Price, for one. And also the company's reputation for transparency.
So you expect a performant niche phone for a low price?
Concerning the transparency, I agree, they have some issues. But it does not concern me as long as they actually deliver (and they do).
The chip that Pine64 is expected to move to in the next generation of the Pinephone, will cost the same low price as the current chip but be considerably more powerful. So, indeed, members of the Linux phone community can expect a more performant niche phone for a low price.
Because you could buy 4 PinePhones for the cost of a Librem 5?