PinePhone

Pine64 sold limited editions of the PinePhone, marketed towards developers and early adopters. The phone shipped worldwide with few geographical restrictions. The "Braveheart" edition, shipped in January 2020, was the first publicly available version of the phone, providing only a test firmware, so the user could test their phone before installing their operating system of choice.{{cite web|date=5 November 2019|title=November Update: Brave Heart, Pinebook Pro reception and more|url=https://www.pine64.org/2019/11/05/brave-heart-edition-pinephones/|access-date=24 July 2021|website=Pine64}}

In 2019, Pine64 partnered with existing and well established Linux-on-phone projects to launch a "Community Edition" campaign to incentivize software development for the device.{{Cite web|last=Erecinski|first=Lukasz|date=August 19, 2019|title=Its time to start giving back|url=https://www.pine64.org/2019/08/19/its-time-to-start-giving-back/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121160251/https://www.pine64.org/2019/08/19/its-time-to-start-giving-back/|archive-date=January 21, 2021|access-date=|website=}} Through this partnership, Pine64 donated $10 for each unit sold to the project maintainers. The community edition PinePhones featured a branding on the back cover and shipped with a custom box designed by the partnered artists. The "Mobian" community edition in February 2021 was the last to be offered.{{Cite web|last=Lukasz|first=Erecinski|date=January 15, 2021|title=January Update: Happy New Gear!|url=https://www.pine64.org/2021/01/15/january-update-happy-new-gear/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210116013413/https://www.pine64.org/2021/01/15/january-update-happy-new-gear/|archive-date=January 16, 2021|access-date=|website=pine64}}

File:PinePhone Docking Bar.jpg

Initially, the PinePhone was only available in one hardware configuration. The enhanced "Convergence Package" was introduced with the postmarketOS community edition announcement, featuring increased RAM, additional eMMC storage, and a USB-C dock known as a "docking bar". The docking bar is capable of delivering power to the phone via USB-C power-in (3 A 5 V), outputting digital video via HDMI, and has 10/100 Mbit/s Ethernet connectivity and two USB 2.0 ports (for example, external storage, mouse and keyboard).{{Cite web|last=Erecinski|first=Lukasz|date=July 15, 2020|title=July Update: biggest update in months!|url=https://www.pine64.org/2020/07/15/july-updatepmos-ce-pre-orders-and-new-pinephone-version/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121044049/https://www.pine64.org/2020/07/15/july-updatepmos-ce-pre-orders-and-new-pinephone-version/|archive-date=January 21, 2021|access-date=|website=}}

In February 2021, Pine64 announced the end of community edition devices,{{cite web |url=https://www.pine64.org/2021/02/02/the-end-of-community-editions |title=The end of Community Editions |author=Erecinski, Lukasz |publisher=Pine64 |date=February 2, 2021 |access-date=April 23, 2021}} and that the default operating system for the production-ready PinePhone would be Manjaro using the KDE Plasma Mobile graphical environment.{{cite web |url=https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2021/02/pinephone-picks-manjaro-with-plasma-mobile-as-default-os |title=PinePhone Picks a Default OS — But Not the One I Expected |author=Sneddon, Joey |publisher=OMG! Ubuntu! |date=February 16, 2021 |access-date=April 23, 2021}} The company then introduced the PinePhone Beta Edition several weeks later.{{cite web |url=https://www.pine64.org/2021/03/15/march-update |title=March Update: Status Report |author=Erecinski, Lukasz |publisher=Pine64 |date=March 15, 2021 |access-date=April 23, 2021}} The Beta Edition's hardware and pricing was confirmed to be the same as the previous three community edition production runs, and the "Beta" was a reference to the software only. Pine64 began pre-orders on March 24, 2021, and began shipping Beta Edition devices in late April.

In October 2021, Pine64 announced the PinePhone Pro.{{Cite web|title=October Update: Introducing the PinePhone Pro|url=https://www.pine64.org/2021/10/15/october-update-introducing-the-pinephone-pro/|access-date=2021-10-25|website=PINE64|date=15 October 2021 |language=en-US}} In January 2022, Pine64 started accepting pre-orders of PinePhone Pro for deliveries by February 2022.{{Cite web|title=PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition pre-orders open January 11|url=https://www.pine64.org/2022/01/11/pinephone-pro-explorer-edition-pre-orders-open-january-11/|access-date=2022-01-13|website=PINE64|date=11 January 2022 |language=en-US}}

The PinePhone is often compared to other phones shipping with non-Android Linux distributions, especially the Librem 5, which released around the same time, and the WiFi-VoIP phone Necuno, which does not employ a cellular modem.

