Fairphone 6 and PostmarketOS working main camera
A dedicated developer shares significant strides in bringing full functionality to the Fairphone 6 with PostmarketOS, including a working main camera and critical emergency calling. This update showcases the tenacious spirit of the open-source community in pushing Linux onto mobile hardware. It resonates with HN's appreciation for deep technical dives, hardware hacking, and the pursuit of ethical, user-controlled technology.
The Lowdown
Jorijn van der Graaf provides an update on the progress of PostmarketOS on the Fairphone 6, highlighting key milestones in hardware enablement and the broader vision for open-source mobile. This report details not only technical achievements but also the personal and community-driven efforts behind such an ambitious project.
- Main Camera Functionality: The developer has successfully implemented a driver for the Fairphone 6's main camera, including autofocus and initial color correction, building upon previous work for the wide-angle lens. While improvements are still needed for grain reduction and overall image quality compared to commercial Android devices, significant progress has been made, with before-and-after image comparisons provided.
- Emergency Calling Approved: After contacting authorities, tests for emergency calling on PostmarketOS have been officially approved for August 18th, a crucial step for the device's practical usability and a testament to navigating bureaucratic hurdles.
- Fairphone 6+ Support: Plans are in place to acquire the newly announced Fairphone 6+ to ensure PostmarketOS compatibility and address any new hardware challenges promptly, funded by community donations.
- Financial Transparency & Non-Profit Goal: The project maintains an open financial dashboard for donations, detailing expenditures. The author is exploring incorporating Catcrafts as a non-profit (stichting) to institutionalize the mission of developing open-source mobile technology, with publicly visible and market-confirming salaries if the project grows.
- Shipping Limitations: Due to difficulties securing corporate liability insurance for the US and Canada, and sanctions against Russia, Belarus, and North Korea, worldwide shipping of future products or components will have exceptions for these regions.
- Carrier Compatibility: Community testing has confirmed PostmarketOS on the Fairphone 6 works with four different carriers across the Netherlands, Germany, and Norway, expanding its practical reach.
- Long-Term Vision: RISC-V Phone: Driven by a desire for a truly open platform, the developer expresses a long-term ambition to create a RISC-V based Linux phone, acknowledging the challenges but prioritizing an open, ethically backed device over current performance leaderboards.
- Community Engagement: A humorous incident is recounted where the author clarified a misunderstanding with the lead PostmarketOS developer on a Dutch tech forum, underscoring the tight-knit nature of the open-source community.
- Future Roadmap: Immediate next steps include further camera color correction, laser rangefinder autofocus, enabling the selfie camera and fingerprint sensor, and extensive testing, with significant work ahead to get patches upstreamed.
This update paints a vivid picture of the dedicated work involved in bringing Linux to modern mobile hardware, from low-level driver development to navigating legal and financial structures. The author's renewed sense of purpose and the transparent, community-supported approach underscore a compelling narrative in the pursuit of truly open and repairable mobile computing.