> And they even sell dead and irrecoverable (without soldering/hacking) on devices like the pinephone keyboard/battery.

This is such a shame too, because something that gives me a decent portable keyboard with Linux linked to mobile Internet, and proper Kernel mainline drivers meaning it's less likely to be abandoned after a year, was so enticing. But the same happened me - my P64 keyboard would connect but the battery wouldn't make pin contact with the phone, so charging the device was impossible without disassembly.

I understand it is low cost, but these rough edges impede enjoyment.

But, as an exception, I can say that the PineTime works wonderfully now. The PineBook Pro also is more or less functional with any Linux distro that targets it.