Handheld PCs like steam deck or legion go seem like a compelling value, at least if you were going to consider a phone in the $500+ price range. Maybe also something like the Mecha comet on the lower end. If you're in an area where banks require an app, you could then go for the absolute cheapest phone you can find (which can probably be years out of date since the whole exercise has nothing to do with security) and treat it as a single purpose device.

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_aavaa_ a day ago | parent | next [-]

Can I fit it in my pocket? Can I make a call? Take a photo?

The steam deck is great, but it’s not build for those things.

And there is no reason to cede ground on entire form factors. This behaviour will not stop at phones (or tablets, or smartwatches).

	▲	ndriscoll 13 hours ago \| parent [-]
		The Mecha Comet appears to be pocketable and comes with a camera. I haven't actually used a phone to make a call when out of the house for like 15 years, so the whole "mobile phone" part seems pointless to me. Actually pretty much the only reason I have a phone number is for MFA. Add a GPS module (ideally built in, but could be bluetooth), and it seems like it'd just be an upgrade over a phone. Anyway, there are also other Linux devices others have pointed out in the phone form factor like the pine phone, and tablet/notebooks from e.g. GPD. So the form factor is there, but you might need to look at things that are advertised as small computers with touch screens (because that's what they are). So "handheld PC", "pocket computer", etc.

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vel0city a day ago | parent | prev [-]

A gaming handheld isn't anywhere near as portable as a smartphone, and generally any general input complaints of a smartphone are even worse on such a device. They're great for gaming, OK for something like watching a movie on it, but otherwise they're pretty bad for even typing short things.

And they're far from pocketable. My Legion Go is in its case in my backpack when I'm on the go.

Honestly netbooks and ultra portable mini notebooks of yore were more portable and useful for a general on the go portable PC. The gaming handhelds are better from a gaming perspective with their far more powerful graphics power and built in controller grips but the general computing experience is pretty crap.

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mycall a day ago | parent [-]

> And they're far from pocketable.

If only fashion could redefine what pocketable means.

It is very hard to beat a modern smartphone as a wearable device, but it can't be the end of evolution for wearable compute.

	▲	vel0city 14 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I get that what is "pocketable" can change over time. After all, you go back in time to 2007 and show them an XL iPhone and they'd think you're insane to suggest people see these as pocketable. But these handheld gaming consoles are huge. They're pretty thick since they have larger cooling systems. They have moulded grips that make these bulbous protrusions on the sides. They have joysticks that stick out and catch on things. Meanwhile they're much more fragile than most mass market phones out there.