Samsung’s latest innovation, the Galaxy Z Flip 7, has made waves in the tech community by becoming the first non-Pixel smartphone to support Google’s Linux Terminal app. This development is particularly intriguing as the feature is notably absent from its larger counterpart, the Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Technical Insights into the Linux Terminal App
The Linux Terminal app allows users to run comprehensive Linux programs within a virtual machine, a significant advantage for developers and power users who often find essential tools lacking in the Android ecosystem. Initially introduced in March with a major update for Pixel devices, the app’s arrival on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 marks a pivotal moment for Samsung’s offerings.
At the heart of this functionality lies a modified version of Debian, a widely used Linux distribution, which operates within a virtual machine powered by the Android Virtualization Framework (AVF). Although AVF was introduced with Android 13 in 2022, the Terminal app made its debut with the second quarterly release of Android 15. For Samsung devices, this translates to the Terminal app being categorized as an Android 16 feature.
However, the inclusion of AVF and the Terminal app in Android’s framework does not guarantee universal support across all Android 16 devices. The availability hinges on specific technical requirements dictated primarily by the silicon vendor rather than the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). While Qualcomm and MediaTek’s latest chipsets do support AVF, Samsung initially opted to disable this feature on compatible devices until the recent One UI 8 release, likely to resolve incompatibilities with its Knox security service.
The Curious Case of Chipsets
This hardware dependency sheds light on the perplexing situation surrounding the Terminal app’s availability on Samsung’s flagship devices. Within One UI 8, the Linux Terminal app is present on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, yet it remains absent from the Galaxy S25 series and the Galaxy Z Fold 7. The underlying reason lies in the different chipsets utilized by these devices: the Z Flip 7 is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 2500, while the S25 and Z Fold 7 rely on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite. Although both chipsets support AVF, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is limited to secure, protected virtual machines, which the Terminal app does not utilize. In contrast, the Exynos 2500 supports the non-protected virtual machine required for the app’s functionality.
Looking ahead, there is hope that Qualcomm will address this limitation in a future vendor update. Despite being among the most powerful chipsets available for Android devices, the Snapdragon series has yet to fully leverage its capabilities. When combined with features like Samsung DeX on the Z Flip 7, the Linux Terminal app has the potential to transform the smartphone into a highly capable portable PC. While the app currently lacks support for graphical applications, there are indications that such features may be on the horizon, potentially enabling users to run full-fledged Linux PC games on their Android devices in the future.
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