Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Seems I'll have to walk the path of evil and buy an Android smartphone.

I'm looking for an Android phone, which fulfils all the following expectations:

• Can be rooted and the bootloader can be unlocked [may require manual unlocking]
• at least 5" display [may be a little less but not much]
• fluidly running Android 5 (may be unofficial but stable) Very likely upgrades to newer Android versions.

And as many as possible from the following ones

1. Slide-out QWERTY keyboard available. May use BT, NFC, I2C but should be a slide-out. May be be attachable, may be an extra accessory
2. Drivers decent enough, so as to be able to set up some alternate OS with libhybris. I want to have an open way to migrate to Sailfish/Ubuntu/Plasma when they get mature enough.
3. Possible to disassemble and replace broken parts DIY, especially the broken screen
4. A notification LED or an AMOLED display (both appreciated but not required)
5. At least 16G of built-in space (32G appreciated)

If a phone satisfies both two first requirements (qwerty AND decent drivers), I may even drop the rest of them.

Price is indeed an important factor for me. But I use phones for a very long time, (have used my Nokia N900 for 5 years now) so I may treat the phone as a longer-term investment.

I'll probably spend some time in the terminal, hence I care about the hardware keyboard. I really hate typing on the virtual keyboards.

You know me, I'm a hacker soul - Debian chroot, ssh, vnc. Linux user. I don't really care that much about the looks of the phone :)

My phones fall a lot on the floor, so I'm not for an ultrafragile phone. I need a decent camera (my current 5MP/720p N900 is ok. I don't count the megapixels, more interested in overall quality). I don't do selfies, don't care about the front camera at all.

I'm a Google-skepticist, so have nothing against it shipping Cyanogen, AOSP, etc as long as the functionality remains the same.

I know about Fairphone2 which fulfils everything but the hardware keyboard (it was mentioned as a possible extension but nothing real appeared yet). And is quite expensive (525€, plus accessories). Is there any chance it gets cheaper during the next year?

Would you suggest anything? Feel free to ask about my attitude to some functionality, which I care about and which not at all.
Thanks!

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

all your arguments fit perfectly to Fairphone 2 imho.
But aren't 525€ a bit much just to play Pokemon Go :D

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Wait, let me DuckDuckGo what Pokemon Go is :D
You'll more often see the Python shell open than a game on my phone :D

Anything cheaper over there?
If only there were a slide-out hwkb for FP2...

Yep, it's really a lot. But if I bought 300€ smartphone to last 2 years, maybe it's worth to pay more?

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

I think that you'll get very disappointed about Android phones since you've using a N900 for 5 years. A Nexus 5 with mutlirom images may fit your needs best.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Oneplus 3 is a pretty neat device that fulfills most of your needs at a good price.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

I'll surely be. But I need a phone which can browse the web, comfortably ;/

I'll keep the smash-up in post #7

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Fairphone 2:
1. No, maybe when Dirk decides to do TOHKBD for FP2, but it's all speculation
2. Yes, fully working
3. Yes, 10/10 iFixit ranking4. Yes
5. Yes, 32 GB.
Price: 525€: a lot!

LG Nexus 5:
1. No
2. RTC alarms and WiFi hotspot functionality missing under Hybris.
4. Yes
5. Yes, 16G or 32G

2 is not bad but not perfect. Using WiFi hotspot from time to time. Are RTC alarms used in (hacker's) everyday life? How severe are the problems in Hybris, are they hard to cope with?
What about 1 and 3 here?

Price: can find something about 200€ in Poland. Really good!

OnePlus 3:
2. Hybris adaptations data present only for OnePlus X and OnePlus One. Any data I've missed? How good are the drivers for OnePlus 3?
4. Yes
5. Yes, 64 GB!

What about 1 and 3?

Pricewise - 400€

OnePlus (other devices)
WileyFox phones

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

I vote for nexus or onplus for you, even though I think the note series is the best by far.

iPhone have best web experiance out of the Box, simply becouse that all skilled webdevs make sure to have great iOS support, but it have to many trade offs for you.

