The phone doesn't become uncomfortably hot for me since many months. Mobian has been pretty usable since a few months at least. Writing this comment from it. The scrolling is not perfect, but more than enough to be usable. I even enjoy the web if I switch off javascript with Noscript Firefox extension.

Maps aren't very smooth but they worked every time I needed them. GPS positioning is not yet reliable

The battery only holds the whole day if you don't use it much, but a second battery helps.

Recent camera progress is shown here: https://www.pine64.org/2021/09/15/september-update-hurdles-a.... It's good enough for memories. If you need a better camera, consider Librem 5. Also have a look at Sxmo, if you want to see what Pinephone can do with an optimized software: https://sxmo.org.

That may well have been me! I've been playing around with Waydroid on my Pinephone, and just installed Whatsapp to try out. I didn't message anyone, as it's a new number that I'd like to minimize FB knowing about, but the browser, Whatsapp, and the Voipms SMS app are more than smooth enough to be usable (though far from modern-phone fluid).

I've said previously, and will say again though: the Pinephone and Waydroid are still very rough. For example, I'm going to have to figure out why Waydroid, which used to be full-screen, now only takes up half the screen. So if you occasionally need an app that's Android-only, maybe you can make the Pinephone work now. But likely only if you're at least a little bit fanatical.