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Highlights
- PRoot support (Native Container) - run Linux in a container-style environment that shares the Android device's kernel instead of emulating a complete machine. Native ARM64 applications can run without CPU emulation, making full desktop environments significantly faster and more responsive.
- Internal VNC support - view and control graphical Linux desktops directly inside Linux on DeX. The built-in VNC client provides smooth interaction with both PRoot desktops and VM guests without requiring a separate VNC application.
Ready-made PRoot (arm64, .rootfs.tar.gz file extension)
PRoot prioritizes desktop responsiveness and everyday productivity. Because it shares the Android host kernel and does not provide a separate Linux kernel, some low-level operations are unavailable or restricted. This includes reading certain hardware and kernel details, directly controlling network interfaces, loading kernel modules, and running kernel-dependent container engines such as Docker. Use a VM instead when these capabilities are required.
PRoot is best suited to general Linux applications, web browsing, development tools, document editing, and file management.
All ready-made PRoot environments are distributed as root filesystem archives with the .rootfs.tar.gz file extension.
| Root filesystem | Desktop | What it is |
|---|---|---|
ubuntu-24.04-proot-gnome-arm64.rootfs.tar.gz |
GNOME | A full Ubuntu 24.04 GNOME desktop with the most complete desktop experience |
ubuntu-24.04-proot-gnome-like-xfce-arm64.rootfs.tar.gz |
GNOME-like XFCE | A lightweight XFCE desktop styled like GNOME, balancing appearance and performance (Recommended) |
ubuntu-24.04-proot-xfce-arm64.rootfs.tar.gz |
XFCE | The lightest desktop option, optimized for lower memory use and maximum responsiveness |
Ready-made images (arm64, .qcow2 file extension)
These images run as full virtual machines with their own Linux kernel. A VM supports low-level Linux features that PRoot cannot provide, including broader system inspection, network administration, and kernel-dependent workloads. The tradeoff is higher CPU and memory use: software emulation is slower than PRoot, while devices with supported hardware virtualization deliver the best VM performance.
All ready-made VM images are distributed as virtual disks with the .qcow2 file extension.
| Image | Desktop | VM and performance profile |
|---|---|---|
ubuntu-24.04-desktop-xfce.qcow2 |
XFCE | A lightweight Ubuntu 24.04 VM with lower memory and CPU requirements; recommended for the best VM desktop responsiveness |
ubuntu-24.04-desktop-gnome.qcow2 |
GNOME | A full Ubuntu 24.04 GNOME VM with a richer desktop experience; requires more RAM and CPU and performs best with hardware virtualization |
alpine-light-3.22.0.qcow2 |
Console only | The smallest and fastest-booting flavour (Recommended) |
alpine-3.22.0.qcow2 |
Console only | Container host with Podman, Docker, and LXC ready at boot (Recommended) |
debian-13.qcow2 |
Console only | Debian server (Recommended) |
ubuntu-24.04.qcow2 |
Console only | Ubuntu server |
kali-2026.2.qcow2 |
Console only | Lightweight Kali server (~340 packages); add tools with apt |
Requirements
- ARM64 device running Android 13-16 (API 33-36)
- No root access or Samsung system APIs required
- Approximately 4 GB of free storage; 8 GB or more RAM is recommended for a desktop VM
- Samsung DeX is supported but not required
Full Changelog: v1.1.0...v1.2.0