FLX1s

13 reviews for FLX1s

1. 

   deus

   Verified owner

   January 16, 2026

   I was an OG Pinephone / Pro user. It had many issues in the years and battery life was always the core one.

   The FLX1s builds on everything I liked how the Pinephone Pro, Linux in my hands, app convergance; It also fixes all the problems. Now I can actually daily drive Linux!!!

   I can also push code on it and update my apps on a random Tuesday in the park surrounded by ravens. The power it gives the user is immense and a small team achieved this great feat is truly inspiring.

   Furilabs made a fork of waydroid that more integrated into the Phosh UI with countless tweaks that make it easier to use on a daily basis. Hungry Jacks and Macas apps dont work.. However one could say this is a plus as it helps me diet haha.

   I use dozens of android apps and ive had a seemless experience. I am just hoping we get more gnome adaptable apps in the future to the platform. Native apps are often a lot more performant and less bloated than android by nature.

   Overall, its an upgrade to the linux phone experience, and a great feat. It’s better for security and for data privacy. I recommend this device for someone who wants those things and doesn’t mind a little tinkering. The future is Penguin!!!

2. 

   uldics

   Verified owner

   January 13, 2026

   Yes, I’m in! Fully usable Linux phone at last.

   As on the dropped feats, the choices made are quite OK for me.
   * No headphone jack – there are a ton of USB-C headphones (external soundcards, not like we have to choose between Sound Blaster and Gravis Ultrasound in each app).
   * No fingerprint – pff! that is securitywise impossible, was never using such “convenience” anyways.
   * No RFID – well, too many types to choose from, would cover just part of needs – but I want Mifare, no I want MHz, no most important is kHz, so OK to not have, if someone really needs, get an external device for your purpose, surely could find something size of a phone to keep under and connected with USB-C.
   * No DP ALT, but Displaylink, that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to take as a customer, yes I will pay more for not so cheap USB hub.
   * No USB 3v3.2 or 4 or 240W charging or whatnot. Well, I can always just use Wifi for transfers or make them with rsync.

   After testing FLX1s for a few days, I am absolutely in regardless of some missing details or bugs here and there and can say one – the phone or rather the advancement that Furilabs has done for humanity is huge. I have been crying out loud for the separation of software from hardware on Android and the control someone else has over part of my life. And here we are – bam, a phone where I have that freedom. The door is open and more and more of our society will hopefully discover that what we have had on PCs for a long time is now also possible in our pocket. Outside the closed garden is a bigger world.

3. 

   Lukas Levickas

   Verified owner

   January 8, 2026

   ### **Introduction: First Encounters**
   Every phone tells a story—of design choices, technological ambition, and the delicate balance between innovation and practicality.
   The FLX1s, released on the very start of 2026, promises to redefine what a smartphone is, or in reality, show how little current flagship phones can provide to a power user.
   But does it deliver? Let’s peel back the layers, from the tactile to the technical, and see if this device earns its place in your pocket—or your heart.

   ### **Design & Build: The Art of Holding a Phone**
   A phone’s design is more than aesthetics; it’s about how it feels in your hand, how it slips into your pocket.
   The FLX1s is crafted from plastic, a choice that speaks to both practicality and style.
   It’s weight is just right, and its profile makes it easy to grip.

   But design isn’t just about specs—it’s about experience.
   Does the FLX1s feel premium, or does it cut corners? It is a very well balanced of both, actually! In a good way!
   You don’t feel any cheapness to the build quality, but at the same time, it doesn’t have that 1-layer-tough-brick feel, like, say, Samsung S2* series.
   All design choices are to make the phone as durable, as slim, and as practical to live with.
   But to be honest, nor did i drop it, nor I intend to. Will see how it goes…
   No glass back cover that can shatter for looking at it the wrong way. No fancy dust – pure practical power machine.
   And what about those little details—the button placement, the curve of the edges, the resistance of the volume rocker?
   Buttons placed at just the right areas, except for my taste, the extra helper button is placed at the very top of the phone, instead of the bottom.
   I’m sure main logic for this was so that it wouldn’t be pressed unintentionally, but now at the same time, it being a linux phone,
   that extra button already has it’s legacy – it’s a BACK button that UI elements in the software don’t provide that ofter, and for a back button,
   it’s pretty far away from my finger tips. Maybe one day we will pick some other function that happes upon pressing it.
   Speaking of which, has 3 modes that you can configure, however you like:

   * Short press (Mine does BACK action in UI)
   * Long press (Mine opens camera)
   * Double press (Mine toggles the torch)

   In a world where phones are increasingly uniform, does this one stand out, or does it blend into the crowd?
   I would say its pioneering what a linux phone must be, providing well structured bridges to androids legacy,
   but also providing some fresh ideas and approaches to what a pocket computing can and should be.

   ### **Display: The Window to Your Digital World**
   The screen is where you’ll spend most of your time, so it better be good. On paper, it’s not as impressive as flagship phones today, but how does it translate to real-world use?

