I recently picked up a Fairphone 4. I got it mostly because of the removable battery and easy repairing, but it's nice to know I'm supporting a manufacturer that cares about sustainability.
Cool, are those the modular ones intended to be able to replace all the different pieces of it?
Yup. Basically every part of the phone is repairable and replaceable. I bought it after I accidentally water damaged my previous phone- an LG V20 that had served me faithfully for almost 6 years. I initially thought I might be able to just replace the display of my V20 because the rest of it works fine, but LG no longer makes phones (and the V20 is an older model), so I didn't have much option.
I use GrapheneOS on Pixel.
Ahh cool, I've messed around with rooting, bootloaders, TWRP, and Lineage OS and all that stuff when I was younger, and I kept bricking my devices. I don't do that anymore nowadays. Too much hassle.
Apple might turn evil? They have always been evil, and goole is evil to. Try a free android distro like CalyxOS, GraphineOS, LineageOS or /e/OS. This is not a complete list.
Any that can run on a Samsung flagship?
Lineage or Calyx should have you covered.
Pixel 6 Pro running GrapheneOS, which I got a couple months ago. Pixel phones are the only ones compatible with GrapheneOS, otherwise I would've kept my Samsung phone tbh
Practically same story here. Pixel 7 Pro here, also running Graphene. Switched off my trusty Note9 only because graphene only supports Pixels.
So I know I'm in the minority not really caring all that much about the whole Google ecosystem, I enjoy it and how everything stays connected, I'm not necessarily on a crusade to prevent all data tracking on myself and all of that.
I have a Pixel 6 Pro as well and looks like I'm gonna wait until the 9 pro to upgrade again if possible, my 6 pro is over a year old and still showing no signs of stopping, still plenty of power for everything I need it for and beyond. Is there anything beyond de-googling that GrapheneOS provides? Can I stay google-ified while running it? Just trying to see what kind of benefits it provides other than de-googling
Same story as you, afraid of evil corporations, wanting to take more control over my data, so I changed to a pixel 7 pro with GraphenOS.
only Pixels that support alternate OS and allowing them full use/access to all the hardware security features.
Currently using a Google Pixel 5 that's running CalyxOS.
Ditched Apple after they initially announced they were going to start screening messages and photos (although they later walked that back). I value privacy, and hence hate Google. But Google do make sole good hardware. CalyxOS allows me to have the best of both worlds... a privacy-centric OS, running on decent hardware that's compatible with any Android app (although you still need to be a little careful what you install from a privacy perspective).
I am aware that more modern Pixel models have been released, but I'm waiting for one that's a little less massive. Every model since the Pixel 5 has been larger than it.
I also have a Pixel 5 and like the size of it. Whenever I handle my wife's Pixel 6 it feels freaking huge.
Was thinking about Calyx or Graphene. Is it pretty low fuss for daily use?
I was on Graphene but switched to Calyx. Personally, I find easier. The integration of microG helps with a few things, such as apps stuck using Google's push notification service and apps that require SafetyNet. I was going to try Graphene again, but I was thinking of waiting for a new phone.
Calyx is very nice. I've found it to be no fuss at all.
iOS because Apple ecosystem is much more convenient and consistent. I do not worry so much about the struggle you mentioned because the EU will fix it (see USB-C, sideoading, more to come)
Fairphone 4.
I don't play demanding games on my phone, so I don't need some overpriced flagship device.
What I do need is a consumer-replaceable battery and as many other parts as I can get. This means I can get replacement rear- and front-facing camera, earpiece, loudspeaker, USB port, display, back cover and of course battery. All from the original vendor and replacement can be done by me, armed with only a small screwdriver and maybe a spudger for the display.
Over all this is probably one of the most repairable phones and I bought it hoping it will last me 10 years.
I'm currently running Iodรฉ (Android) but hope to switch to PostmarketOS in the future. Maybe with a detour via Ubuntu phone.
I wish they brought it to Canada. I already went with a Framework laptop for reparability and would easily jump at the opportunity to buy a fairphone.
I imported mine from the last visit at home. Had to check if it works with Koodo first, too.
And next laptop will definitely be a Framework.
How's the framework? I'm really interested it in. Any downsides?
