While it’s obviously sad to see devices lose support, Android 5, 6, and 7 came out ±10 years ago. If you’ve been running those Android versions on a device as your primary driver for this long, you’ve already missed out on a decade’s worth of software and security updates.

At this point in time, assuming your battery hasn’t given out and still lasts <2 hours (trust me, I have an iPhone SE 2016 I’d love to use as an MP3 player, but I’d need to replace the battery first to get any meaningful usage out of it), if you still don’t want to/can’t upgrade your device to a new phone…

…It might be (long past) time to upgrade to a new OS such as LineageOS. Even if your device can’t reach the latest Android 15 or 16, newer “custom operating systems” can oftentimes be even better than the original. This is speaking from a Pixel 2 XL owner who recently upgraded it from the long-discontinued Android 11 to the newest Android 15, now getting significantly better battery life and performance on top of a beautiful near stock experience.

Think about the current dual-screen laptops. That would be cool, but I’m not sure how usable a keyboard of those dimensions would be. Not discrediting the idea, though; I’d love to see it too.

Side note – imagine a fold-out accessory like the Mcon controller but thinner and lighter. That could make for a cool keyboard, no?

Valid arguments. Laptops are not ideal for everyone, and even the “best” ones are hardly “one-size-fits-all.” Still, considering the percentage of the world that does rely on them over bringing around a mechanical keyboard and bunch of other accessories, laptops aren’t necessarily the BEST computers – they’re the “go” computers. I’m just suggesting that with future tech, folding phones and proper accessories could also begin to fill that gap. Think of Android’s desktop mode and the lapdock – the phones are getting powerful enough to do “real work” for a lot of people, had their phones just had the same screen sizes and proper keyboards.

That’s why I mentioned the keyboard accessory, be it some advanced folding keyboard with iPad Magic Keyboard-like tech or something of the sort. Sure, it’s not replacing laptops anytime soon, but again… think of the iPhone. “An iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator.”

I’m surprised Jobs didn’t add “a camera” considering how for most people, smartphones have now encapsulated all four of those already. Sure, if you REALLY want the best out of each of those categories, you’ll almost always be better off carrying each individual item, but in terms of ease of use and convenience, smartphones win just about every time for those categories. In the future, I could see devices like these becoming the next “mini laptops” for most people, assuming we get to a point of comfortable prices and well-made accessories.

Meanwhile sometime in 2007: ”Dude, have you seen that new iPhone thing? So cool; imagine being able to have one device that could do it all! Even if it’s not the absolute best at all of those, it’s only a matter of time before it progresses! What do you think?”

Other dude: “Bro just use an iPod, a phone, and an internet dommubicator”

Exactly. Think the iPad Smart Connector, and even better with a Magic Keyboard-type hinge that could hold the device up when you didn’t need a folio-type stand.

Honestly, if I could get a phone that unfolds to a tablet size like that + Desktop Mode, I’d combine it with a portable keyboard and trackpad combo and be perfectly happy using that as my laptop solution. One cellular plan, large screen, and super portable too, not to mention phone controllers like the GameSir and Backbone for when I want something more gaming handheld-esque, Linux ARM64 virtual machines, and more!

Speaking from macOS and iOS use, Orion’s great in terms of performance and efficiency in my testing, and I’m excited to see what all can be done on Linux.

Could someone test this with programs like GIMP, Darktable, and Inkscape? I’m curious about the potential of the Android phone as PC, particularly with the merging of Android and Chrome OS. If Android’s desktop mode progresses enough to a level of maturity to run Linux programs sufficiently, this combined with the general Linux on ARM efforts of Asahi and others could prove to be THE solution. Just imagine one of those tri-folding phones unfold to a tablet size with a folio-style keyboard and trackpad, then plugging the tablet-phone into a monitor and desktop setup to “get real work done.”

Understandable sentiments. I’m a MS Edge user, for instance, and despite slowly switching almost all my other services, MS Edge just gets it all right. Brave’s featureset is basically a lesser version, and Firefox is getting better, but Microsoft (of all companies) genuinely made a great browser.