   To kick things off, the 6.7″ 1600×720 HD+ 90Hz is exactly the point where you stop caring about the pixels, and simply enjoy the image quality and response time.
   Those 4k phone screens with their crazy pixel density does not make any sense now after trying the FLX1s. They just use the screen resolution like some badge of honor, which in reality gives nothing, really and it’s just that – a badge.

   Outdoors, does the brightness hold up against the sun, or do you find yourself squinting?
   The screen is bright enough for the brightes of winter days I had recently, and it delivers.
   And what about color accuracy—does it make your photos pop, or does it leave them looking washed out? The colors are vibrant and if you’re coming from a flagship like me, you’ll miss nothing.
   It even has loads of screen optimisations you can toggle if you so desire, which to my taste, they’re all off for me.
   The Punch-hole design might be polarizing, but does it feel immersive, or does it distract?
   The phone has borders around it’s bezel and the camera punch-out, which is thicker to what I’m used to on my previous Samsung S23+, but to be fair, it’s far from a deal breaker. Screen has loads of estate, and I cannot complain that nor bezzels nor the punch-out somehow nags me.

   ### **Performance: The Engine Under the Hood**
   Power users demand power, and the FLX1s, promises to deliver.
   But raw specs only tell part of the story.
   How does it handle the chaos of daily life—juggling apps, streaming, and the occasional coding?

   In day-to-day use, is it buttery smooth, or does it stutter when pushed?
   The speed feels fantastic. Apps launch fast.
   Browsing the web with the desktop version of Firefox is pleasant and empowering.
   Coding it react and php apps via neovide with apollovim is almost as good as on my Ryzen 7800x3D.
   And what about heat—does it stay cool under the collar, or does it turn into a hand warmer after 10 minutes of Netflix?
   It’s generally cool, witch a only a little area around the top of the phone gets a little bit warmer than the rest of the phone.

   ### **Software: The Soul of the Device**
   A phone’s software can make or break the experience. The FLX1s runs latest Debian, but what’s it like to live with?
   Is the interface intuitive, or does it feel cluttered with bloatware?

   The phosh variant of gnome desktop is simple to just “get it”.
   UI does not get in your way by any means and it also support scaling, thus you can pick your desired size of UI elements and text size.
   And the range to which you can modify it far exceeds what android phones can provide, which alwas is fun to compare.

   Are updates prompt, or are you left waiting for the latest features?
   Furilabs are amazing at delivering updates at semi-monthly system updates to further improve the phone.
   And also, since most of the somftare are coming from independent developers, updates are usually fast,
   although understandibly, more stable and less frequent on debian, than let’s say, nixos unstable.

   And what about those little software flourishes—the unique features that set it apart?
   Do they feel gimmicky, or do they genuinely enhance your experience?
   Some apps in the app store are still have a hard dependency on X11 stack, which the phone understandably lacks, so some apps outhright just dont work.
   At this point I don’t even want to start talking about the sacred war that X11 fans are so eeger to engage in. Wayland that runs on the FLX1s is just a right option for a phone.
   Many apps do work from linux app sources, and if you can’t find alternative that you’re used to have on android, than you have an option to just run android apps.
   The phone can dowload android apps from sources like f-droid, or Aurora store, so your vacuum robot can still be managed through your linux 🙂

   ### **Camera: Capturing Life’s Moments**
   In the age of social media, the camera is often the star of the show. The FLX1s packs a 20MP+2MP setup, but megapixels aren’t everything. How does it perform in the real world?

   The camera is arguably the weakest hardware component in this phone.
   It does OK with what it has, but as of today, it’s no match for current flagship android or apple phone cameras.

   The bright light helps a lot to take better shots, but they still lack detail when comparing to current android phones.

   But when not comparing? What we look from practical stand point?
   Well then overall, the camera is good. It takes descent pictures. May it be not the sharpest, or good enough to print a wallpaper on the wall shot on FLX1s, but taking pictures of documents, close-ups, and general shots – it delivers.
   You will miss crispness coming to this phone when taking pictures, but not much more than that.

   While it can’t match the pixel-level detail of a latest Pixel phone, it’s leagues ahead of what you’d get from a $200 Android phone

   ### **Battery Life: The Marathon Test**
   A phone can have all the bells and whistles, but if it dies by lunchtime, what’s the point? The FLX1s packs a 5000mAh battery, but raw numbers don’t tell the whole story. How does it fare in real-world use?

   With moderate usage, does it last a full day, or are you scrambling for a charger by 3 PM?
   From my experience, it lasts more than a full day easily, unless you do some prolonged intensive computing on it, which is understandable.

   And what about charging—does it juice up quickly, or does it take an eternity?
   It charges not as fast as let’s say xiaomi latest phones,
   but in practicality, you’re not anchored to charger for long either.
   It has no wireless charging. May it be a problem to some,
   i noticed my Samsung S23+ became faster do discharge after using wireless charging for a year. That’s because wireless charging is not as efective, and heats the battery more than it’s comfortable with.
   Remember, heat is the biggest enemy to the battery, and wireless charnging is basically an micro induction stove for your phone.
   That being said, i stopped using wireless charging on my S23+ so i dont lose more battery capacity.