Absolutely love it. I had an issue with one of the lights on the keyboard, and they sent a new keyboard, which took maybe a minute to replace. Such a smooth, easy repair process. Any other laptop would have been too inconvenient to fix/return.
It's not a gaming machine, but you can use an external GPU or wait for the 16" model to come up later this year, which apparently supports a dedicated GPU.
Lots of new options came out since I got mine, including a Chromebook version, AMD versions, etc. When my wife's laptop dies, I'll be replacing it with a Framework.
Thanks!
I'd love to get one. I know they are trying to keep everything compatible, but I know one day they'll need to introduce a v2 to make the chassis slimmer or something, and I feel like I should wait for that.
I know I will get so deep into the ecosystem just for them to release a v2 and not be able to upgrade my components anymore.
I mean it's just inevitable. There's no way for them to make progress if they are locked into a very specific form factor forever, and I do think the current framework laptops look straight out of 2008.
I can't honestly see them making the chassis slimmer, since it would severely restrict upgradability. But I guess it's possible in the distant future.
But even then, the parts can very easily be repurposed or sold. There are so many new and upcoming projects which use repurposed Framework components to build all sorts of things from desktops PCs to TV media boxes, to gaming consoles, etc.
You could even build your own NAS, surveillance NVR, and more with repurposed parts.
But even if they make a drastic change to the chassis that requires new parts to be purchased, they are very good at giving upgrade paths that make sense and would likely offer options for existing users.
I can tell you that my anxiety over using a device that can't be repaired is long gone. I actually feel like I can really use this laptop without worrying about being SOL if the screen breaks, or the touchpad stops working.
I am very tempted to buy a fair phone.
Unfortunately I do play a lot of demanding stuff on my phone occasionally so right now it's not the best option for me...
But I'm hopeful for the future. Someday fair phone will be able to get a phone that is more capable. And I'm jump in no regrets.
I'd get a Fairphone if it worked on Verizon.
I am very tempted to buy a fair phone.
Unfortunately I do play a lot of demanding stuff on my phone occasionally so right now it's not the best option for me...
But I'm hopeful for the future. Someday fair phone will be able to get a phone that is more capable. And I'm jump in no regrets.
I am very tempted to buy a fair phone.
Unfortunately I do play a lot of demanding stuff on my phone occasionally so right now it's not the best option for me...
But I'm hopeful for the future. Someday fair phone will be able to get a phone that is more capable. And I'm jump in no regrets.
Android because I like the freedom it provides.
As for the phone I'm using. It's a Oneplus 3 I got a few years back, it's falling apart but I can't afford changing it, so I'll be using it till its last breath.
Zed's phone is almost dead, babe. ๐
Xiaomi Mi 10T with LineageOS 19 (there's no v20 for it)
I bought it because I needed a new one that supports 5G and didn't cost a fortune.
Next one might be a Fairphone 5 whenever it comes out. Or a Pixel with GrapheneOS.
I'm also interested in a mobile that runs Linux instead of Android (see PinePhone). But there're none that have good/current hardware.
I'd recommend getting that pixel. They have 5 years of support with security patches. Do know that the 5 years is with newer devices from 6/6a & up
Google Pixel 4a with GrapheneOS
nice. +1
Google pixel 6a with grapheneOS
Heya same hereeee โค
Running a Pixel 6 with default OS right now.
Will change to GrapheneOS when it's no longer supported.
Why did I choose it? Because there's no real choice besides Android in the phone world. Apple won't let me install the things I need and is unnecessarily expensive. Plus, the camera is really good.
Problem: even with an alternative operating system, you still don't get security updates for the baseband firmware, and that thing is a huge remote attack surface that, if compromised, grants the attacker unfettered access to the entire phone.
Some new phones isolate the baseband processor from the rest of the system. Only the small independent phone makers like Librem use such a design, though.
GrapheneOS often picks up security flaws in the android open source project and fixes them before google goes. I won't claim they fix everything but I've seen enough examples of things they fix over AOSP that make me doubt they wouldn't have fixed something like that (on top of keeping everything updated). Maybe you weren't referring to Graphene but still worth a shoutout for being a very (the most?) secure operating system.
