CE, and PMOS-CE with VZW, and found no real issues. Currently using PMOS on CE w/ 3GB RAM. Calls, data, texts all operational.
thank you! looking forward to it
I am interested in the PinePhone Manjaro edition but it seems currently the PinePhone community is not doing a very good job of providing meaningful and detailed carrier support information. User forums and incomplete wiki pages are not enough to provide confidence in this device. Someone needs to create a detailed wikl with all major carriers listed including a definitive yes, supported or no unsupported. The current information is spotty and more complete for some carriers as opposed to others. Listing something like “the phone meets the requirements for the frequencies on the carriers network but they may not allow the device on their network” or “recent version of xxxxx may support” is not good enough. Each carrier should be accompanied by (if compatible) detailed instructions or a link to them regarding setup for that particular carrier. I understand this is a device for enthusiasts and developers but even this market segment requires this basic information to make the product useful.
This is still a developer phone and not for primetime yet. They need people testing to see what networks work with the phone and which ones don’t. If you are looking to help contribute in any way possible, i’m sure they’d appreciate it, but if you’re looking for a daily driver phone to use for all your needs, you’ll have to wait a while.
I don’t think drawing carrier’s attention to a smartphone that they’ll have far less control over than they’re used to is a particularly good idea.
Better fly under their radar until Pinephone owners are a demographic big enough for them to want a slice of anyway.
The Pinephone modem is compatible with most networks worldwide, you’d be really unlucky to find it incompatible with two completely different networks in a row.
Keep in mind that all the carriers have people in their tech sections way more capable than most people. Maybe even more capable than you. And they follow what is going on and read technical journals because that is their job. Because of this it might be wise to address questions like this with real answers and pat the heads of your pets and children rather than folks on this forum trying to get solid information. Doing otherwise will stifle not grow this project.
Cool story bro…….
Will this be 5G capable?
No – 4G at most. 5G still isn’t widely supported anyway.
No.
Kind of makes this a horse and buggy operation in a fast moving field. 5G may not be well implemented now. But tomorrow that will not be true. I like the idea of this project but how much technology and convenience must be sacrificed to have it? I hope that Pine64 is not painting itself into a corner.
Is there any difference to the postmarket Version except for the OS? Looks great I am excited!
Hi there
I would love to buy such phone, will I be able to automatically record voice calls?
Thanks in advance.
Will It work un México? Which providders will support It?
The hardware supports networks there. Movistar operates* on LTE band 2 (supported), and both Nextel and Telcel use LTE band 4 (supported). Iusacell does not use LTE and I haven’t bothered to confirm that its 3G is supported, so check that one if you want to be sure. However, software support is not known. While most networks would probably accept it, it’s possible that they might have additional requirements. The hardware should be capable of the task though.
*Warning: Movistar operates on LTE band 2 in Mexico, but it operates other networks in other countries. Some of those may use additional bands or other ones entirely. Check on those countries if you want to be certain about it.
@Nathan. Your information is seriously outdated, Iusacell and Nextel have not existed for at least 4 years now.
My apologies. I was using an online directory of carriers which may not have bothered to update their data with any frequency. Unfortunately, on performing some additional searches, I am not finding more reliable information; that site is the first in search results and other pages I have found also mention the providers which apparently no longer exist.
The documentation for the device includes a list of all bands supported, so the compatibility can be assessed by finding more modern information about the bands in use by the provider in question and comparing it to that. Evidently, the database frequencycheck.com should not be considered reliable.
@Nathan. Iusacell and Nextel where bought out by AT&T in the USA. That became AT&T Mexico. I understand one of those companies was using a CDMA network (Probably Nextel), and AT&T Mexico shuttered that in 2016. I guess one would have to look at the AT&T Mexico web site to see what they support. I do know my T-Mobile branded Alacatel Fierce XL works on that AT&T Mexico network.
Yay, glad you guys are still putting out Convergence Editions! I’ll probably order one of these and a tablet/keyboard combo soon.
Sadly the Convergence edition is already sold out.
@Peter How is “already sold out” when the sale will not begin until mid September?
Apologies, I realized this after noticing it was the last batch that was sold out.
Waiting with baited breath for the new batch to go up.
Can the battery be easily changed, like in the old days?
Yes it can. It is even compatible with standard model from Samsung so you can buy it easily from 3rd party resellers, look at https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php?title=PinePhone#Battery for further details.
The battery is removable. Some effort has gone into using a battery that should be easily obtainable from other sources. Whether those sources are still manufacturing them in a few years is another question, but the option is available.
Yes. I got my pinephone 2 days ago. In fact I thought it was broken because it ships with a plastic tab covering the battery contacts so it only stayed on while plugged into the charger…. Lol I needed to take off the plastic protector to allow the contacts of the new battery to touch the contacts in the phone.
LOL!
I did the same thing
W sierpniu miał być sklep w Polsce. Co się dzieje? Można prosic o jakies namiary?
Amazing project! Wish i had seen this 1,5 years ago when i was shopping for a new phone. I’ll likely order one of your phones soon regardless of last years purchase. I love your project, i’ve been working fulltime on Manjaro Xfce for approx. 2,5 years … would love to be able to leave my laptop at home and do all my tasks on-the-go on such a Manjaro phone! Def. worth a try!
I’ve tried three times to get someone in customer service to answer this question but I just keep getting referred to some long time consuming blog. Wonder if someone out there can answer this question or not. Will the pine 64 phone work with a prepaid Verizon Sim card ? yes or no?