Pine64 promises five years of production. The long production life and sharing a common A64 platform with the PineTab tablet and Pine A64 boards is meant to encourage tinkerers to create mods and DIY projects based on the PinePhone.

File:PinePhone-main-board.jpg center right, black-and-white]]

File:PinePhone Kill Interruptors de Maquinari del PinePhone 4529.jpg

The original PinePhone used an Allwinner A64 processor, which has four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.152 GHz and a Mali-400 MP2 GPU. Its frame and case cover are made of plastic. It has a 5-megapixel back camera and a 2-megapixel front camera, and a USB-C port with USB 2.0 that supports DisplayPort alt-mode. The 3000 mAh battery supports 15 W fast charging and is easily replaced without tools. It uses the same form factor as a Galaxy J7 battery to make it easier to find replacement batteries.{{cite web |author=amosbatto |title=Comparing specs of upcoming Linux phones |url=https://forums.puri.sm/t/comparing-specs-of-upcoming-linux-phones/6827 |website=Purism forum |date=2019-08-25}} Linux distributions configure its LPDDR3 DRAM at clock rates that vary between 552 and 624 MHz.{{cite web |author=devrtz |title=[Volunteer needed]Too high DRAM clock speed MAY be causing you random crashes/freezes |url=https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=9832 |website=Pine64 forum |date=2020-05-12}}

Like the Librem 5, the PinePhone uses separate cellular baseband and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chips. Together with the hardware kill switches, this results in larger printed circuit boards (PCBs) and less energy efficiency compared to the mass-produced Android phone that has an integrated System on a Chip, such as the Snapdragon, Helio or Exynos. The PinePhone is thinner at 9.2 mm than the Librem 5 which is 15.5 mm thick because the PinePhone solders its wireless communication chips to the PCB whereas the Librem 5 places the cellular baseband and Wi-Fi/Bluetooth on two removable M.2 cards.{{Cite news|url = https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/09/purisms-librem-5-phone-starts-shipping-a-fully-open-gnulinux-phone/|title = Purism's Librem 5 phone starts shipping—a fully open GNU/Linux phone|first=Ron|last=Amadeo|date=2019-09-26|access-date=2019-10-08|website=Ars Technica}}{{Cite news|url=https://wp.puri.sm/posts/librem-5-update-fresh-dogwood-pictures/|title=Librem 5 Update: Fresh Dogwood Pictures|date=2020-05-21|access-date=2020-06-24|website=Purism}}

Pine64 is the second phone maker (after OpenMoko) to offer booting from a microSD card, which allows users to try out one or more operating systems before installing in the internal flash memory.

Another distinctive feature of the PinePhone is the I2C connector under the back cover, which can be used for adding mods to the phone.{{cite web |title=PinePhone |url=https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PinePhone#Killswitch_configuration |website=pine64.org wiki |access-date=26 June 2020}} In 2019 and 2020, Pine64 stated that it was developing four mods: a Psion Series 5-inspired physical keyboard,{{cite web |title= December Update: Thank You For 2019! |url=https://www.pine64.org/2019/12/05/december-update-thank-you-for-2019/ |website=PINE64 |date=5 December 2019}} a 5000 mAh battery, wireless charging{{cite web |title= May Update: PineTab pre-orders, PinePhone Qi charging & more! |url=https://www.pine64.org/2020/05/15/may-update-pinetab-pre-orders-pinephone-qi-charging-more/ |website=PINE64 |date=15 May 2020}} and a fingerprint sensor.{{cite web |title= December Update: The Longest One Yet |url=https://www.pine64.org/2020/12/15/december-update-the-longest-one-yet/ |website=PINE64 |date=15 December 2020}}

The PinePhone has six DIP switches under the back cover, the first five of which switch off separately the cellular modem, the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth module, the microphone, the rear camera, and the front camera. The sixth DIP switch will convert the 3.5 mm headphone jack into a UART serial port, which is the first time this kind of switch has been included in a mobile phone.{{citation needed|date=May 2022}}