I'm talking about the baseband, the device that talks to the cell network (among many other functions). It has its own closed-source firmware, no open-source substitute for that firmware exists, and it has full access to the entire system, bypassing the CPU and OS. Installing a different OS will not stop attackers from exploiting vulnerabilities in the baseband firmware and taking over the phone.
Another pixel 6 user here.
I personally chose the Pixel over other Android phones, because Google guarantees 5 years of security updates.
Unlike everyone else, where you're lucky to get even 3 years of updates.
Pixel 7. I bought it with the intention of flashing it with Graphene OS or something along those lines but I enjoy the Pixel features so much that I've left it stock.
I think you should take the plunge, grapheneOS is very easy to install with the web installer https://grapheneos.org/install/web and an overall easy to use and setup os :)
The only reason I haven't is the Pixel OS specific feature set like being able to use text selection/OCR from the task switcher.
Ohh that is valid. I do miss that feature. Hopefully someday it is brought to AOSP
I choose the OS because I wanted a phone OS which would get updates for a long time, which sailfish has a good track record of and I wanted one which ran linux so that I had the normal things I'm used to on the desktop like systemd, pulseaudio, bash, rpm, etc. I did need it to run android for a couple of banking apps and sailfish provide a pretty decent android support layer. It's worked really well, the biggest drawback I'd say is that parts of it are not open source and they're kind of doing their own stuff so while some things do work like KDE apps, other apps would take a lot more effort to get working (gtk apps for example).> Fairphone
Fairphone 4 running /e/OS. I love the modularity, quality and robustness. Just the fact that if I drop my screen I can just replace it for โฌ80 using my own hands.
/e/OS is still in development, which you sometimes notice, but I love its privacy focused aspects. It is decoupled from Google, includes a tracker monitor and blocker, an appstore that can download apps from the Google Play store anonymously and best of all the developers do deliver. All their releases are well tested.
The only thing I struggle with are in app purchases. If they use the Google Play platform they just won't work.
I bought this phone from Murena, which is a branch of the /e/Foundation that sells devices with /e/OS preinstalled.
but I love its privacy focused aspects
Having worked at /e/OS, on the microG part, I can tell you that the privacy focus is way less than whatever you think it is. Also, the companies (yes, plural) behind /e/ or whatever it's called now are French, and the French laws regarding government and intelligence agencies access to personal data are lax. By using /e/ and their services, you are not passing data to the US, you are not passing data to China, but rather you are passing data to France and the /e/ team - which if you search around, you might find out that they don't have a really good street cred.
Too bad the Fairphone isn't available outside of Europe.
I have a Google Pixel 2XL running GrapheneOS.
iPhone 11. I agree on the dangers of corps turning evil, but I donโt agree that the solution is to move from โmight turn evil in the futureโ (Apple) to โalready pretty far in the evil campโ (Google). This is already becoming apparent with the enshittification of Google search. Chromium and Android will soon follow.
I am in the same boat, in my world Apple is better than Google. It works a bit better out of the box, and lately I don't use my phone for a lot of things anyway, mostly doomscrolling on reddit (now lemmy).
FairPhone 4 because it is the only phone with removable battery and LineageOS support.
iPhone 8. Iโve had it for 5 years and havenโt had a reason to upgrade. Battery is starting to lose a bit of life so Iโm thinking about a new battery rather than a new phone.
I have the iPhone 13 Mini and since Apple doesnโt make Miniโs anymore, Iโll just be replacing the battery, instead of buying another phone.
I hate how phones got big again. I think the SE is still normal sized.
Same here, I have an IPhone 8. Itโs pretty good, but the battery is somewhat dying too.
A pixel 7a with graphene OS. It's a myth that iOS is more secure than android btw. Both are locked down enough to protect against most threats.
Either one protects you from outside threats, but Android does allow you to do more damage on your own.
If you're smart enough to not install shady apps and give them the rights to absolutely everything, it doesn't matter which one you use, but if your parents or grandparents are getting up there in age and are prone to just clicking on things that look like they should be clicked on, iOS might be safer for them (Android's workflow for installing apps from untrusted sources is just too simple IMO).
I'm a dev / data engineer. Often I hear the argument of, "but Android allows you to...."
