The F(x)tec Pro1 is one of the only modern smartphone to feature a physical keyboard. Soon it will also be one of the phones available with a choice of the Android-based LineageOS or Linux-based Ubuntu Touch operating systems.

The makers of the phone have launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign for the F(x)tec Pro1-X, a slightly updated version of the phone that has the same basic design but a blue case, an optional spec bump (more memory and storage), and new OS options.

Prices start at $499 for Super Early Bird backers of the campaign, but once those are gone you’ll have to spend $649 or more to reserve a phone that won’t ship until March, 2021 at the earliest.

For the most part, this is physically the same phone as the original F(x)tec Pro1. If you’re a fan of physical keyboards, that’s probably a good thing – the phone has the same 66-key, 5-row keyboard as the original.

But if you’re a fan of the latest, speediest hardware it’s worth noting that the new phone has the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor as the original… a chip that was released almost four years ago.

Here are some other key specs for the F(x)tec Pro1-X:

Display5.99 inch, 2160 x 1080 pixel
AMOLED (curved edges)
Gorilla Glass 3
ProcessorQualcomm Snapdragon 835
RAM6GB or 8GB LPDDR4X
Storage128GB or 256GB UFS 2.1
microSD card reader (up to 2TB)
Keyboard66-key
5-rows
backlit
QWERTY and QWERTZ options
Battery & charging3,200 mAh
Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
WirelessGlobal 4G LTE
WiFi 5
Bluetooth 5.0
NFC
PortsUSB Type-C (w/HDMI video out support)
3.5mm headphone
Dual Nano SIM (second SIM slot shared with microSD card reader)
Cameras12MP Sony IMX363 + 5MP (rear)
8MP fixed-focus (front)
SecurityFingerprint reader (side)
Dimensions154mm x 73.6mm x 13.98mm

While the original F(x)tec Pro1 shipped with a custom version of Android featuring a launcher optimized for either portrait or landscape orientation, the company says it partnered with xda-developers on the new version to offer LineageOS or Ubuntu Touch.

LineageOS is a custom version of Android based on Android Open Source Project Code, while Ubuntu Touch is a Linux distribution optimized for smartphones that’s been developed by the folks at UBPorts in the years since Ubuntu-maker Canonical abandoned the project.

While the primary focus is to offer a version of Ubuntu that can run on smartphones, tablets, and other small touchscreen devices, there’s also support for convergence – meaning you can plug in an external monitor and use the phone like a tiny desktop computer. You can even use the phone’s screen as a trackpad when a monitor or TV is connected.

 

via LinuxSmartphones

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8 replies on “F(x)tec Pro1-X is a phone that ships with Linux or Android (and has a keyboard)”

    1. I can tell you that whenever I’ve launch a desktop application I installed from the “libertine” option in the settings menu, it crashed instantly on my ubports pinephone.
      This appears to have been a real longstanding problem with ubports and related to using Mir instead of X or Wayland.

      1. Well, that’s unfortunate. Using this F(x)tec phone as a UMPC with LTE instead of a phone was my reason for considering this.

        Oh well. Thank you for the heads up.

        1. Well, you COULD get the lineageOS version and install AnLinux/userlANd. But it’ll mean you’ve got more stuff running at any time.
          Or you could completely gut the ubuntu touch installation and try to use phosh, which will let much more desktop software work on your phone.
          Or use a linux container on sailfish.
          It’s not impossible with this thing, you’ve got options, but none of them are out of the box and ubports doesn’t seem likely to be one unless you really know what you’re doing.

  1. With a < 6″ screen, newer phones, which
    approach 7″ may feaure an onscreen keyboard
    that dwarfs this phone’s. Also, the lack of
    5G capability severely limits this phone’s
    future.

    1. People who use phones with physical keyboards consider an onscreen keyboard to be inferior, no matter the size. 4G will be around for another 5+ years.

  2. I suppose they came to an understanding that the people who would buy something like this might tend to have a problem with google, or maybe they just figured Lineage was easier to maintain.
    Either way, the list of significantly less evil phones is now:
    Pinephone
    Librem 5
    Fairphone 3 with /e/
    This thing
    Among them, the snapdragon 835 is still pretty competitive.

    1. Actually, a correction. I noticed on the FAQ that you can pick between Lineage, Ubuntu Touch or Android. So there’s actually 3 options.

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