Issue: Ubuntu Touch not available for the Orange Pi 5 although it is ARM based, why not?

Last Updated on April 30, 2023 by pg@petergamma.org

This example shows Ubuntu Touch running on a MediaTek Helio-CPU P22T device:

https://www.pctipp.ch/tests/test-tablet-lenovo-m10-fhd-plus-2576785.html?page=1_die-ausstattung

Ubuntu Touch

- based upon a graphical desktop called Unity 8
- was developed and maintained for several years by Canonical the publishers of Ubuntu
- Development at Canonical seized
- it was taken over by UBports
- currently only supports ARM devices
- not suitable for x86 devices

The Lenovo Tab M10 X605F/L is supports Ubuntu touch:

https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/device/x605/

• it has a Mediatec processor:

https://www.notebookcheck.com/Mediatek-Helio-P22T-MT8768T-Prozessor-Benchmarks-und-Specs.554422.0.html

• Rockchip RK3588S is octa-core 64-bit processor chip which is also used in Arm based Notebooks:

https://www.tomshardware.com/news/rockchip-rk3588

• Explaining computer says Ubuntu Touch runs only on ARM based devices:

Issues with Linux running on x86 processors & touch support

• According to the information we have the Rockchip RK3588S is ARM based. Therefore Ubuntu Touch should run on the Orange Pi 5.

But we saw that the development of Ubuntu which is specialized for the Orange Pi is quiet advanced. This we can find out for instance in Leebsvideo reviews about it.

Ubuntu offers also basic functionality for touch, as can be seen in the video of Explaining Computers. It would be highly desirable to have Ubuntu Touch for the Orange Pi 5 to use it as a touch controlled device. But we won´t do this, since we lack of skills and time to do this. But still it would be interesting to have Ubuntu Touch for the Orange Pi 5.