One phone is simply not enough IF you want it all :D

The only issue for us is that even if money is no issue, we simply cant have a professional slider with latest tech. I would easily pay $2000 for a fully integrated slider for note series or iPhone plus.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

iPhone?? No, no, no. I want my device to be hackable. Not hard-locked. Heard about fully locked bootloaders on iCrap. No, no, still shuddering. ;)

Dave, do know something about 1 or 3 in case of these two devices?

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

There're no BT keyboards for the N5 AFAIK. The screen is not that easy to replace

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

https://www.wileyfox.com/

Official OS is CM13, but their top phones are 5"4, while lower range are 5" :)

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

I like my Fairphone 2 because it's decent hardware that's easily repairable, and the company is trying really hard to do things the "right way", getting the community involved and being open about their goals (kind of like Jolla, but they've been better at hitting their targets and managing expectations IMO).

Fairphone has been actively supporting open source projects (even running one themselves with their own open source fork of Android), enabling users to choose a Google free OS if they want, and they've made it easy as an end user to download binary blobs by negotiating with manufacturers to allow them to be distributed in this way.

More of an investment, but it should last longer than a Nexus device because you can repair it yourself, and if we want companies like this to be successful we have to vote with our wallets.

If I didn't have this phone, I'd get a oneplus 3 on the grounds that it's likely to get decent CM ports in the future and the 6GB RAM, while overkill for normal use, would be useful for compiling software on the device and that kind of thing.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Is there any way to predict libhybrisablity of those devices? (OnePlus 3, WileyFox devices)
There are no Sailfish/Ubuntu ports yet and the specsheets are really vague.

Can we assume that for smartphones A, B which have the same model of a subdevice X (e.g. cellphone antenna): if X works perfectly on A, then X works perfectly on B (under libhybris)

On the other hand, maybe it's not worth investing right now. Maybe some keyboard slider will appear in 2017? (BB plans to release one)
I'm in doubts.

And what do you think about Meizu MX4, Pro 5 or BQ Aquaris E5? These had a version with Ubuntu Touch, adaptation seems to be on GitHub.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Someone please correct me if I am wrong, but IIRC, they allow the phone to wake up for an alarm when the phone is switched off. So pretty much what we are used to from Nokia (and Jolla) phones, but last time I checked, it wasn't a standard thing to have in Android land (things might have changed, though).
Additionally, SailfishOS (Mer) has quite a nice dbus interface with which you can set any command to be run and have the phone wake up from the switched off state to do it.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

No iDon't. But I do so with pride!

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Could you explain it little more? Is there any dbus commands to set alarms in RTCC registers?

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

What about the durability of OnePlus 3? How long can I expect it to last?

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

I do also want to know.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

There are so many polyfills required for Safari some web devs are advocating pulling the plug on them so iThing users become aware of what a dinosaur their browser really is in the hope it will embarrass Apple into joining the 21st century.

https://mobiforge.com/wp-content/upl...l5-support.png

Google's Progressive Web Apps are a clear indication that they're more interested in giving you the best web experience than Apple are.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

For awhile, I have been oggling at the Lenovo Vibe X3.
5.5"
NFC, OTG, BT 4.1
Android 5.1 (Vibe UI)
Snapdragon 808
FHD IPS Display
Notification LED
Dolby Atmos, Forward Facing Stereo Speakers
3GB RAM, 32/64 GB ROM (Also expandable via hybrid sim tray)
Camera is decent..but lacks Optical Image Stabilization
It's slightly above $400 on Amazon (for the 32gb variant).

Root is (theoretically) possible, XDA said it's source code has been officially released.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

IMO, having OTG or a BT Keyboard will be acceptable as the main keyboard.
I actually have one of those Rii Mini wireless keyboards with wireless reciever, I use it via otg.
BUT I'd recommend finding a backlit model. Its a pain when typing in the dark.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

How much should I care about the performance/benchmarks? I know that OnePlus 3 outperforms everything, including Samsung Galaxy S7, but on the other hand - will I use that power? I'm not gaming at all.

A quick look and it seems that spec-wise, OnePlus 3 is better than the Lenovo. Any reason to consider it?
We don't know anything about Lenovo + libhybris

Besides - I'm a touch typist :) So I don't think I need backlight

AFAIK most Android phones can handle USB keyboards without special treatment.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

You will at least get excellent durability on the x3
Comparing the performance is pointless between the too :D
sd820 obviously wins.

