The PinePhone Pre-Order has Arrived
Anyone looking to finally get their hands on an early release of the PinePhone can do so as of November 15.
Created by Pine64, the PinePhone is an affordable Linux phone with a price tag of only $149.00. This phone is targeted at Linux enthusiasts and developers looking for privacy-centric open source software and hardware kill switches.
The specs for the PinePhone are humble (to say the least). The device includes an Allwinner A64 1.2 GHz quad-core A53 CPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, a 5.9” IPS LCD display, a 2MP front-facing camera and a 5MP rear-facing camera, a Mali 400 MP2 GPU, a 3000 mAh battery, and a USB C port.
The one feature that will excite privacy advocates is the inclusion of hardware kill switches for Wi-Fi, cellular, camera, speaker, and mic. For any mobile user concerned about privacy and security, a kill switch allows quick disabling of a feature. And for those who like to experiment with different flavors of Linux, the PinePhone will eventually support the installation of other distributions, such as Ubuntu Touch, PostmarketOS, LuneOS, Nemo Mobile, and Aurora OS/Sailfish OS. Because there has been so much support from the Linux community, it is possible the PinePhone will eventually be available with a number of operating systems to choose from. When the Pinephone is released to the general consumer, it will most likely ship with a version of KDE Plasma, which has been optimized for the smartphone form factor.
The first release of the PinePhone is called the “Braveheart Edition.” This release is strictly for enthusiasts and should not be considered a finished product for the general public. The “Bravehart Edition” will go up for pre-order on November 15, 2019. Pine64 has targeted March, 2020 for the general release.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.