Mobile smartphones have become an important part of people’s lives in recent years
They have become more than mere phones: they are essentially pocket computers
But this convenience comes at a price: no meaningful control over the device, or privacy
Enter Pine64
This small company produces a variety of inexpensive devices, ranging from laptops, single-board computers, and even a smartwatch
And, as this thread is about, a smartphone
The PinePhone is an alternative to the iOS/Android duopoly, and provides an interesting development model: Pine64 provides the hardware, the community provides the software
A wide variety of alternative mobile operating systems have been ported to the PinePhone, including Ubuntu Touch, PostmarketOS, SailfishOS, and more
The vast majority of these systems are developed by non-profits, for the users
Additionally, most are free and open-source, making it possible for anyone to look at the code and contribute to it, ensuring ultimate privacy
Pine64 is a small company, so obtaining a phone is a slightly complicated process
There is a pre-order period that lasts approximately six weeks, then the appropriate amount of phones are manufactured and shipped
Each device costs 150$, plus shipping and (depending on your location) import duties
10$ are donated to a community software project for every device sold
Pre-orders for the first so-called “community edition”, supporting Ubuntu Touch/UBPorts, began in early April, and the devices started shipping in late May; just over 4000 phones were sold
If you wish to buy a device right now, you're out of luck: they are all sold out
Do not despair though: pre-orders for the second community edition, supporting PostmarketOS, are scheduled to begin later this month (I will post in this thread when this happens)
Keep in mind, however, that regardless of which operating system the donations go to, you remain free to install another one if you wish
I received my phone a few days ago (embleer coronavirus slowed shipping)
Before we go any further, I have to mention that I have never used an iOS or Android smartphone before
The closest I ever tried was my father’s flip-phone, running KaiOS
The PinePhone comes in a small box, wrapped in plastic film
I hate it when this happens, due to how wasteful this is: the plastic, unlike the box, can’t be recycled, or reused
Fortunately, the box is small, so there is little plastic film to be thrown away
The phone is wrapped in a small bag inside the box, useful if you need to store it again afterwards
You also get a USB-C charging cable (also in a bag, although this one is taped shut)
You also get a nano to microSIM adapter (taped to the inside of the box)
Be careful, it is very small and easy to misplace!
I will leave it inside the box, as my SIM card is already of the proper size to fit inside the phone without the adapter
Finally, there is a short quick start guide in four languages (English, French, German and Spanish).
The phone has a very minimalist design
The logo of the partner project appears on the back, with the Pine64 logo by the camera
The screen has a piece of plastic film, that needs to be pealed off before use
The quick start guide is exactly what it claims to be
It provides the phone specifications, regulatory certifications, and basic documentation
Notably, it mentions the small piece of plastic film behind the battery, to prevent it from losing its charge during shipping
The quick start guide tells you how to open the back case to remove the film
The guide also documents the various kill switches (more on these later) and buttons
The back is easy enough to remove with your fingernail, and neatly snaps back on once you have finished, so it shouldn’t accidentally fall off
The battery is also easy to remove and place back
With all this out of the way, let’s power on the device!
First, I will explore the default build of Ubuntu Touch
later on, I will try out PostmarketOS and other operating systems
The boot sequence is simple and pretty: first the Pine64 logo, then the Ubuntu Touch splash screen
On the first boot, you have to setup and personalize your device
First, you are asked to choose your language from a list
I went with English (Canada)
You are then offered to setup the mobile network, then a WiFi network
Both of these can be skipped and setup later on if the user wishes
which is what I did for the mobile network (I did connect to WiFi right away)
Then, you are asked to enter your name, and your time zone
Finally, you can choose to setup a 4-digit passcode, which I did, although this is optional
The user interface is pretty simple: an application launcher on the left, and a status bar at the top
On the first run, there is a brief tutorial; a nice addition, although figuring out the interface on your own isn’t too hard
Here is the default desktop, with a custom wallpaper, courtesy of
SaveABunny 
The default wallpaper is red/purple, and is aesthetically pleasing, if a bit boring
You can also see the charging cable plugged in
Swiping from the left on the desktop reveals the application menu (pressing the bottom button on the sidebar also does this)
More about the apps later
Swiping from the right brings up a list of open apps
tap on them to select, or swipe vertically to close
Swipe from the top for notifications, and configuration options
Next up, I will be exploring the various apps on Ubuntu Touch
including that one FHC app you may have noticed
Topic: PinePhone (Read 1439 times)