Yes, at the moment that's your only option, but as you correctly call out there's no reason you can't install your own OS.
That's definitely the one you want as it has some hardware fixes based on learning from the Braveheart version. It's just vanilla PinePhone hardware with the UBPorts logo on the enclosure and should be shipping later this month.
Yeah, that seems to be the case, and I just ordered one even though I don't care about ubports.
Looking forward to leaving gps, camera, and microphone switches in the permanently off position and retiring the existing phone lacking such switches.
Re:Pinephone first steps
by A4ET8a8uTh0 on Monday May 11, 2020 @03:01PM
(#23145687)
Agreed. I ordered mine, but with all the excitement, the shipping is not going to happen until late May anyway. Still, it will be fun to play with.
https://store.pine64.org/?product=pinephone-community-editio...
It seems to be some Ubuports related edition of the Pine Phone & that's seems to be the only Pine Phone in their store.
Still the price matches (~150$) and while I don't have much interest in UbuPorts, I guess nothing should prevent me from flashing the Sailfish OS port, Fedora port or something else I'm interested in on the device.
And the UbuPorts logo on the back can be fixed by the ~5$ plain back cover (or a Sailfish OS or Fedora sticker).:)