Just to make things simple regarding the Mac apps and tweaks, imma just go ahead and forward my “Mac app recommendation suite.” of course, not everyone needs all of these apps, and this isn’t over every use case, but this is just about every program I have on my system. You can check these out and determine if anything sounds like it could be beneficial for you. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pSsLcM4lVnqGt68yu-GgKFApOJBv2aIzMmUs_8iT_2c/edit?usp=drivesdk

Now then, specifically regarding window management and multitasking, I have a few key tips:

1. Learn to utilize the App Expose, Mission Control, and true full screen app switching. macOS inheritly handles things differently from other Operating Systems. The sooner you get a grasp on that, the sooner you may start to appreciate it, or determine what other apps and programs you may want to add with it. Don’t start just adding a bunch of apps and programs before you determine what all you need. For most people, just this and macOS’s built in tiling is enough… but from the looks of things, you and I would not be “most people,” so if you would agree, read along.
2. If you’re on a trackpad or Magic Mouse, you can enable and configure the settings easily within the System Settings application, and I’d argue macOS has the best trackpad experience in these regards.
3. If you’re on a non-Magic Mouse, get an app like Mac Mouse Fix. It is absolutely amazing and legitimately has become part of my essential application suite anytime I use a non-magic mouse. You can download the latest 2.x version on the developer’s GitHub (which yes, does work on Tahoe) to use it free forever, configure individual app settings for things like smooth scrolling, and my personal recommendation: Map the multitasking features with extra buttons on your mouse and/or gestures. Previously, I couldn’t use any regular mouse with macOS as it felt clunky and cumbersome, but now I’m just as eager to use one as I am my trackpad, and I don’t miss the Magic Mouse one bit.
4. Set apps to minimize into their application windows, then get an app like DockDoor to show window previews like Windows and most other operating systems.
5. DockDoor also has a pretty basic Alt Tab-style window switcher which could be enough for some, but the dedicated “AltTab” application is a lifesaver with the right tweaks and setups for you. You can set multiple shortcuts to show different things like only app windows on that virtual desktop, windows from a certain app, non-minimized windows, and so on.
6. You already said Rectangle, which I use as well. Just a general improvement over the built-in macOS window snapping (that only finally released in Sequoia or Sonoma).
7. Supposedly apps like BetterTouchTool and Swish are “essentials” for many, but for me, even across my sometimes-quintuple monitor setup, the things I recommended there are about all I really need. My advice? Don’t treat macOS like a tiling manager system. it likes to have virtual desktops and different full screen windows, so utilize those. Sure, supplement the OS with nice modifications from other Operating Systems if you like, but you don’t HAVE to use those. About the last program I use is just one called Dockey that wraps a GUI around a terminal command to make the dock animate faster so I can get more out of my screen, but that’s it. Let me know if you have any other questions. I am a power user, but I also do enough tech support that I try not to become too far removed from stock so that I can help others as well. More powerful window, tiling management apps and features definitely exist, and I’ve used a few here and there, but those are the ones that work for my use case.

Sorry, that’s on me for not clarifying well enough in my wording. What I mean is that:

• Yes, Firefox sync on iOS DOES work with Zen on desktop, so I could use it even without a dedicated Zen app on iOS.
• I DON’T use Firefox on iOS due to the lack of tab swiping, a major dealbreaker.
• I’d otherwise be fine with using Zen on my computer and Firefox with sync on my phone.

Ahh, very interesting, and excellent point. Thank you for clarifying! I’ve pretty much just used simple extensions like Return YT Dislike and Grammarly, and the few extensions I use that I DO want settings to sync across devices for usually have a setting for it. That’s definitely good to know though, and I’ll keep that in mind for my tech support for the future!

Oh yeah, and there are so many great ways they could implement it, too. I know you said you’re on Android so this is FUNCTIONALLY irrelevant for you, but when you get a chance, check out a video on how Safari handles this on iOS. Legitimately the BEST navigation of mobile browsers, hands-down.