I don't want to. Doesn't matter what the end of the sentence is, I don't want to. I love tinkering, but not with my phone. :D
Same tbh. I'm a backend dev. I love tinkering. I have a desktop PC to tinker with, if I fuck up my Gentoo install, I'll just boot into Windows or use my Macbook till I get it fixed. If I fuck up the software on my phone, I won't be able to take phone calls for probably a couple of hours (if it's a simple fuckup) to like half a day or more if I manage to fuck up the recovery or something.
Ends up being that you need a secondary phone to tinker with, but I have little use for two phones, so I don't keep them around much, I'd rather let someone else use my old phones because I don't usually break them.
Android. Pixel 7. Because it's a pretty close to stock experience and Pixels get updates the quickest and most frequent updates compared to other Android phones.
How is it in terms of speed/responsiveness? I've been considering getting one
Every pixel I've ever had has been extremely responsive. My OG Pixel XL, my Pixel 2 XL, my Pixel 4 XL, and my current Pixel 6 Pro were always very responsive and didn't seem to slow down at any point. I'd imagine the OG Pixel XL is probably a little.laggy-feeling compared to the newest pixels but yeah; hate to admit it, because I don't like iPhones, but the Pixel series is like the Iphone of Androids - and only the good things about the iPhone being only manufactured by 1 company - it's the phone of the actual developer of the OS and gets lots of extra features first because of it, only stock OS apps preinstalled except for maybe a carrier app if phone is financed through them (I have the T-Mobile app on my current Pixel, for example). Super nice build quality, I've always ended up being tougher on my phones and the Pixels have held up really really well. Highly recommend them honestly.
I kinda fear that Apple might turn evil and start banning apps from the app store
I donโt know what rock youโve been living under, but Iโve been using iOS since day one and Apple has been banning apps left and right this entire time. Most just donโt make it on in the first place. Sometimes they sneak hidden features in though like so: https://www.imore.com/game-boy-emulator-sneaks-app-store-disguised-messaging-app
It more like I bought into the peer pressure of getting Apple devices so I started looking past their unethical practices. The apps they ban weren't really the type of apps I'd use. What I'm concerned is that Apple one day just start banning ad-blockers, maybe ban VLC and cite piracy as a justification, banning encryption apps like signal, or banning VPNs (which they did in China, but I don't live there so I kinda ignored it). They hadn't done any of that yet so I just didn't think too much about it, but now I kinda randomly started thinking about it and I switched to Android.
They have the operating system so locked down there arenโt any ad blockers anyways unless you use Safari
Brave on iOS works fine last I used, which was yesterday.
Got a Pixel 4a, which i bought because of the support for custom ROMs. Ran Calyx for a while and now ive been running Graphene for about a year and loving the experience
I'm really intrigued to try it myself. Dismembering the Google ecosystem sounds so good, but I don't know where to start!
I am a heavy daily user of Calendar, Tasks, Photos and Gmail... How do you start disconnecting and porting yourself from Google?
Honestly its a process. You go one thing at a time, and eventually you're google free
I just got Pixel 7. I always disliked those Android versions modified by the manufacturers with preinstalled bloatware and tons od weird features I just never intended to use. I envied more consistent and "seamless" experience Apple users got on their iPhones. However, I didn't want to enter the Apple ecosystem for many reasons like price, moral issues, etc. The Android experience on Pixel is pretty much how I hoped it would be - much cleaner than other brands.
Yeah, I know Google is not great either but TBH I'm mostly stuck with them so instead of sharing my data and money with Samsung and Google, I can share it only with Google. Pixels have a big advantage of having the best support when it comes to custom ROMs so if I ever decide to cut ties with Google as well, I can do that relatively easily.
Pixel running GrapheneOS. Happy to feel like I actually own my own phone now.
๐ซก๐ซก
Apple has always been greedy, in my opinion, but seldom evil.
They are the only major corporation that still makes an effort for privacy (though many people are understandably very skeptical)
e.g.
fully end-to-end-encrypting most of your iCloud data,
blocking tracking pixels in Mail (not technically correct, but good enough approximation)
having iCloud Private Relay (something like Tor network) built into Safari
blocking tracking of your behaviour by anonymising your device
they even scramble data about your Maps trips, inserting wrong information before they send analytics back to themselves, through what is called differential privacy.