Circuit schematics of the PinePhone are available.{{cite web|url=https://files.pine64.org/doc/PinePhone/PinePhone%20v1.2b%20Released%20Schematic.pdf|title=PinePhone v1.2b Released Schematic|date=2020-10-11|author=PINE64}}

File:CellPhonePinePhoneLinuxMobian.jpg performing an update, running on the Linux distribution Mobian, with the upper bar colored red to warn that root privileges are being used.|407x407px]]

The PinePhone aims to be fully open source in its drivers and bootloader. Despite this, due to the scarcity of open-source components for cellular and wireless connectivity, the firmware for the Realtek RTL8723CS Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, as well as the optional autofocus firmware for the OmniVision OV5640 back camera, remain proprietary software. In order to mitigate potential threats to privacy, these components communicate with the rest of the system only over serial protocols, such as USB 2.0, I2S and SDIO, which do not allow direct memory access (DMA). Use of these protocols also permits them to be physically disconnected via kill switches.{{cite web |last1=Erecinski |first1=Lukasz |title=Setting the Record Straight: PinePhone Misconceptions |url=https://www.pine64.org/2020/01/24/setting-the-record-straight-pinephone-misconceptions/ |website=pine64.org official Pine64 homepage |date=26 January 2020}}

In late 2020, Pine64 started an incentive called the Nutcracker Challenge, in order to encourage the development of open-source wireless networking on the BL602 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth board.{{Cite web|title=Nutcracker Challenge: Blob-Free WiFi & BLE|url=https://www.pine64.org/2020/10/28/nutcracker-challenge-blob-free-wifi-ble/|access-date=2021-12-10|website=PINE64|date=28 October 2020 |language=en-US}} Some distributions support the use of USB Wi-Fi adapters that use open-source wireless firmware.{{Cite web |title=How about a more libre PinePhone with atk9k_htc? |url=https://linmob.net/how-about-more-libre-pinephone-with-ath9k-htc/ |access-date=2023-01-20 |website=LINux on MOBile |date=27 November 2022 |language=en}} Modem firmware of the Quectel EG25-G LTE board is based on a proprietary Android userspace, though an unofficial, mostly open-source version exists, replacing most proprietary components, except for the baseband firmware and the TrustZone kernel, which is signed by Qualcomm.{{Cite web |last=By |date=2022-07-12 |title=Open Firmware For PinePhone LTE Modem – What's Up With That? |url=https://hackaday.com/2022/07/12/open-firmware-for-pinephone-lte-modem-whats-up-with-that/ |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=Hackaday |language=en-US}}

The PinePhone relies completely on open-source operating systems developed by external communities, with only the flashing onto the phone done by Pine64 directly.{{cite web |last1=Aufranc |first1=Jean-Luc |title=PinePhone "Braveheart" Limited Edition Linux Smartphone is Now Available for $150 |url=https://www.cnx-software.com/2019/11/16/buy-pinephone-braveheart-limited-edition-linux-smartphone/ |website=CNX Software - Embedded Systems News |date=16 November 2019}} Because these community OS projects were involved in the development of the PinePhone, it has been ported to 19 Linux distributions and seven graphical user interfaces, as of August 2021,{{cite web |title=PinePhone Software Releases |url=https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php?title=PinePhone_Software_Releases |website=pine64.org wiki |access-date=6 August 2021}} such as Ubuntu Touch by UBports, postmarketOS, Mobian (Debian ARM), LuneOS, Nemo Mobile and Maemo Leste.

As well as orthodox GNU/Linux, an unofficial porting project, GloDroid, has ported Android 11 to the PinePhone.{{Cite web|date=2020-07-15|title=GloDroid Brings Android 10 OS to Raspberry Pi 4, Orange Pi SBC's, PinePhone, and PineTab - CNX Software|url=https://www.cnx-software.com/2020/07/15/glodroid-brings-android-10-os-to-raspberry-pi-4-orange-pi-sbcs-pinephone-and-pinetab/|access-date=2021-12-10|website=CNX Software - Embedded Systems News|language=en-US}} Genode targeted the device for their Mobile Sculpt{{Cite web |title=First system image of mobile Sculpt OS |url=https://genodians.org/nfeske/2023-02-01-mobile-sculpt |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Genodians.org |language=en}} operating system whose features include microkernel, capability-based security and a unique graphical configuration{{Cite web |title=Mobile user interface, not in the face! |url=https://genodians.org/nfeske/2023-01-05-mobile-user-interface |access-date=2025-04-11 |website=Genodians.org |language=en}} system.

