In a sprawling Hacker News comment, a developer’s impassioned plea cuts through the noise of the smartphone industry. It’s not just a wishlist; it’s a scathing critique of ecosystems that have traded utility for bloat, privacy for profit, and control for convenience. The user’s vision is starkly simple: a durable, long-lasting tool that serves its owner, not the corporation.

"I hate Android. Why does it have half a dozen+ volume controls? I want something if I want to hear my phone I turn it UP. If I don't I turn it down or mute it."

This frustration echoes a growing sentiment among engineers and power users. The user’s grievances are technical and visceral: vendor lock-in, forced data harvesting, battery anxiety, and UI defaults that override user intent. Each complaint points to a deeper issue—the erosion of user agency in the name of engagement and monetization.

The Wishlist: A Spec Sheet for Sanity

The user’s demands read like a blueprint for a developer’s dream device:
- Hardware Ruggedness: Integrated durability, no third-party cases needed.
- Storage Sovereignty: All persistent storage on an SD card, vendor-agnostic.
- Battery Endurance: Days of life, not hours.
- Connectivity: 4G LTE, GPS, SMS/MMS—core comms, no frills.
- Software Minimalism: A browser-based UI, calculator, notepad, calendar, email, and a terminal/SSH client. No app stores, no forced updates, no haptic feedback.

This isn’t nostalgia for flip phones; it’s a demand for purpose-built tools. The terminal/SSH client inclusion signals a need for utility, not consumption—a device that empowers rather than distracts.

The Technical Backlash

The user’s complaints map to systemic flaws in mobile OS architecture:
1. Privacy as a Liability: Google’s data harvesting isn’t just creepy—it’s a bandwidth and security risk. "I don't want to eat up a bunch of bandwidth phoning home to Google as it monitors my every move," the user writes. For engineers, this isn’t just an annoyance; it’s a threat to operational security and digital hygiene.
2. Bloatware as Default: Features like mandatory haptic feedback or aggressive screen blanking aren’t bugs; they’re engagement metrics. Each tweak to disable them adds friction, turning the phone into a puzzle box rather than a tool.
3. The Update Paradox: Forced updates often introduce instability or remove features. "I don't need to be harassed to update my software or be notified of bs features," the user notes—a common gripe among those who value stability over shiny new features.

The Industry Gap

Why hasn’t this phone been built? The economics are stacked against it. Modern smartphones prioritize profit through ecosystem lock-in, recurring revenue (cloud services, app stores), and data-driven advertising. A device focused on longevity and user control would cannibalize these streams.

Yet, the technical foundation exists. Projects like Pine64’s PinePhone or postmarketOS demonstrate that open-source, privacy-respecting mobile OSes are feasible. The missing link is hardware designed specifically for this ethos—ruggedized, repairable, and stripped of unnecessary sensors and radios.

The Road Forward

The user’s lament isn’t just a rant; it’s a product brief. For developers, it highlights a gap in the market: a "dumb smartphone" for smart users. One that prioritizes SSH over social media, battery life over benchmarks, and storage expansion over cloud lock-in.

As mobile OSes grow increasingly complex, this call for simplicity resonates. It’s a reminder that the best technology often gets out of the way—a reliable, unobtrusive tool that endures, not because it’s trendy, but because it’s built to serve.

Source: Hacker News Comment Thread