Devices like the Pixel 3a(xl), OnePlus 6(t) and others are able to run Linux and have mainlined kernels. Pixels do have a Linux terminal but it's not useful (yet) if you want to run GUI applications. I have a Poco X3 NFC that currently runs PostmarketOS and I have both GNOME and PHOSH for DE's. If you prefer KDE/Plasma, you can do that as well. Lots of Plasma and GTK apps work on mobile. I run GrapheneOS on my Pixel 8 but I'd replace that with a full Linux distro in a heartbeat if I was able to. You have convergence with Linux distros as well, assuming the device has output. Termux is a better option vs the Terminal app currently in Android.
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I'd rather stick with the Android convergence on newer hardware than regress to 3rd generation just to run Linux. It's been ages since I loaded a Linux desktop environment into a Termux app on mobile but I don't see the need to do so anymore. Many apps have close enough functionality to their desktop counterparts and competitors, close enough is good enough. The Linux environment in Android 16 may be enough to handle scripts I may vibe into existence- I've not played around with that yet.
But I will say it's been a solid week and I've been running my Pixel 10 as my daily driver workstation, and my laptop is collecting dust. An HDMI cord and dongle are way easier to travel with as well. I love the minimalism.
I'm pretty sure GrapheneOS plans to have GUI Linux applications via the terminal app. I probably wouldn't go with a Pixel 3a but I've been considering picking up a users OnePlus 6/6T. The Poco doesn't work well in the US due to not having all the needed bands. I also have an LG G7 ThinQ which has some support and a SOC that is mainlined. Even being older devices, they still run well enough to be daily dricers, IMO.
