ClearPhone Kickstarter

[Jason]

For those of us concerned about privacy and can afford the premium price point ($1000+), here is the kickstarter for ClearPhone, a hugely customized Android OS that protects your privacy and is secure. It will be pricey, but the features look prodigious and it's attractive.

It has a myriad of features, far too many to name here. However, the link has a plethora of info.So check it out. I'm curious to see if it will live up to the hype and the and will have a quality hardware performance. It's also compelling is that it has has a triple-camera although I'm not sure what it's for.

I hope a national provider will carry it in the next few years though I have my doubts.

[fox]

A bit out of my price range.

[buster]

"A bit out of my price range."

Six dollars???

[Jason]

Lol, Buster!

I kind of hoped there would be more of a response than "out of my price range", but okay. I already mentioned it's expensive but it's kind of amazing.

[fox]

Purism Librem 5 - $699 (U.S.)

[Jason]

It might be a good alternative but do notice that the ClearPHONE has many hardware advantages over the Librem 5 phone:

   
• 6350 mAh battery vs. 3500 mAh
• 16 MP front/16&3 MP back vs. 8 MP front/13 MP back
• 4 GB RAM vs. 3 GB RAM
• 2.3 GHz 8 cores vs. 1.5 Ghz 4 cores
• 64 GB internal storage vs. 32 GB
• 2340x1080 resolution vs. 1440x720 (clearphone also has IPS vs. TFT display)
• Dual SIM vs. Single SIM
• ClearOS Mobile which is based on Android 10 vs. PureOS, so goodbye Google Play apps on the Librem

So yeah, it's a way better phone. it's good to read through the details as I wasn't just talking about its security and privacy options.

You can also get the early-bird special for the ClearPhone for $540 ($267 now, $267 on shipping). The price for the Librem is also for pre-ordering.

Librem 5 is a little more secure than ClearPhone (I'm guestimating) because of the hardware switches. But in every other way, ClearPHONE is just as secure, I believe. The FAQs explain more about why.

Get it early-bird special and it's cheaper than the Librem 5, too. So, to sum up, better hardware, lets you run Android software, and even cheaper if you get the early bird special.

[fox]

There is also the Pinephone. It's not yet ready for release and it's considerably lower spec than the other two, but it will work with several open source OSes and I'm sure it will come in much cheaper than the others. The point is that very soon there will be a number of options for those concerned with privacy. Personally, I have never spent more than $650 for a phone and that only once. (That was an iPhone 6 less than a year old with warranty. After that, my most expensive phone cost $260.) So I don't think I was being glib or shallow when I indicated that a $1000 (U.S.) phone was out of my price range.

I am happy to see that open source/privacy phones are becoming available. At some point I might be interested in one, but not at such a high price. Before I bought something like that, I would buy secondhand one of the phones that work with UBports (e.g., Nexus 5) and see if I can live with its limitations.

[Jason]

I've seen the PinePhone but it again has the problem of not supporting Android Apps, AFAIK (and worse specs). I can't find a price for it - I guess the price point hasn't been released yet since the phone hasn't as far as I can tell. Looks like those questions have been answered. It will support multiple OSes, at least one of which is Android-based (Replicant) and the price will be $149 USD. See Mike's post with a link to an OMGUbuntu article below.

I think you do get better security by going with pure (or customized Linux) but foregoing all the Android apps would make such a phone little better than useless to me. That is, unless I just used it as a phone, maybe a music player, too. Which, to be honest, is what I'm doing now most of the time. I do everything else on my tablet.

[fox]

Info on PinePhone here.

[Jason]

Info on PinePhone here.

Although a much lower quality phone, it has a nice price point at $149 USD And more importantly, appears to support Android apps using the Android-based Replicant OS. How good that support is, I don't know.