- Nexphone launches triple OS smartphone
- It runs Android by default but also has Linux and Windows 11.
- This is the first time that such a mobile phone has been launched
“It’s been a 14-year journey,” Emre Kosmaz, CEO and founder of Nex Computer, tells me – a journey that has now reached its final destination with the launch of the NexPhone, the first (and only) Android smartphone that runs Windows (dual boot) and Linux (Debian). Kosmaz confirmed that the phone will support other operating systems.
The concept is deceptively simple: what if your phone could be your only computer? Others before Nex Computer have toyed with this idea – Google with Project Fuschia, the old Motorola (Atrix) and Asus (Padfone) with the Laptop Dock, Samsung with Dex, Microsoft with Continuum and Fujitsu with a very strange device, the Symbian/Windows F-07C hybrid mobile phone – with other examples listed in this article.
Scheduled to ship in the third quarter of 2026, the NexPhone is the culmination of that quest: a $549 smartphone with an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. It has a 6.58-inch screen and a 64 MP camera, wireless charging and a 5,000 mAh battery. It is worth noting that it is MIL-STD-810H and IP68/69K certified, which will appeal to anyone looking for a rugged smartphone.
The QCM6490 that powers it isn’t your typical SoC. It is part of Qualcomm’s Dragonwing family optimized for IoT (Internet of Things) applications with an extended system that guarantees support until 2036. It is not a flagship component but should provide enough computing power for most casual scenarios.
A product that could change everything… or nothing at all
The core experience is an Android + Linux mode with full GPU acceleration for desktop-style workflows. NexPhone also offers Windows 11 on ARM via dual-boot with a mobile-style user interface that we developed
Emre Kosmaz, CEO/Founder of Nex Computer
Targeting the right audience for the NexPhone remains its biggest challenge. Kozmaz presents the phone as a powerful secondary or backup phone that can be used as a real PC if you need it.
That’s essentially the point of a business phone, one that he says “should be useful for years to come – not obsolete in two years” – but will his dream of a phone to rule them all be shared by enough customers or will it address the harsh reality of today’s global economic outlook?
“NexPhone is the device I’ve wanted to carry for 14 years: a phone that becomes your everyday Linux machine, Windows PC, and Android device,” Kosmaz wrote on a company blog announcing the NexPhone’s launch.
In theory, there are no significant technological barriers that could prevent others from launching a device with comparable functionality.
After all, it’s just Windows on Arm rather than any exotic configuration. However, you won’t be able to make calls on Linux or Windows, so it’s not exactly Windows Mobile.
NexPhone will support standard OTA updates on the device, like any other Android phone, and Windows updates will be delivered via Windows Update when booting into Windows, like a typical Windows PC.
If NexPhone proves to be a resounding success, it is likely that others (including the NexPhone ODM) will quickly release similar products at a lower price.
Remember that you will need, at a minimum, a screen (or portable monitor), keyboard, and mouse to use the desktop element of the NexPhone. Either that or you can grab something like the Nexdock 360, essentially a laptop without a brain (where the brain is the smartphone).
For now, you can reserve the NexPhone today for $199 (refundable) and pay the rest on delivery. Cost excludes shipping charges and any applicable taxes and duties. Pre-orders will also include a USB-C docking station.
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