I’m on Mint mobile and purchased the Tera 2e with /e/ os by default, I’m coming from the iPhone SE 2020 and here were my initial impressions:
PROS:
OS functions well, visually stunning app icons, really love this as an Apple user
Magic Earth: ran it side by side with google maps and turn by turn was spot on
*Fingerprint scanner is very snappy/responsive, quickly unlocks phone
*App store has a good selection of apps
It’s anti-Google, that’s awesome
CONS:
I live in a very rural area and Mint does not offer wifi calling/texting for this device, this was the biggest issue for me as I can hardly get any signal at my home at all.
Processor has some drag, I noticed it stuttering while playing Jurassic world and scrolling through the YouTube app
Camera: app had issues in low lighting and light streaking coming from windows where the sun was shining.
*Camera: app has a lot of options, that’s fine and everything but coming from Apple, I’d like to be able to just point and shoot and use the extra features if I want, not because I need to in order to get the right shot.
Magic earths robot voice is pretty bad, we did get some laughs from it tho.
No default password manager??
Some apps in the store said they weren’t compatible with my device, only made for older devices.
*Keyboard: I had to really slow myself down when typing as the keyboard only recognized one finger at a time, never realized I don’t fully remove one finger before pressing another down.
I realize some of the issues above were probably hardware related, but thought the were worth mentioning. I love what /e/ stands for and what they’re trying to accomplish.
Regain your privacy! Adopt /e/ the unGoogled mobile OS and online services](https://e.foundation/)**
I see that Mint uses LTE frequencies B2 (1900 PCS), B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1) , B12 (700 ac), B66 (1700/2100), and B71 (600).
Teracube’s specs indicate it can use LTE B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B12, B17, and B20, so it matches 3 out of 5 of the Mint LTE frequencies, which isn’t bad. If I had to guess I’d say it’s probably the lack of B71 that lessens your coverage. Lower LTE frequencies cover longer ranges, I think. Theoretically B12 should have been good enough.
AT&T and MVNOs that use AT&T’s network operate on these LTE freqs: B2 (1900 PCS), B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1), B17 (700 bc), B30 (2300 WCS), so they might not be any better for your location. ( They might not qualify your phone for VoLTE anyway, meaning no activation with them. I stand corrected: AT&T allows this device: PDF https://www.att.com/idpassets/images/support/wireless/Devices-Working-on-ATT-Network.pdf)
By the way, are you getting VoLTE with Mint Mobile now?
You might try installing a different keyboard and see if that performs better. I use OpenBoard from the F-Droid store, and it performs well. You can switch back and forth between any keyboards you install, within the phone settings.
As per my information Teracube is not available in Europe. /e/ cannot introduce a device into a market where the vendor does not already sell it. Even on device already available in a particular region we have to check if /e/ OS on it works on all local networks.
These are factors we have to consider before introducing new devices.
Ok, this sounds reasonable. However from what I saw on Teracube’s website or Indiegogo this phone with Googled android is shipped from Germany in European countries so maybe there is some hope
The ugly robotic voice comes from the TTS engine “eSpeak”. It’s possible to replace it by another like Flite or IVONA with this procedure : Alternative to eSpeak? - #14 by pmoody
)
so maybe there is some hope 