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I don't want to carry around two phones so the only phone I'm carrying around must do at least all of this:

WhatsApp (not the web app, it's limited)

Skype and Meet (the Linux desktop versions would probably work but I wonder what their UX would be on a small screen)

Banking apps

Maps with satellite and street view

Location tracking / following tracks (in using OsmAnd for that)

Email (Thunderbird on a small screen?)

My country 2FA / digital signature app

A keyboard that does swype well

Then it should be small, let's say 14 cm tall (which used to be huge, oops) less than 1 cm thick, nearly no bezel, 130 g of weight.

There is no Linux phone with those specifications AFAIK. So yes, I want a Linux phone but I don't think I'll buy one in the near future.



I need a little fewer apps, but yes. It's not really a question about what operating system I want, there's currently only two supported by at least two or three of the apps I need. An I only trust one of the companies behind those two operating systems.

Personally I don't really care if there's a browser, email, any messaging beyond SMS, maps are nice to have, but not required. I can even do without banking, but I do have a few special apps for work and interacting with the government.

Depending on where you live, we reached a point where you can choose to not have a SmartPhone, but good luck interacting with society, every new thing is "App first". I a few weeks we'll have Covid-19 passports, on our phones. Don't have a smartphone? I would count on the government having planned for that scenario.


Every country is different, especially USA vs EU vs other parts of the world. I could do without banking on my phone but most bank sites in my EU country are sending a message to their banking app on the phone to do 2FA when we login. This started between fall 2019 and early 2020. One of the banks I use is still supporting a hardware token (one of those displaying random digits), the other ones are all app based. 2FA works by entering a PIN in the app or using the fingerprint reader. I wouldn't be able to do any banking without an Android or iOS device.




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