Pinephone Multidistro Demo Image

Flashing the OS

I decided to use the PinePhone multi-distro demo image so that I could try out some of the other operating systems. The multi-distro image contains Arch, Lune, Maemo Leste, KDE Neon, Manjaro, Mobian, Post Market, Sailfish, and Ubuntu Touch. The instructions for writing the image to the SD card were fairly straightforward.

I want to find the OS that is the closest to being a reliable daily driver. Based on what I've read, Mobian

Here are my impressions of each OS:

Arch ARM

Same desktop environment as Mobian

Maemo Leste

Very strange. Seems to be permanently, or at least by default, in landscape mode. Rather unpolished compared to others. I don't even see a phone application. Phone calls do not come through.

KDE Neon

Angelfish DE

Manjaro Phosh / ARM

Same DE as Mobian

Manjaro Plasma

Angelfish DE. Does not ring. Also requires entering the PIN before answering a call if the phone is locked.

postmarketOS Plasma

More like a shrunken desktop experience. Actual cursor on the screen. Keyboard is tiny.

postmarketOS GNOME

Not very polished. Rather bare bones. Applications don't fit on screen.

postmarketOS Phosh **

Same DE as Mobian. Faster than Mobian. Leading candidate for daily driver.

postmarketOS SXMO

This one gets a lot of hype, and I can see why. It's a totally different experience from all the others. Menus are accessed by pressing the volume up and down buttons, and using the power button to select the option. It shies away from the typical smartphone experience. Some users talk claim it's the best once they configure everything to their liking. Others insist that it will wear out the physical buttons before long.

Personally, I like it but want to start with one that replicates the standard smartphone experience.

Sailfish OS

Not open source. Right away, they want me to create a Jolla account. That said, it has a polished look.

Ubuntu Touch

Sharp, snappy, looks really nice.

After trying out all these options, I'm going to stick with PostmarketOS Phosh.