Using the A5 since about a week now and i am very happy about the absence of any Google framework preinstall. Saves me the hassle to find a way to get rid of it. Installed
f-droid instead. Used
dumbphoneassistant to transfer my contacts offline.
Installed
koreader for book reading,
K9 Mail for mail messaging, and
Telegram for casual chat messaging needs. Downloaded the
latest opera web browser to replace the preinstalled browsers. Also installed
ownCloud for backup purposes,
Ghost Commander as file manager, and
Hacker's Keyboard for more versatile typing.
Unfortunately,
ReLaunchX didn't provide a properly usable layout on this small screen.
Removed or disabled as much of the preinstalled applications as possible and disabled all audible and visible notification noise. Smartphones nowadays seem to be more like a
Tamagotchi than anything else. I much prefer my devices to shut the f*ck up and only provide the most basic services. I am not interested in any full fledged smartphone "experience" which differs only by an e-ink display.
My idea is to use this mainly as an ereader that allows phone and text based communication, and eventual web research. I'd wish the
pinephone were also offered with an e-ink display option.