It’s slick and elegant, well-animated, snappy, and functional all in one. You can swipe up on the navigation bar to see all your tabs, then your tab groups are all available via a bar at the bottom to switch between quickly, and if you swipe all the way to the end of your tabs and swipe again, it automatically creates a new one for you. This, and a handful of other cool things, make it legitimately almost convincing enough for me to use Safari just on iOS and set up some complicated syncing method for my desktop and Android browsers, if it only supported extensions. (Orion does all of this + extensions as well and could become a viable alternative once it gets more platforms, if they can get a better implementation of vertical tabs on desktop.)

1. Good to know, at least there is hope for iOS. I absolutely love this feature, especially the way it’s implemented with Safari on iOS where you can swipe up to view all tabs, as well as swipe left on your last tab to create a new one.

2. More or less a convenience thing. It works on my phone, but it’s absent on desktop and makes the experience just a bit more inconvenient. we already suffer from not having true APPS like Netflix or YouTube on most desktop OS, but PWAs at least can lighten that. (And yes, I can use quick launchers like Spotlight, Raycast, Powertoys Command Pallete, Krunner, etc., but that’s still not anywhere near as convenient. I’m literally the dude who made a Launchpad remake for macOS Tahoe; of course I know “better” methods exist, but things like this can still be nice to have IMO.)

3. As I said to someone else, “Built-in browser splitscreen in a browser that handles it well is genuinely game-changing. You can do things like link the Split View (links you click on one side open in the other; excellent for reviews and information gathering), quick window resizing, all your typical tab grouping and collections, and more – all without having to open another window instance.“ And yes, I use macOS (also with Rectangle), Windows, and Linux, and still have this sentiment.

4. I know, right? I think it’s a WIP thing. At least, I hope it is, as the address bar ALSO hides in vertical tab mode if I use true fullscreen, but the sidebar doesn’t. I could be wrong, but I think this is also ONLY the case if vertical tabs are enabled, not just for the usual sidebar with horizontal tabs, but don’t quote me on that.

Ahh, okay, fair enough. That stinks, though I do feel slightly better knowing that it isn’t some major feature I’ve just been ignoring. Not that there ISN’T probably some benefit to it, but it’s just not for me, and I’ve not met anyone so far who prefers them… but then again, I am also THE tech for literally everyone I know 😅

Follow-up: What exactly do you like about tree-style tabs? I’ve not really looked into them before, and even in all my tech-ness (I taught myself macOS, Windows, Linux, and programs like GIMP, Darktable, Inkscape, and a good amount of DaVinci Resolve, for reference)… the two times I tried Vivaldi, I couldn’t quite get it. I mean, it visually makes sense, but why? What are your thoughts as opposed to just tab groups and a single column or row as most browsers do things?

Very cool. Always loved the extent of customization available on Firefox desktop. For me, the current implementation of Firefox’s vertical tabs is “fine” for now, but even Brave’s ultra-basic version of the feature still does it more in line with MS Edge (who does it best, IMO). I’d look into something like this for myself if the iOS app tab swiping got implemented and Zen didn’t handle things better than vanilla Firefox, though. Keep up the great customization work!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m totally open to forks… if they have all of these. As things stand currently though, I’d have to use Zen OR Floorp to get the features I wanted, and there’s still not a solid Firefox app (original or fork) with the tab-swiping feature so I’d be using a different browser on mobile and desktop. Not IMPOSSIBLE, but less than ideal.

I’ve used Zen before and it came the closest to actually switching browsers since Arc, but as a tech support provider who frequently uses just about EVERY OS except Chrome OS and BSD, I need something reliable and available on everything (which excludes Arc) that also has the features I need for tab swiping and all on mobile (which excludes every Firefox fork… so far.) I’m hopeful, though, that Mozilla will act on what they said here. https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/swipe-on-url-field-to-switch-tabs/idi-p/83548