BlackBerry’s best ideas are back for a second round, and they’re on Android this time around. Developer Patrick Quinn has declared Marathon OS, best described as a Linux phone system inspired by BB10’s gesture-based UI principles (and its card-style multitasking), and the treasured combined Hub, all positioned atop Android 9.0 Pie; it currently works quite well on the OnePlus 6 with implementations in the works for other hardware.
A Fresh Spin On BlackBerry 10’s Best Ideas
Marathon OS is a port based on getting the best of BB10, not cloning it. The official images give all the details about what’s coming up, though you can expect swipe-based navigation, a “peek” at notifications (you’ll have that CCD-powered peek as I like to call it), and of course those Active Frames that keep cards open on your home screen. It’s a way to bring the immediacy and flow of what made BB10 feel quick and focused, updated with modern design language on top of a new codebase.
At the center of it is a new take on the BlackBerry-style Hub: one inbox through which messages, email, and notifications flow. True believers from the BB10 era used to argue that its Hub kept them moving faster and more organized; Marathon brings back that workflow, but stays flexible enough for today’s services. To put this in perspective, BlackBerry still includes a Hub app on the Play Store, yet Marathon’s solution is system-wide and deeply embedded.
Not an Android ROM: Built on Real Linux Foundations
And, crucially, Marathon OS is not just another Android ROM. It’s based on postmarketOS, a legit and lightweight Linux distribution engineered for phones that prioritizes sustainability and maintainability. That base means out-of-the-gate support for standard Linux and Electron apps, and the project’s own “Marathon” apps supplemented by third-party offerings helping to cover mobile must-haves.
Android app compatibility is on the table through a forked implementation of Waydroid, the popular container system used by projects including Ubuntu Touch and Plasma Mobile. Since Waydroid containerizes Android rather than emulating it, you may get performance close to the native level if there is hardware acceleration. The trade-offs will be familiar to veterans of Linux-on-phones: compatibility is still contingent on device kernels, vendor drivers, and how well the container meshes with graphics and audio stacks.
Early Device Performance and the Plan for Porting
According to Quinn, Marathon OS is already reaching 60fps on the OnePlus 6, a flagship from 2018 that’s equipped with the Snapdragon 845 and Adreno 630 GPU.
That’s a good indicator of perceived smoothness, which means the UI stack is efficiently implemented. Also on the list are the OnePlus 6T, Xiaomi POCO F1, and other devices that currently have postmarketOS support, with community ports welcome.
Going after the Snapdragon 845 bunch is strategic. These devices sold by the millions and still enjoy strong developer support, unlocked bootloaders, and plenty of RAM. And according to IDC and Counterpoint Research, older flagships still account for a significant chunk of the active Android base, which in turn makes them perfect testbeds for alternate-OS projects. “I want things to perform fluidly” even on decade-old chips, and “exceptionally” on new silicon, said Quinn, which is ambitious given the usual camera, modem, and power management hurdles that can plague Linux designs.
A fun one is working with the Zinwa team to investigate a port to the reincarnated BlackBerry Classic. That’ll hopefully then combine Marathon’s BB10-inspired UI with hardware that still tugs on the nostalgia strings, but making a modern Linux stack run smoothly on 2010s-era hardware will take some effort.
Why This Might Matter Beyond Nostalgia for Users
Nostalgia is part of what’s fueling interest, but there is a larger thesis here: productivity-first, gesture-native interfaces can still have relevance. BB10’s workflow predates a number of the swipe paradigms that would later become common on iOS and Android, and its multitasking model was taken from systems like webOS. If Marathon can mix that thinking with Linux’s flexibility and Android app support, it could be a compelling everyday computer for enthusiasts who value speed, organization, and control.
The app question looms large, as it always does for any alternative mobile OS. Waydroid’s containerized method may crack open the wide world of Android, but services that depend on Google Play libraries could need workarounds or alternatives, like swapping in microG or relying on web and Electron clients. But the allure of a secure, modularized stack that’s not committed to one vendor is a strong counterweight, especially with Android and iOS owning approximately 99 percent of global smartphone usage, according to StatCounter.
What to Watch Next for Marathon OS Development
Short-term, we have upcoming public test images to watch for, with Waydroid integration goals and a bevy of community device ports.
Real-world items such as working telephone, camera, and battery life will define whether it is an oddity or fit for daily use. If the team is able to keep the UI responsive at 60fps, ship a solid Hub, and make Android apps not seem ridiculous, BB10’s spiritual successor might finally find traction — this time on the hardware you already own.
