If you are looking for a generic phone with good privacy and usability I would highly recommend a Pixel with Graphene OS. If you've never flashed a phone before, you can install Graphene within a web browser and never need to do any of the more complicated flashing stuff like most other setups require. It also allows you to optionally install Sandboxed Google Play Services (on the main profile or isolated on a second one), letting you access normal apps while still having some of the privacy and performance benefits of an otherwise de-Googled phone.
this post was submitted on 14 Oct 2024
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Privacy
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And from what I've seen, Pixels are probably the friendliest to other custom OSes as well.
But not friendliest on IO. No headphone jack. No microSD. No dual SIM.
I'm still using my old Pixel 4a because I refuse to get a phone without a headphone jack lol
Sony is still carrying the torch for flagships
Yes, absolutely. Having to use a dongle for my earbuds sucks :( SD is something I don't really notice tho because 128 gigs is pretty much bottomless for a phone.
Thank you. Which Pixel models would you recommend considering cost, compatibility, and benefits? I estimate I could get around €700 from selling the iPhone 15 128GB.
Depends on your price point, but the 8a might be a good middle ground. It's got the 8 year update support and is second to newest so it's a tad cheaper.
This is the best option for buget-ish, easy to flash GrapheneOS and 7 years (6 more now) of firmware updates. You can get the 256GB version for around 500 dollars, which should translate to around 460 euros. The 158GB version is only 50 dollars less, so not worth skimming on that, in my opinion.
Pixel 7a is pretty good. Cheap too now that they're 2 generations old, around $330 new for an unlocked phone.
I recently got a 7a for $300, quite expensive for me but imo worth it. Maybe 8a, after the release of 9/9a, would also fall into a similar price, with 7a getting to $200 eventually.
As others have said, the Pixel line is the easiest if you want to have full control over the phone.
There are others, but it will take more effort to get there (I say this after flashing and rooting all my phones since 2010).
Take a look at lineageos.org/devices to see what devices they support, it's a good approximation of which phones can be boot loader unlocked.
After lots of looking around, I decided to finally jump to Pixel, and I'm running DivestOS (a fork of Lineage with a little bit more tweaked, like sandboxing MicroG).
Once you decide to go down this road, I'd suggest downloading the factory rom image for your phone, and practice flashing it, before trying with a custom rom, just so you have some experience with a known-good image. Plus, sometimes you have to flash back to stock - I just did one the other day because I screwed up the custom rom flash.
Thank you. Which Pixel models would you suggest, factoring in cost, compatibility, and benefits? I expect to get about €700 for the iPhone 15 128GB.
Whatever you can afford for pixel 8 and above, if possible. Those will be supported for longer.
Thank you
I recently bought a Pixel 8 for 500€, they got cheaper since the Pixel 9 was just released. If you want to save some money you could probably just buy a Pixel 7a which will get updates until May 2028 (vs October 2030 for the Pixel 8). Supposedly the 7 has better battery life than the 8, but in the end it comes down to how long you want to use it.
When you say supported, does that only mean the original (Android) OS will be supported and updated? What does it mean for a different ROM?
If you go with GrapheneOS, and I believe also with Lineage and Calyx, you'll be getting as many updates as in stock, probably even more.
My thanks
We're all here to help each other where we can. 80%+ of my digital detox and privacy journey has been achieved by asking in Lemmy. Enjoy.
Thanks
Very much appreciated
If you're just looking for the out-of-the-box experience, I'd say a Pixel is probably your best bet. It'll run stock Android, get updates the fastest, and generally perform very well. My Pixel 6 Pro is still running smoothly today. I've never dived too deeply into it, but I believe Pixels will also run GrapheneOS, if you're looking to really lock your device down and de-Google it.
I've been in GrapheneOS and Calyx (sometimes I get bored and flash it just to see what each has new) since the Pixel 5, and have never felt the need to return to stock.