Hardware.......

MrT10001

I asked this question in Q&A, but probably due to time constraints it wouldn't be answered. Being into the device repair, I see a lot of issues so:

Would it be possible to add hardware issues to the devices information to assist users in the choice of hardware that they are going to purchase?

Examples are:
Nexus 5 irreparable boot loop unless you have a re-flow machine, even then not guaranteed to work.
Nexus 7 (2013) both versions - screen issues usually motherboard. USB port charging issues.
Nexus 4 - very common to have the lower touchscreen not working which requires replacement
SONY phones may not be able to unlock the bootloader - very common
Xiaomi phones - difficult to unlock the bootloader as you have to do it through their Mi Unlock program. If you are unlocking more than one you may have a long wait (up to a month per phone) and there is no work round (that I have found that works).

Also as a side note a lot of devices have battery life issues which is usually down to the age and previous usage of that device, not always Ubuntu Touch (Nexus 4 and 5 with batteries dating back to 2013 are OK, must have been well made!)

I know things are changing now so devices will be left behind, but it would be helpful for some of the potential pitfalls on devices. Main things could be:

Battery life
Battery replacement
Screen issues
Ease of unlocking

and so on. The older the device, the more difficult the parts to get are, and also the cost may rise so their is a lot of making a working device from four or five broken ones. I also understand that being a UT forum a big emphasis is on the porting side, but if you want to encourage new blood, and that person may have an unused phone that they want to mess things, this information would be helpful.

Lakotaubp

@mrt10001 In an ideal world all that info would be upto date readily available and most importantly very accurate, so easy to find and add. Older devices have issues and it would take a much bigger community than this I fear to keep on top of them. The manufacturers don't exactly make these things public,.
It might be easier to create a thread in each device subforum to list and discuss hardware issues. Even that I think would flag a few issues with trying to keep it accurate.
Not trying to put a downer onit it for but it's a big task once you start looking at it which is probably why you don't see it elsewhere.

MrT10001

@lakotaubp I know, I did think about creating separate threads. But if we could note the main issues that affect devices such as the issue unlocking the SONY bootloader. Forewarned is forearmed and would certainly help someone decide on a device.
The manufacturers would never make this public, it would be corporate suicide for them, but they way they orphan some devices quicker than others makes me wonder if they do this unintentionally ( we have to remember the Samsung Battery issues).

nero355

@mrt10001 said in Hardware.......:

SONY phones may not be able to unlock the bootloader - very common

Weird because their phones are the #1 choice for Jolla Sailfish ?!

Xiaomi phones - difficult to unlock the bootloader as you have to do it through their Mi Unlock program. If you are unlocking more than one you may have a long wait (up to a month per phone) and there is no work round (that I have found that works).

You should contact Xiaomi and see if they can give a special account which can also access EDL Mode for example!

These are very rare world wide amongst regular users, but should be accessible for repair shops if I have understood everything correctly...

Also as a side note a lot of devices have battery life issues which is usually down to the age and previous usage of that device, not always Ubuntu Touch (Nexus 4 and 5 with batteries dating back to 2013 are OK, must have been well made!)

That part really bugs me when it comes to buying a new phone for future Ubuntu Touch use after the BQ goes EOL or the phone becomes unuseable...

dizzy

This post is deleted!

dizzy

@mrt10001 You wrote something about installing UT och Xiaomi and problem with unlocking bootloader. Does that mean that is hard to install UT on them usually?
I was thinking about buying a Xiaomi Mi A2...

Moem

@dizzy said in Hardware.......:

Does that mean that is hard to install UT on them usually?

No. It just means that you need to jump through the described hoops to unlock the bootloader.

MrT10001

@dizzy I would recommend the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7. It works well and the battery life is reasonable.
As Moem said, you just have to jump through hoops to unlock the bootloader.

There are "easier" devices to install UT on, but these look as though they will not be supported when UT moves to 20.04.

dizzy

@moem Thanks! Where can I read about those "described hoops"?

dizzy

@mrt10001 Thanks! But according to the list the one I was thinking of is more supported. Or, more stuff working...

Moem

@dizzy said in Hardware.......:

@moem Thanks! Where can I read about those "described hoops"?

In this same thread, just a few posts back:

@mrt10001 said in Hardware.......:

Xiaomi phones - difficult to unlock the bootloader as you have to do it through their Mi Unlock program. If you are unlocking more than one you may have a long wait (up to a month per phone) and there is no work round (that I have found that works).

What I know is:

the Mi Unlock program is made for Windows
in most cases, the waiting period for unlocking is a week or so.

dizzy

Is Pixel 3a as complicated to unlock and install? That phone I can actually find to buy.
Working good with UT
Edit: Never mind. I will read about it

dizzy

@moem That's crazy.

Lakotaubp

Just begining to get OT. More device chat than how to possibly add hardware as a feature to device spec. Consider a new or an existing thread. Thanks

nero355

@dizzy said in Hardware.......:

That's crazy.

Only if you are unlucky!

Usually it's no issue at all when you pay attention to the following :

You need a Mi Account.
The account needs to be activated via your Data Connection so NO WiFi !!!
Make sure the phone you buy is not active in a Mi Account created by someone else!
Also make sure the Mi Account you use is a fresh one and has not been used to unlock the bootloader of a older/previous phone!

If you follow those rules then a used phone can usually be unlocked within a few minutes!

The long waiting time (sometimes up to a month!) only applies to phones that have recently been released/are brand new!

Another VERY IMPORTANT thing is to make sure all parts inside the phone are the original ones and have not been replaced by non-original ones!
If they have been replaced then the parts must be 100% original to avoid issues with both the Stock MIUI ROM and Custom ROM's or alternative OS options like Ubuntu Touch for example!

Good luck!

Lakotaubp

@nero355 Please see my comment above yourd

nero355

@lakotaubp
I know man, but trust me when I say that such clear info is hard to find on the web without people like me!

Lakotaubp

@nero355 But in the right place. This thread was about adding info to a device page and if it was possible. Not how to install on a device for which there are better threads. Someone looking for install advice is not going to look in a hardware thread.

nero355

@lakotaubp
If the Search does it's job well I am sure everything will be OK eventually!

AppLee

@nero355
You're wrong, people looking for answers to problem search the proper sub-category "Support", not general discussion about the OS.
Rules were made to make everyone's life easier, we have no gain in repeating ourselves so people are kind and respectful to each other as well as posting accordingly.