Like the PC and Laptop landscape. There isn't money poured into new series and advertisement and hype generated like crazy. Market moves forward at a slower rate.
But for a modern smartphone to be functional...
Obviously this isn't a replacement for your iphone or nexus. This is a enthusiast's toy who want to support the libre movement and possibly contribute to it.
What exactly do you mean by Linux is ahead of its competition?
I think Linux on the desktop is an amazing platform. There are several different high quality user interfaces and window managers and each one have their strong points.
I personally cannot stand windows on the desktop for 10 minutes.