Other reasons I use iOS:
They offer software updates for >6 years, so I really get great bang for my buck. Total cost of ownership is typically less than other flagship products.
Integration with their other products.
General polish, smoothness and ease of use.
I too rely on governments to rein in their greediness (e.g. Right to Repair, having multiple App Stores, etc.)
They offer software updates for >6 years
That was the reason why I migrated to iPhone last year.
I used Android for many years, but I got tired of vendors stopping system updates after 6 months or so of a model being out.
I keep my phone at least 4-5 years, even more if it doesn't break, and with all the sensitive data and apps we keep on it nowadays (mobile banking, digital identities, authenticators, etc.) it's not acceptable to stay years without security fixes.
It's true that apple devices are expensive but it's enough to not buy the latest models, get a bit older one and you can get it for the same price as a medium-high Android.
CalyxOS on a google pixel.
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!
Easy installation, just unlock the bootloader and enable adb in settings and plug into a computer and run the installer.
CalyxOS is set it and forget it. It will update itself seamlessly unlike other free Androids and unlike stock Androids. No maintainacnce. Support will likely continue after the manufacturer kills off your device.
Automatic updates and one click installs from f-droid. On calyx its even easier to install free as in freedom apps than it is to install the garbage on Google play.
You can still run your shitty non-free apps from google play (using the aurora store, a free as in freedom app to download google play apps from google play) if someone is forcing you to install their crap.
Does it have the issue that rooted devices sometimes have where certain fast food and banking apps don't work?
Currently own a Sony Xperia 1 IV. Been buying Sony phones for about 10 years now. I can hardly break them even without a case, despite being super clumsy, and Sony actually does interesting innovating things that are useful instead of following trends blindly or relying on marketing.
I run a quite degoogled Android 13 atm. Next phone will be a Pixel however, because I wanna switch to GrapheneOS. Wanting to switch OS is also the only reason I even consider a different brand phone.
I hate all mobile operating systems because none of them is able to provide me the level of control I have on my Linux desktops and laptops.
But there's nothing I can do about that, so, at least, I bought the best phone on the market - S23 Ultra. It's a lovely device, I just dislike Google. Thinking of de-googling it somehow. F-Droid and Galaxy Store can work as Play Store replacement but I still need Google Pay and so on :/
If only Ubuntu Phone wasn't canceled.
LineageOS for microG might be what you're looking for. It is a compromise to give you the minimum amount of google while keeping the functionality you want. It features "fake" play services, which allow you to use banking apps and such while not actually running google. Itcomes with privileged F-Droid as your standard source for apps. I'm using it since 2019.
Thanks, I'll check this. I'm worried about s-pen functionality and the support provided (the official ROM has 4-5 years of updates) but I'll look into it.
I've been on the same boat. Luckily someone on XDA had made the stock rom googleless and it's been working great.
Im not using that gone anymore though (it was either my GSIII or my GS7).
If you are willing to buy a pixel from a store that resells them you'd evade paying google. You can get GrapheneOS which IS a very secure OS ... They have a feature called Sandboxes Google Play which is compatible with overwhelming majority of apps compared to MicroG. I think you'd really like what grapheneOS has to offer
Please know that Sandboxed Google Play does not use any additional privileges and makes googles apps run in sandbox like any random app you install would.
You can do without Google Pay.
But how do I pay then? I don't even take my wallet with me and I don't have a physical VISA anymore. Maybe Samsung Pay could work but it's not supported in my country.
But how do I pay then? I don't even take my wallet with me and I don't have a physical VISA anymore. Maybe Samsung Pay could work but it's not supported in my country.
It's pretty easy to get your bank to send you a new physical card. If you don't have a wallet anymore, then just carry the card, or get an ultra thin RFID blocking wallet.
iPhone 13 Pro, my previous phone was an iPhone 6s which received nearly 7 years of software updates. I donโt know of any Android manufacturer that supports devices for that long at the moment which was the main reason I stuck with Apple.
iphone se, because it was possible to buy refurbished with 3 years warranty for ca 100 euro
Fairphone 4 - iodeOS
I wish they would expand to the US market. I get that they have plenty of trouble scaling to the EU market already, but I'm itching to have the benefits of a Fairphone.