   ### **Audio & Connectivity: The Unsung Heroes**
   Good audio can elevate your experience, whether you’re jamming to music or binge-watching your favorite show. The FLX1s’s speakers are tinny and simple just bad. To be fair, it can make sound, just not the one you’ll enjoy.
   Either way, never have I used a phone without headphones or BT Speakers for longer periods of time, even if it had great speakers.
   Other factors like practicality, sound quality, ambient noise makes the headphones a must either way.

   Connectivity, too, is key. Does the 5G/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth hold up, or are you constantly fighting dropped signals?

   The European network Connectivity and signal strench is simply great,
   and the phone handles it like any other phone here, so no complaints.
   And what about call quality—crystal clear, or do you sound like you’re talking through a tin can?
   The audio is OK. It will sound a bit different, but still very good.
   I haven’t noticed any issues or audio artifacts during calls.

   ### **Extras: The Little Things That Matter**
   Sometimes, it’s the extras that make a phone special.
   It has no biometric scanner of any kind,
   but it does have 3 hardware switches to toggle your cammeras, all radios, and mics.
   Did I mention extremely configurable extra “assistant” button? It’s amazing!

   And let’s talk accessories. What’s in the box—just the basics, or does it come with a few pleasant surprises?
   The box contains a pair of headphones with a mic, but they’re not in-ear, and simply not my style. I prefer my in-ear BT plugs that work excelent with the FLX1s.
   The box also packs an USB-C to USB-C cable to charge your phone,
   and Sim tray tool needle/tool.

   ### **Value for Money: The Bottom Line**
   No phone exists in a vacuum. At the current price around 500, the FLX1s competes with some stiff competition. So, is it worth it?

   **The Good:**
   Linux! You own your software and it’s completely up to you how you use your device. It’s just the best part hands down. The camera or speaker shortcomings are worthless to talk about when you have linux in your pocket.

   The size, the weight, the overall build quality is pleasant and nice to handle.

   **The Not-So-Good:**
   Camera. Camera is the not so good unfortunately, but it’s not that bad either. We are probably just got too used to flagships maybe?
   It’s not great, but not a deal breaker – really.

   The speakers. Oh them mufflers are on a whole another MacGyver level of bad, but nothing that a pair of good headphones or bt speaker can’t fix.

   **The Verdict:**
   Who is this phone for? The power user, the casual scroller, the photography enthusiast?

   This phone is surely for power users – hands down.
   The photography enthusiast may still will have to wait for linux phone that delivers amazing shots.
   And the casual scroller maybe is better of with current doom-scrolling machines out there, as the main selling point is a working linux phone you can even enjoy, not just casually play around with.

   This is a phone who values open source,
   who values freedom to compute,
   freedom away from major personal data collectors.
   It’s your device, to do what you want, on your terms.

   ### **Final Score (Optional)**
   If you’re the type who likes numbers, here’s how it stacks up:
   – **Design:** 9/10
   – **Display:** 10/10
   – **Performance:** 10/10
   – **Camera:** 7/10
   – **Battery:** 10/10
   – **Overall:** 8/10

4. 

   Nyla

   Verified owner

   January 8, 2026

   If you want a linux phone, this is probably the best option available, it runs fine, most stuff works great out of the box, some stuff requires a bit of work but that’s expected, my main issue is mobile data, my AT&T data doesn’t really work at all with this phone, but I was planning on switching anyways and the provider I switched to uses the T-mobile network which should work fine with the FLX1s. Haven’t recieved the new SIM card yet but I don’t expect to have any major issues, and even if I do it won’t be something that can’t be fixed by an update. And that’s what I like about this device so much, there’s plenty of stuff that could be improved or added when compared to something like grapheneOS, but it already does almost everything I need, and the stuff that could be improved or added probably will be, the devs are great and very active, and I have no doubt that the FLX1s will only continue to get better over time. I wouldn’t recommend this device to someone unfamiliar with linux atm, but if you’re already somewhat familiar with linux, or willing to learn and do some occasional light troubleshooting/tinkering I’d highly recommend the FLX1s.

5. 

   IO Network Admin

   Verified owner

   January 8, 2026

   My full Pro/Con review at
   https://krisspringer.com/posts/flx1s-linux-phone.php

   My final thoughts about the FLX1s is that it’s a great device with a few things that need resolved. It’s great for a tech person who understands what’s going on with the various aspects of how things are working and interfacing. But it’s not great for the average person who would expect to install all their routine apps and have them work like magic. The fact that it runs Android apps right out of the box is huge though. That single function launches it from a novelty device to a daily driver, if the user understands it’s sandboxing limitations and understands how to work around problems. The power and memory seem to be totally adequate for all the things I tested it with. The lack of side swiping is really an issue for me though. This is a required feature on modern devices. FuriOS needs more work if it intends to compete with the basic features of Android or Apple interfaces that users are accustomed to.

   So, I love it, but can’t abandon my Samsung yet. If the side swiping were added, Android app sandboxing issues could get resolved, the Notifications would work correctly, GUI customizations were a thing, and it had 5 GHz wifi, I would use it as my daily device. Wireless charging is a highly desired feature, but not a deal killer for me. All the issues I have with it feel like software issues, meaning the hardware seems like a valid competitor finally.

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