Until 2021, the PinePhone had ports from several Linux Mobile distributions. These ports allowed for an easy installation process (flashing the distribution onto a bootable microSD card) which was convenient to both users and creators of the distributions. Official Community Editions were released with special branding for five projects: postmarketOS, UBPorts, KDE Plasma Mobile, Manjaro and Mobian. A portion of revenue from each of these branded editions would be passed on by Pine64 to the respective project.

In 2021, the PinePhone Pro appeared. This model came with controversial changes that caused one of the main PinePhone engineers to leave the project:{{Cite web |date=2022-08-17 |title=Why I left PINE64 |url=https://blog.brixit.nl/why-i-left-pine64/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=BrixIT Blog |language=en}}

• The PinePhone Community Edition programme was discontinued in favour of the PinePhone Pro.
• Instead of the several Linux distributions supported earlier, focus was given only to Manjaro, whose contributions to the mobile Linux ecosystem were allegedly minimal, and largely limited to packaging rather than creating or improving new software.
• The installation process changed from simple microSD flash card into a specific U-Boot-based process. This required other distros to adapt to the new model, redesigned with only Manjaro Mobile in mind, in order to be able to run on the PinePhone
• PinePhone staff began discussing changes and making decisions with only Manjaro in mind, rather than taking other Linux distributions into account.

The above choices have later been justified by Pine64, responding to the former engineer's blog post{{Cite web |date=2022-08-18 |title=A response to Martijn's blog |url=https://pine64.org/2022/08/18/a-response-to-martijns-blog/ |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=pine64.org |language=en}} as well as criticism of the PinePhone Pro by various Open Source communities.

• PostmarketOS
• Mobian
• Nemo Mobile
• Manjaro Mobile
• Genode Sculpt

In August 2020, AndroidPolice reviewed the first Community edition, and beside the title "The Linux-based PinePhone is the most interesting smartphone I've tried in years" it touted the number of available distros, and the idea behind communities being provided with the means of developing their OS.{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/08/13/the-linux-based-pinephone-is-the-most-interesting-smartphone-ive-tried-in-years/|title=The Linux-based PinePhone is the most interesting smartphone I've tried in years|date=2020-08-13|website=AndroidPolice|language=en-US|access-date=2020-08-13}}

In January 2020, ZDNet called the PinePhone hardware "promising" and noted the hardware switches.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/this-linux-smartphone-is-now-shipping-for-150/|title=This Linux smartphone is now shipping for $150|last=Leprince-Ringuet|first=Daphne|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2020-01-20}}

In December 2019, Martins D. Okoi of FossMint said that the first edition of the PinePhone is aimed at Linux-savvy users who would like to test beta operating system builds, but the version for general users should be available in March 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fossmint.com/pinephone-an-open-source-smartphone-for-linux/|title=PinePhone - An Open Source Smart Phone for Everyone|last=Okoi|first=Martins D.|date=2019-12-19|website=|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-15}}

In November 2019, Phillip Prado of Android Authority said that the PinePhone had the potential to "expand our imaginations into what mobile computing could look like", but he was not expecting it to replace everyone's Android device.{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/pine64-pinephone-1053395/|title=PinePhone: Everything you need to know about the $150 Linux-powered phone|last=Prado|first=Phillip|date=2019-11-28|website=Android Authority|language=en-US|access-date=2020-01-15}} Ars Technica wrote about the unusual external ports of the phone, offering I2C, GPIO and serial.

{{Portal|Linux|Free and open-source software|Telecommunications}}

• List of open-source mobile phones
• Comparison of open-source mobile phones
• PinePhone Pro
• Librem 5

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/PinePhone PinePhone Wiki]

{{Linux mini computers}}

Category:Mobile Linux

Category:Linux-based devices

Category:Open-source mobile phones

Category:Mobile phones introduced in 2020

Category:Mobile/desktop convergence

Category:Ubuntu Touch devices

Category:Mobile phones with user-replaceable battery