I always thought Fairphone is an US company and it would be easy to get one over there?! Kinda blows my mind right now.
Nope, The Netherlands. I can see why they would want to try to do a good job in the EU market before expanding, but it's been ten years and no signs of expanding. In the US there is the Librem 5, though it is under severe backorder right now.
First time I meet another of my kind in the wild - cheers to you!
It is the perfect setup. So cheers to you!
Google Pixel 6, because it has a guarantee of 5 years of security updates (unlike other Android phones) and I can use Firefox with uBlock Origin on it (unlike iPhones).
I look forward to the new non-Android Linux phones, but it doesn't sound like they're ready for everyday use in the USA just yet. In particular, I've heard that they have compatibility issues with US carriers and their street navigation apps aren't very good. Hopefully that changes soon!
Pixel 6. I got it because I got a good deal on one and I needed a phone quickly. I also wanted a phone from a popular enough model so that I would be able to get parts for repairs.
I won't even consider buying an iPhone since I can't install apps that aren't from Apple's store, and most of the apps I use are from F-Droid and I generally hate all ads.
Majority of my apps are from github or f-droid repos
Same. FOSS is more trustworthy for privacy as well.
After many years of using custom stock ROMs on my phone's, that were always better and more up to date than the branded android ROM the phone came with, I've decided a few months ago to finally get a Google Pixel 6.
It's a great experience, basically feels like all the custom ROMs I've been using all these years but the camera is great and Google Wallet works, also some pixel exclusive niceties like the PO Pixel app from teenage engineering, etc, and as always the most up to date Android version available.
Sitting on the Samsung note9. It has an aux jack, insane battery life, a great display, and plenty of power in the camera for the kind of "here is the issue" or "here I am in hawaii" photos I take. It is regular Samsung Android although disabled baxiby or whatever that button used to do.
Pixel 6. I wish it had a print reader on the back. I really would love to have that feature back since the under-screen readers are bad on every phone I have ever tried. I get dirty hands at work every day so I have to use a screen protector and even without the protector the print reader is mostly useless. I will not buy a Chinese phone to get it so I have drawn a line somewhere I guess.
Likewise. The Pixel 4a was peak for me because of how cheap it was, the size, the headphone jack, and back fingerprint reader. And the pixel's consistent photos.
But the Pixel 6 just feels cumbersome. The reader and double-tap in the back to pull the notification shade feels too deliberate and weighty given the size (This is supposed to be the smaller one). Compare that you could do unlock and pull the notification shade with the back reader and size made it feel great.
I've changed to Niagara launcher which has made it feel better but my next phone is definitely having a proper scanner.
Motorola One 5G Ace.
After years working in telecom, I'm in the camp of "absolutely no device needs to cost thousands of bucks."
Midrange phones do just fine, and it's borderline criminal marketing that the Apples and Samsungs of the world convince gullible consumers that their 260 dollars worth of parts and labour is somehow worth more than an average mortgage payment.
Pixel 7 on CalyxOS
Upvote Pixel nation lol โ
Still on the 4a, which I hope survives as long as possible
Cheers! I hope my 4a survives until there's another one of that size. I feels like most other phones are getting unnecessarily bigger. The camera software is a big plus, too
For what it is, the camera really is good, huh! I've always gravitated to vanilla Android (all the old Nexuses etc) and the 4a was the first phone I didn't feel any need to root it lol. Couldn't agree more on the easily handleable size as well...possibly the Pixel 5 would be my only substitute.
Are you fine with the Battery?
I switched from Pixel 4a cause mine was at 15% Just after half of the day.
It's been almost 3 years, and a full load will last about 2 days. That said, I only use it intermittently throughout the day, and not for gaming or watching videos. That's what other devices are for.
Google Pixel 6a for me, just running the stock ROM/OS. I used to be into trying out custom ROMs but over the years I ended up falling in the "I don't want my phone to randomly stop working while I'm out and need to make a call" stage.
Plus, I actually enjoy quite a few features from the stock OS such as call screening (which reduces spam calls a ton), direct my call, and whichever feature is the one that provides an estimate on the wait time when calling into a toll free line. There's also "Hold for me" which I haven't tried yet but it seems like an interesting idea, but I'd only use it if there were going to be a fairly long wait.
