RISC V boards with CPU able to run Linux/Android are a reality for 1 year now.
Also software support is very weak for now, we can expect in 4 year a nice software ecosystem.
Google has made it a first class cityzen few monthes ago.
Everything is on track to have a RISC V phone in 4 years.
What are the advantages ?
Unlike ARM soc used in FP, they are Opensource. The main reason there are no more update on older phone like FP, is that Qualcomm behind the SoC doesn t update it anymore. Opensource hardware is a key solution to that.
Pine64 has just released a developper version of a RISC V tablet. It is using cores equivalent to ARM A55, which are the small cores on a smartphone. We can expect Next iteration in 2 years to have equivallent to the bigger ARM cores, meaning a competitive solution.
You are probably already using a RISC V core without knowing it, since it has been used for 5G modem for example.
FP7 ?
Now its just a matter of time before PIN64 put up a smartphone version of the RISC V board.
I don t think it should be the main focus of FP, but maybe partnering with Pine64 to make a board that fits in FP7 ? !
To my understanding the open source if the risc-v is mostly an misconception. An Risc-V chip isn’t open source hardware it’s just the instruction set of risc-v thats open.
I would hardly see that a minor company would make risc-v phones. That’s something that the major companies would have to do. The companies doesn’t seem to be to comfortable being dependant on ARM. Also alot of countries doesnt feel it a good idea to have the core functionality of societies to work depend on uk based ARM.
1:st risc-v chipset from a major chipmaker.
2:nd google,samsung and linux foundation supporting this chipset
3:ird AOSP starts to support risc-v
4:th software and apps needs to be ported for risc-v
5:th a major brand starts to make risc-v phones.
Fairphone maybe should start makeing regular ARM phones that doesnt have screens that dim out, before they try to change geopolitical industrial infrastructure. Learn to walk, before building rockets and landning on the moon.
But sure i think risc-v is coming to the industry, because they seem are aware of the risks being depentent on one sole company.
It sure was before.
The US - China trade war is probably the main part for companies and nations not to be soley reliant on tech from one soley company. US blocking chips to China, and putting a big blow on Huwawei for example.
Also the Russian invasion of Ukraine has probably made both companies and nations more aware of the risks by having critical infrastrucre of the society to work depend on foregin companies and nations that have their own agenda.
But to my understanding Google or AOSP will start to introduce the first app development tools for risc-v android late this or early next year.
It s a development plateforme. It is not competitive with a 100€ mass prudction samsung
The aim is to have a usable tablet in 1 or 2 years. Then what they usually do is put the board inside a phone. So we can imagine having a pin64 phone with RISC V in 2-3 years ish.
The pine64 RISC V is a low spec plateforme able to start running Linux. It is comparable in power to the small core on your current ARM smartphone.
Moreover it is base on a much older industrial process node (20 or 28nm I guesss), than the current smartphone at 7nm.
So its two time less power full than your current smartphone, and consum four times the power to do it
But this idea is just o make things work, then better “application cpu” will arrive.
So there is no comparison between the current FP4 and Pine64/ pinephone development product.
Do NOT buy unless you intend to use it for development purposes.
but with 8GB/128GB this seems quite up to date except for the lousy screen and any dev must be pretty masochistic to torture him-/herself with 800px. Even enthusiasts will ignore this unless realy, really necessary. Such hardware can only sell as good as cold gioza
Perhaps that is (partially) the reason why price dropped from 299 to 209 now
PS: How much of a price difference could there be between lousy 800px and something reasonable like at least FullHD?
but why 1200x800 on 10 inches? That’s already untouchable on phones, let alone a decent tab size 
