The Android 'NexPhone': Linux on Demand, Dual-Boots Into Windows 11 - and Transforms Into a Workstation (itsfoss.com)
(Sunday January 25, 2026 @11:34AM (EditorDavid)
from the three-in-one dept.)
- Reference: 0180652566
- News link: https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/26/01/25/060240/the-android-nexphone-linux-on-demand-dual-boots-into-windows-11---and-transforms-into-a-workstation
- Source link: https://itsfoss.com/news/nexphone-returns/
The "NexDock" (from Nex Computer) already turns your phone into a laptop workstation. Purism [1]chose it as the docking station for their Librem 5 phones.
But now Nex is offering its own smartphone "that runs Android 16, launches Debian, and dual-boots into Windows 11," [2]according to the blog It's FOSS :
> Fourteen years after the [3]first concept video was teased, [4]the NexPhone is here, powered by a Qualcomm [5]QCM6490 , which, the keen-eyed among you will remember from the now-discontinued [6]Fairphone 5 .
>
> By 2026 standards, it's dated hardware, but Nex Computer doesn't seem to be overselling it, as they expect the NexPhone to be a secondary or backup phone, not a flagship contender. The phone includes an Adreno 643 GPU, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 512GB via a microSD card.
>
> In terms of software, the NexPhone boots into NexOS, a bloatware-free and minimal Android 16 system, with Debian running as an app with GPU acceleration, and Windows 11 being the dual-boot option that requires a restart to access. ["And because the default Windows interface isn't designed for a handheld screen, we built our own Mobile UI from the ground up to make Windows far easier to navigate on a phone," notes a [7]blog post from Nex founder/CEO Emre Kosmaz.
>
> And, before I forget, you can plug the NexPhone into a USB-C or HDMI display, add a keyboard and mouse to transform it into a desktop workstation.
There's a camera plus "a comprehensive suite of sensors," according to the article, "that includes a fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, and proximity sensor....
"NexPhone is slated for a Q3 2026 release (July-September)..."
Back in 2012, [8]explains Nex founder/CEO Emre Kosmaz , "most investors weren't excited about funding new hardware. One VC even told us, 'I don't understand why anyone buys anything other than Apple'..."
> Over the last decade, we kept building and shipping — six generations of NexDock — helping customers turn phones into laptop-like setups (display + keyboard + trackpad). And now the industry is catching up faster than ever. With Android 16, desktop-style experiences are becoming more native and more mainstream. That momentum is exactly why NexPhone makes sense today...
>
> Thank you for being part of this journey. With your support, I hope NexPhone can help move us toward a world where phones truly replace laptops and PCs — more often, more naturally, and for more people.
[1] https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/23/02/20/0518253/purism-combines-phone-docking-station-and-laptop-shell-for-lapdock-kit
[2] https://itsfoss.com/news/nexphone-returns/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd43m08d-ro
[4] https://nexphone.com/
[5] https://www.qualcomm.com/internet-of-things/products/q6-series/qcm6490
[6] https://shop.fairphone.com/fairphone-5
[7] https://nexphone.com/blog/the-tale-of-nexphone-one-phone-every-computer
[8] https://nexphone.com/blog/the-tale-of-nexphone-one-phone-every-computer
But now Nex is offering its own smartphone "that runs Android 16, launches Debian, and dual-boots into Windows 11," [2]according to the blog It's FOSS :
> Fourteen years after the [3]first concept video was teased, [4]the NexPhone is here, powered by a Qualcomm [5]QCM6490 , which, the keen-eyed among you will remember from the now-discontinued [6]Fairphone 5 .
>
> By 2026 standards, it's dated hardware, but Nex Computer doesn't seem to be overselling it, as they expect the NexPhone to be a secondary or backup phone, not a flagship contender. The phone includes an Adreno 643 GPU, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 512GB via a microSD card.
>
> In terms of software, the NexPhone boots into NexOS, a bloatware-free and minimal Android 16 system, with Debian running as an app with GPU acceleration, and Windows 11 being the dual-boot option that requires a restart to access. ["And because the default Windows interface isn't designed for a handheld screen, we built our own Mobile UI from the ground up to make Windows far easier to navigate on a phone," notes a [7]blog post from Nex founder/CEO Emre Kosmaz.
>
> And, before I forget, you can plug the NexPhone into a USB-C or HDMI display, add a keyboard and mouse to transform it into a desktop workstation.
There's a camera plus "a comprehensive suite of sensors," according to the article, "that includes a fingerprint scanner, accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope, ambient light sensor, and proximity sensor....
"NexPhone is slated for a Q3 2026 release (July-September)..."
Back in 2012, [8]explains Nex founder/CEO Emre Kosmaz , "most investors weren't excited about funding new hardware. One VC even told us, 'I don't understand why anyone buys anything other than Apple'..."
> Over the last decade, we kept building and shipping — six generations of NexDock — helping customers turn phones into laptop-like setups (display + keyboard + trackpad). And now the industry is catching up faster than ever. With Android 16, desktop-style experiences are becoming more native and more mainstream. That momentum is exactly why NexPhone makes sense today...
>
> Thank you for being part of this journey. With your support, I hope NexPhone can help move us toward a world where phones truly replace laptops and PCs — more often, more naturally, and for more people.
[1] https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/23/02/20/0518253/purism-combines-phone-docking-station-and-laptop-shell-for-lapdock-kit
[2] https://itsfoss.com/news/nexphone-returns/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd43m08d-ro
[4] https://nexphone.com/
[5] https://www.qualcomm.com/internet-of-things/products/q6-series/qcm6490
[6] https://shop.fairphone.com/fairphone-5
[7] https://nexphone.com/blog/the-tale-of-nexphone-one-phone-every-computer
[8] https://nexphone.com/blog/the-tale-of-nexphone-one-phone-every-computer
Dual-Boots Into Windows 11 (Score:2)
Unless your a gamer, why? And even that is changing some.
Re: Dual-Boots Into Windows 11 (Score:2)
It's meant to convert into a _workstation_, so it's nice to cover both Linux and Windows.