I don't know if those features work on the custom OS options (as I don't keep up with that realm anymore), plus potential stability issues which I've always had on other devices (including previous Pixels) makes me just stick with the default.
Although, on my Pixel 3a XL since I no longer use it as my daily driver, I slapped Ubuntu Touch on it and it seems interesting, though definitely has a long way to go.
Fairphone 4 since I like the ethics of the phone (environmental, worker conditions etc) and since I can replace parts of it myself. eg swapping battery or even the screen is trivial and cheap. Good enough performance for me but I'm not running anything special.
I've been running a pixel 5a with GrapheneOS for 1.5 years. I think what surprises me the most is aherence to the moxie school of thought, where everything is completely seamless and easy to run. Everything just "works".
OnePlus 8 Pro but I'm thinking about switching to Pixel 7 Pro, or 8 if I wait long enough.
Does anyone have any experience with Pixels? Are they worth it?
I've used Pixels (and the Nexus line before that) for nearly 9 years and overall they've been great phones. Pixel 4 was really the only dud for me, but I haven't used them all, generally buy a used one every 2 years or so.
Right now I'm using a Pixel 5 which I like, and Mrs tomatobeard has a Pixel 6 which I'm a tad jealous of. Pixels have great Android support/updates, and also have good support in the custom ROM and modding community. My favorite phone ever was a Pixel 2 XL, and when Google stopped supporting it, I switched to Lineage os and kept rocking it for a year or more after.
I adore my Pixel. I jumped on a Pixel 3a many years ago, and it was an incredible phone. There was a brief switch to an iPhone 11 when the Pixel 3a finally bit the dust (I am an abusive phone owner... it had been stepped on, dropped a half dozen or more times sans case, dropped in a lake, skittered across rocks, etc. It finally died because I applied a little pressure to a crack in the screen like an idiot...) but that didn't last long. I jumped right back to the Pixel 6 within a year of having the iPhone.
My main reasons for use were the incredible support, getting constant updates to the OS from Google, and the camera. It was a smooth and pleasant experience all around. I don't think I'll ever own another android phone. If I did switch to a different manufacturer, I'd almost definitely run some kind of custom ROM on it.
Nice try to gain my data ad company!
Samsung A50, the cheapest smart phone I could find 5 years ago and it's still going strong. I really don't get the flagship phone craze. I, as I think most people, only use my phone to browse the web, check emails, sometimes watch a youtube video and well, phone people. This little guy has been perfect for that and has no sign of getting slower. The battery still easily gets me through a day with music listening (love the jack btw), web browsing and even some light GPS use.
Not gonna lie, I sometimes miss having a good camera with me, but after buying a half decent DSLR I'm still at or a bit below what a flagship costs nowadays.
When this phone dies a couple years from now I'll probably just get the new cheapest phone in Samsung's lineup lol.
I don't recommend getting the cheapest. I had a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy A32 two years ago and the camera lens glass just start falling off. Its why I got the iPhone 11 in the first place, because of the perceived quality of Apple products. Now I realized its not an Apple vs Samsung thing, but more of a Low-end vs Flagship thing. The Galaxy A32 issue isnt just one standalone case of unluckily getting a defective device, I know several relatives using that phone (All are T-Mobile versions) that notices they camera lens glass is feeling loose. Lens falling off is somehow considered "physical damage" so Samsung warranty didn't cover it. Many low-end phones are cheap because of lower quality. Paying more usually means higher quality.
Yeah, that's really unfortunate to hear. Gladly I didn't had any build quality issues so I didn't even mentioned that side but you are right in that it's also a pretty important point. Back in the day micro-USB connectors wearing out was a big thing that apple products didn't suffered from but that's been solved with type-c. Other than that I've been pretty lucky with my phones not falling apart on me.
Xiaomi Redmi 9T because cheap. I won't reply.
Currently using a Pixel (Pixel 6 Pro) because it's the only line of phones that support GrapheneOS
Samsung zfold 4, because I fell in love with the fold the moment I saw it. I'm a bit sad that my favourite launcher doesn't know what to do with the fold, but even with the crappy Samsung launcher, it's still an amazing phone.
