Theres a metric ton of Linux devices that are handhelds (like retrogames, music players, etc…etc…). But phones are a special beast.
The drivers are almost ALWAYS binary blobs. If you are a dev and want to make your own OS its not too hard to get the OS on the device…but calls and other such functionalities are difficult without at least some help from the hardware manufacturer. Thats one of the reasons theres a lot of OSes that support phones like the fairphone, because of their open specs.
Ive been part of some Linux ports of tablets and they have a lot of the same parts. Its the special hardware that almost always gets you. Most are just not worth the trouble. Def when you can get a really cheap EXP32 and make an ebook reader. Or a small raspberry pi and make a retro game console. Or make a VERY cheap VOIP phone with a couple of parts like the PaxoPhone. But most people use their phones as the everything device. And if you are not a multi-billion company, its hard to get manufacturers to listen to you.
Theres a metric ton of Linux devices that are handhelds (like retrogames, music players, etc…etc…). But phones are a special beast.
The drivers are almost ALWAYS binary blobs. If you are a dev and want to make your own OS its not too hard to get the OS on the device…but calls and other such functionalities are difficult without at least some help from the hardware manufacturer. Thats one of the reasons theres a lot of OSes that support phones like the fairphone, because of their open specs.
Ive been part of some Linux ports of tablets and they have a lot of the same parts. Its the special hardware that almost always gets you. Most are just not worth the trouble. Def when you can get a really cheap EXP32 and make an ebook reader. Or a small raspberry pi and make a retro game console. Or make a VERY cheap VOIP phone with a couple of parts like the PaxoPhone. But most people use their phones as the everything device. And if you are not a multi-billion company, its hard to get manufacturers to listen to you.