Pine64's Linux-based smartphone, the PinePhone, has finally begun shipping.
The PinePhone smartphone is equipped with Allwinner A64 quad-core processor from Allwinner Technology, a China-based fabless designer dedicated to intelligent application SoC.
It comes with 2GB of memory and 16GB of storage. It uses a 5.95-inch 1440 x 720 LCD display with a screen ratio of 18: 9. The device is equipped with a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The phone has many currently rare features, with a detachable battery design and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone also has switches for disabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
In addition, the PinePhone is designed to be easily disassembled and can be disassembled in about 5 minutes.
The PinePhone starts shipping on January 17 in the "Braveheart" developer edition for $149.99.
This initial batch is meant for "developer and early adopter" users, according to the Pine64 Store.
The phone doesn't come with an end-user OS pre-installed and instead only comes with a factory test image that allows for easy verification that the hardware works.
Users are expected to flash their own OS to the device. There are several available, from Ubuntu Touch to Sailfish OS, but they are all currently in an unfinished alpha state. Pine64 says that only enthusiasts with "extensive Linux experience" are the intended customers.
