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Apparently, still in crowdfunding, and not available yet?

On the other hand, Sailfish phones (https://sailfishos.org/) are Linux-based, tout "Fourth generation security", can run Android apps (the killer feature!), and - most importantly - are available now.

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Can they run obnoxious Android banking apps that refuse to run on rooted phones etc.

Tried it just now with two banks: one worked, the other didn't.

FWIW, I'm using the German DKB Android app (which seems to require non-rooted phones) without issues on my Sailfish OS phone.

Asking the real questions! I can't use NFC transit cards because Google wallet doesn't trust my phone

I'm not sure I'd call anything using libhybris "Linux-based". Their low-level elements come from Android with all the problems that implies, including Android being Linux only in the most irrelevant technical sense.

Sailfish is based on the Linux kernel, and Mer, which itself is a fork of MeeGo - a mobile Linux distro.

Hybris is just one component that Mer supports: a compatibility layer which allows the use of Android libraries and drivers. But that doesn't make it the backbone of Sailfish...

I'd say those drivers and libraries are the backbone of an OS. Everything else is on top of them.

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