Huh. I never looked into this before but this is pretty fascinating! I had no idea.
I have been waiting for a Linux-powered phone (one that runs stock out the gate) for a few years now. They are not where I want them to be just yet but I am hoping to get one in the near future.
Pine is ok from the reviews on YouTube. I’d love if we could boot full Linux on our phones while docked.
I wouldn’t want to use a Linux distro as a daily phone tho 
pretty good selection of options to choose from, but the hardware specifications is not on par with current phones. I suppose a good options vs degoolge a pixel phone and put custom roms on it.
Yeah that’s true. I wish somebody on XDA could create a ROM when the phone was docked you’d get a Linux user interface with full kernel access. I’d love to run Docker on my phone. 
To say that the Android OS is based on Linux is not technically accurate. While the Android kernel is based on a highly modified version of the upstream Linux kernel, the majority of the Android OS codebase is written in C/C++, with the application layer using Java & Kotlin. Android is not Linux and Linux is not Android. Android-based smartphones, therefore, are not powered by Linux – they are powered by AOSP Android. Only the Android kernel is based on a modified Linux kernel. The kernel is but a tiny core component of the Android OS as a whole.
Welcome to the forums! 
“Android is built on the open Linux Kernel.” - Android Overview | Open Handset Alliance
Android Open Source Project / Google: “Android is the Linux desktop dream come true”
Over the years, Android has evolved a lot. Originally based on the Linux kernel; if there was no Linux kernel, there would be no Android in its current form.
That said, what you mention about Android now is true: “the majority of the Android OS codebase is written in C/C++, with the application layer using Java & Kotlin.”
I guess as Linux lovers we like the Linux-connection no matter how distant it have become over the years. 
Indeed. I certainly cannot disagree with the basis of your position. As an obviously knowledgeable Linux analyst yourself, you have undoubtedly heard the old “Android is/is not Linux based” a million times. At the end of the day, your position is correct and so is mine. The age-old debate has more to do with semantics than it does technical inaccuracies. Cheers mate and thanks for your input on this.