Last year's flagship specs are still fast and efficient. :)
There's just other things making them look slow. :D

Benchmarks show how well they deal with stress..
So depending on what you are doing, base it off that.

The x3 in AnTuTu scores very consistently around 70k even after 9 tests in a row. ;)
Heat is well handled and should never be the cause of concern.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

And what about libhybris? It's a core thing to me.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Spent all morning researchin..er cramming on libhybris :D
Here is what I figured- (Please correct me if I'm wrong)

Libhybris should work on devices with the same GPU

This is from the freedreno project status on github
https://github.com/freedreno/freedreno/wiki/Status

It seems that A3xx is the sweet spot for libhybris compatibility, as you see with:

Fairphone 2, OnePlus One, OnePlus X, Nexus 5, etc


The Vibe X3 has the Adreno 418
It may not be the best option if you are looking to hop onto Sailfish/Ubuntu/Plasma right away.
Future support looks promising. :)

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Thanks a lot!

[QUOTE=x_Blaze.It.Beau_x;1509444]Libhybris should work on devices with the same GPU[/code]

There's something I don't understand. When I last asked about why don't all devices work under libhybris, the answer was: if the drivers are written in a hacky way, we need to port those hacks. [1]

On the other hand, on this page [2] there are many components listed: LED, RTC alarms, NFC, sensors, vibra are the ones that fail most often under libhybris.

So I see no reason why the GPU alone should decide.

No, I don't think Sailfish is mature yet, as far as I see, I'm not sure if the app coverage isn't better on Maemo still.

I just want to be able to hop off the Android train when it's possible. See no other way out right now than an Android device. (app coverage for the most)

[1] https://talk.maemo.org/showpost.php?...7&postcount=61
[2] https://wiki.merproject.org/wiki/Adaptations/libhybris

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Sorry about replying so late - I had to go through an old code of mine where I had made use of this API and remember how I used it.

So it is done via the timed library and controlled through the timedclient-qt5 command, so I remembered wrong and it's not a dbus interface (maybe it has one, but that's not what I used). I don't have a device to test it (before I get my Jolla C), but try to run
and you should get the hang of it. I know I used the following commands in my app:
and similar. Sorry for being off-topic in this thread, but I hope more people will make use of this great functionality of SailfishOS (provided it still works the way it did 1-2 years ago when I used it).

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

How about this?

http://www.xda-developers.com/asus-a...napdragon-821/

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

High specs but might not have CM yet, so no libhybris.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Ok. No CM, no libhybris, no Sailfish...

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

What do CM and libhybris have in common?
Can any expert here explain, what is needed to have a full libhybris driver coverage? I'm getting more and more confused

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Well, libhybris is built on top of CM release. Unless you have that, you cannot port SFOS on a (android-) device.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Why does libhybris need a CM release? I thought it's a generic wrapper for the Android drivers... Can you please elaborate?

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Vibe x3 has an unofficial CM release.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/gene...ndian-t3405875

The OP in that forum said that there is an update in the works.
______________________________________________

What about the LG Fx0?

I know there is CM out for it (with a few bugs):
CyanogenMod 11.0/KitKat for LG Fx0

This phone is pretty inexpensive :D as it goes for $60 on Amazon, Unlocked..Opinions?

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Why would you choose OP3 over FP2? Just better price/spec factor? But OP3 is not so easily repairable, has no replaceable battery.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Can you guess where the drivers come from? :D

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Well I can suggest you not to get a Nexus 6P.. It's way too big and the build quality is so-so.. I've got one since last November and I regret it already..

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Does an open source kernel guarantee that libhybris will work perfectly? Sounds legit, but not sure if it's true...

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Yes and No.

Open source for the kernel is essential but unless you have a full android build tree for it is quite difficult to implement the HAL needed for SFOS to operate with all features.
It is possible but you'd have to do a lot of work yourself to make it happen.

Libhybris as it exists implements the HAL on top of the android driver layer which normally is taken from an existing CM release for the device. All the stemps to build it are fairly well automated and documented which means it is doable without deep knowledge of the devices innards.

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

And an open source kernel + an official CM release?

Re: Looking for an Android phone, suggestions welcome
 

Not all of them, there's also a version built on AOSP 5.1.