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You Can Now Pre-Order the PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition Linux Smartphone
PINE64 announced today that their latest PinePhone Pro Linux-powered smartphone is now available
for pre-order for everyone who wants to buy the device.
Unveiled in mid-October 2021, the PinePhone Pro features a custom-made RK3399S Rockchip
Hexa-Core processor that runs at at 1.5GHz, an ARM Mali T860 GPU, a gorgeous in-cell 1440×720
IPS display with 18:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 4, 4GB of dual-channel 800MHz
LPDDR4 RAM, and 128GB of internal eMMC flash storage.
The Linux phone also features a high-fidelity 13MP rear camera, and a 5MP front-facing camera
for video calls and selfies, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, accelerator, gyroscope, proximity,
compass, and ambient light sensors, status LED, vibration motor, Micro SD slot, pogo-pins,
USB-C port for charging, and DP alt-mode video out.
The PinePhone Pro is a tiny bit thicker than the original PinePhone, but its chassis is
quite similar to keep the device compatible with all existing peripherals, including the
PinePhone keyboard, PineDio LoRa, fingerprint reader, and wireless charging cases.
“The PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition is aimed at Linux developers with an extensive knowledge
of embedded systems and/or experience with mobile Linux,” said PINE64.
The device also features hardware kill switches for the cameras, microphone, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth,
a 3.5mm headphone jack with UART output, an LTE modem (including GPS), as well as a removable
Samsung J7 form-factor 3000mAh battery.
Software-wise, the PinePhone Pro is powered by the Manjaro Linux ARM distribution featuring
the KDE Plasma desktop environment for mobile devices, a.k.a.
Plasma Mobile (pre-Beta build).
You can pre-order the PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition right now from the official website
for $399.00 USD.
All orders placed before January 18th will be dispatched during the week starting on
January 24th.
If you place the order after January 18th, it will be shipped in late February 2022.
:: More ::
PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition: Linux-based smartphone launches for US$399 with the Rockchip
RK3399S
PINE64 has started selling the PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition, another Linux-based smartphone
produced by the company.
The Explorer Edition costs US$399 and comes with a Rockchip RK3399S, a 720p display and
a 3,000 mAh battery, among other features.
PINE64 has started taking pre-orders for the PinePhone Pro in the Explorer Edition, a Linux
smartphone based on the Rockchip RK3399S.
PINE64 also equips the smartphone with 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, 128 GB of eMMC flash storage
and a microSD card reader that accepts up to 2 TB cards.
Additionally, the 160.8 x 76.6 x 11.1 mm device has a 6-inch and 720p display protected by
Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
The PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition has relatively thick bezels by modern smartphone standards,
along with an 8 MP front-facing camera and a 12 MP rear-facing one, specifically the
Sony IMX258.
A 3,000 mAh battery powers the device, which supports up to 15 W charging.
Currently, the PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition supports fewer operating systems than the
original PinePhone, which works with over 20 OSes.
Still, the Explorer Edition can run Arch Linux ARM and Manjaro ARM, among others.
The PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition is pre-orderable now for US$399.
For reference, PINE64 states that all orders placed before January 18 will ship later this
month.
Please note that the company will ship the smartphone from Hong Kong, so you may incur
customs duties and taxes, depending on where you live.
:: More ::
Pine64 offers a more premium mobile Linux experience with PinePhone Pro
With a few notable exceptions, if you're looking for a new smartphone today you're pretty much
limited to operating systems powered by Google or Apple.
The PinePhone Pro flagship from Pine64 is a very different proposition, running Linux
instead of Android or iOS.
The new flagship is not a replacement for the original PinePhone launched in 2019, nor
is it a second generation.
Pine64 prefers to think of it as a higher-end handset for more demanding users "who wish
to daily drive a fully open Linux Stack."
It will come running the Manjaro distro, but is expected to be compatible with other Linux
distributions such as PureOS, Ubuntu Touch, LuneOS, Sailfish OS and more.
"It is also likely that PinePhone Pro will give rise to new software options," said the
company.
"We cannot wait to see what the community comes up with."
The handset is not aimed at folks who spend their lives using mainstream mobile apps,
but rather those who are looking to experiment, to tweak, to hack and otherwise get under
the open-source hood.
Pine64 has an active community of users and developers, and with this release is aiming
to move the hardware from being "primarily development-focused to technically-inclined
end-user-centered."
The brains of the Pro shape up as a custom version of the RK3399 system-on-chip from
Rockchip that's been developed specifically for this device.
The platform features two A72 and four A53 CPU cores and a Mali T860 quad-core GPU, supported
by 4 GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 128 GB of eMMC storage (with optional expansion via microSD).
The handset comes with a 6-inch 1,440 x 720 resolution touchscreen LCD panel topped by
Corning Gorilla Glass 4, and a 5-MP OmniVision selfiecam in the bezel up top.
And there's a single 13-MP camera around back that's based around Sony's IMX258 sensor,
with a flash/torch LED.
Other key specs include Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, USB-C for power and data,
a 3,000-mAh Li-ion battery, and a 3.5-mm audio output jack.
Hardware DIP switches can disable the cameras, microphone, LTE modem, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth,
and headphone jack for privacy.
And existing add-ons for the original PinePhone – such as wireless charging cases, a fingerprint
reader and keyboard – are reported compatible with the Pro handset thanks to making use
of the same pogo-pin systems and back cover attachment.
Naturally, these specs are completely overshadowed by those of today's flagship phones from the
big players in the mobile space, but the aim here was not to compete with such devices
but rather "to provide developers with an open, readily available, and inexpensive platform
to drive Linux on mobile forward," so job done really.
The PinePhone Pro Explorer Edition is up for pre-order now for US$399.
Shipping is expected to start at the end of January.
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