I think that your question boils down to whether Verizon (who seem to be a US-based company – are you in the US?) support the bands listed on the spec sheet for the phone – this is of course your responsibility – googling Verizon seems (to me) to suggest that they do (B2, B4 & B13) but if you ‘demand’ of a company the type of support that isn’t offered in the first place then mebbe coming across as overbearing isn’t likely to get you anywhere in a hurry – yes or no? 😉
as a very happy UK Pinephone user I give you my word that it will work (my fingers are crossed but I think it still counts)
If the Verizon Sim is CDMA.
No.
GSM only.
Another idea for an extended battery, which could attach in place of the existing phone back.
Considering the potential cost or difficulty of shipping large battery packs for the pinephone, I thought of another way this could be achieved with vastly less cost, by letting people get their own batteries for these packs.
You could make and sell the casing for a large battery pack for the pinephone, with any needed electronics or switches in it, but it would have compartments for people to buy and clip their own batteries into it, just like the pinephone has a compartment to clip it’s battery into.
That way the shipping would be as cheap as any other item in the pinestore, because no batteries have to be shipped, -it would just be some plastic and a few components, and people could just obtain the correct batteries locally where they live.
You could design it for any batteries you like, either the same type as the pinephone, or larger/smaller ones depending on space and design criteria.
Because they would be so cheap to make, you could even make 2 different models with different capacities or configurations. A limited batch could even be 3d printed.
Perhaps if any batteries overlap the hot part of the phone, they could incorporate insulation, an air-gap and a heatsink over that area to protect the battery from the heat of the phone and still dissipate the heat elsewhere.
All the best everyone!
Ważne jest by różne akumulatory można było ładować tez pojedyńczo i pojedyńczo rozładowywać. Mam np. dwa akumulatory z komórek i wielkości AA
Wiem, że moge je wyjąc i użyć do latarki. Nie resetując telefonu. Chodzi o to by nie ładowac wszystkiego na raz ale po kolei (można by ustawić kolejność)
Is there any info about shipment to Russia?
Can you put me on a waiting list for when you have product again – thanks.
I’m in the UK.
Can you put me on a waiting list for when you have product again – thanks.
Is this phone compatible with the Canadian Carriers Rogers and Fido? – If so, I’d also like to be included in the waiting list for the Pinephone Manjaro edition – Thank you
Some years ago I was discussing with a fellow programmer the possibility of having a smarphone with enough RAM, CPU power and USB-x connector to use it as software development computer. We could carry it in the pocket, then at the office plug it into a monitor, maybe powered via USB-C/Thunderbolt 3. This is one step closer to that dream. And even more awesome would be to pair it with a VR headset, so we can actually work without a monitor?
Maybe you can make a model with 6 or 8 GB of RAM and 6 or 8 CPU Cores?
At what point will you add the Google play store and Google apps? They are the greatest!
@Seve. The point is to get away from Google, and their spying/tracking. Anyway, Manjaro is based on regular Linux, not Android, thus that is not going to happen.
There is no native support for Android apps.
You will have to use Anbox for that to work.
Where are we going to be able to do the preorder?, right now the store is not accesible
Phone Manjaro Edition went on sale this evening and when I went to buy it my phone was broken into at Mid sale just as I was about to pay for it on PayPal and then the pine phone the pine org website was attacked and taken down then the apartment from apartment above me they poured Hyrule hydrochloric acid all over me all over everything that I have my hands are still burning this was a United States sponsor terrorist attack. Can anyone tell me how I can log into the pine store finish the transaction to buy this phone obviously need it on because my government has me pinned down
Поставьте меня в список ожидания на ваш следующий, новый, улучшенный продукт. С уважением к разработчикам, с таким нестандартным, высокопрофессиональным подходом.
I received my Pinephone with Manjaro and having some disappointing issues. The touchscreen is not responsive and the
software app does not work nor do other programs that were pre installed. The battery does not last long at all making using the phone for a normal day frustrating. Any help or advise would be appreciated.
I purchased this phone, yes it has a few issues, but the phone and texts work phone. A few apps do not fit on the screen, battery is OK, lasts most of the day.
I am running Manjaro Beta 5.
All of the important stuff works.
Battery life is all day at this point.
Leather Case for Pine64 manjaro?
Anyone know where I can get a leather flip case for my new phone.
I live in UK but not had any luck with sourcing.
Thank you
Urgent!! I changed passcode to alphanumeric now the unit not allowing me to login.
Order #147079
Just received my pinephone today, and to my frustration out of the box I was greeted with “enter the PASS CODE”
Interesting, the thing is that I did not set any pass code yet, what is the pass code ? where do I get it from?
I was greeted with “Enter Pass Code” out of the box, I tried the reset button on the backside of the phone but still getting the same message “Enter Pass Code”, what to do ?
Order no 153793
Thanks
I have the same issue.
Unfortunately the instructions are not great, pine set up a default password, not a great idea. Its either in the printed doc or online. Something like 123456.
UBPorts/Ubuntu: 1234
Manjaro/Arch 123456
Mobian: 1234 (I think)
maybe some youtube unboxing videos can use this number, in some videos used 123456.
I am waiting for the mine. I have some moderate expectations like phone device, bus many expectations like GNU/Linux Distribution.
in some youtube videos used 123456
If it woks, please confform.
Im waiting my pinephone64
123456
Default pass code is 123456
Bought it, love it. But be aware it’s a tinker phone. Not usable at all as a daily driver. The battery last for 3 hours if you’re lucky. Still happy to support this project. Peace.
Is this phone in germany (telecom) supported?
Looks cool, bud it sure seems a bit fiddley. I have seen that some of these ship with no OS.
Will pinephone64 work on EE network in the uk please
good
What password does pinephone running manjaro need to authenicate
I Need A Linux Phone.
Why can’t successfully do a software update and what is the default admin password for the Pinephone beta edition in october/november 2021?