LG G7 Thinq. It had all the features I wanted and was a good price. I actually did look around a month ago and nothing else on the market compares even years after it came out (I could get close to what I wanted but I would need to go high end) which is a shame bc I'll have to switch for 5G at some point. Google and Samsung removed the 3.5mm jack so I'll never buy from them.
I've got the G8 and I love the thing, but I'm one of like three LG fanboys in existence. The headphone jack isn't an afterthought, they actually put some decent tech into it. Apparently. I'm not really an audiophile.
Unfortunately LG has stopped making smartphones and my next device will probably be a Pixel unless someone has a better recommendation (and the few times I've had to use a Samsung I've hated it, I prefer a closer to stock Android experience).
Same, I didn't bother upgrading to the G8 because of that. I wouldn't get a pixel bc they removed the headphone jack. I actually was leaning towards the sony xperia line but it's not sold in my country. The CAT smartphone meets the specs I want but it's expensive. I just replaced the battery in my g7 so I hope to get another year at least out of it and hopefully something better gets released.
Pixel 4, and lineage os. Privacy and limited google apps.
I recommend grapheneos.org they offer regular and timely updates and offer a lot of very good security features such as contact/storage permission scopes (choose what contacts/files an app can access instead if being forced to allow all access or no access. I recommend at least giving it a look. I think you'll love it if you want privacy and security. Have a look at the website, they offer way more than I have typed here. If you have questions I can answer them
Android for me, currently the Pixel 7.
I've used almost everything at this point. Apple iOS, Android, blackberry (both pre and post android), even Windows Mobile for a while..... I enjoyed Windows Mobile for the time, since it was good for my specific application of the technology, but that was before Android, and during the early days of android.... I stopped using it because they stopped making anything good that ran it.
I moved on to Android with the Motorola Milestone (aka the DROID), but also made my way through several HTC phones as well, eventually landing on pure android with the Nexus line, and eventually Pixel.
During all of this, I hopped through several blackberry phones for work, including pre-android versions, and later worked with several android-based versions of the same, a few years ago I picked up an iPhone to compare and learn more about iOS, because I do tech work and knowing a diversity of things is important for my work; so I carried around an iPhone for many years as well, as a work phone.
After all of that, Android is still my pick. Specifically the unflavored android from Google via the Pixel.
I don't hate iPhone at all, I just don't prefer the stock keyboard, the gesture controls, or the navigation of it compared to android. I still use the three button nav on my Pixel instead of the gesture controls. I also don't like how many controls for apple are at the top of the screen for some reason so I'm constantly stretching my hand to hit a button. It's all personal preference, and the navigation is competent, I just don't like it as much as I like android.
It doesn't hurt that I can customize my android experience more than I could with iPhone. I don't necessarily want every app I've ever installed on my home screen somewhere.
That's just what I prefer.
I saw in some other comments of yours you seemed a bit upset at tech spying on you. Since you already have a pixel, have you looked at GrapheneOS?
Not really.
I recognize that I'm being spied on, it doesn't necessarily bother me all that much.... For me it comes down to trust, whether you trust the entity that's collecting your data to responsibly store it, properly anonymise it, and properly use it for their stated purposes.
I'm not going to say I trust Google, given most of my things are Google related (we use nest home minis around the house, and Chromecasts, etc)... But I believe they're trying to be responsible with the data they collect, primarily that they're using it mostly for Adsense, and their own internal algorithms to basically customize their sites for you. YouTube recommendations, search results, etc.... Not just flapping your personal information in the breeze for anyone to look at... Like Facebook and company generally does if you throw enough money at them.
I have to pick my battles. Too much to do in my field. If I spend all my time considering the tinfoil hat arguments, then I'll spend my time doing essentially only that.
Galaxy J7. It's incredibly slow, I can't flash it or root it. But it runs what I need, unlike Apple would, and the battery is still great after 6 years and it has a headphone jack.
Motorola One Action. Close to stock Android, good enough for what i need, and it was cheap. That last one was the real reason to get it, if I'm honest...
Edit: Seeing mentions of the fairphone, i looked into that but when i needed a new phone, the existing version (2?) Was quite outdated. It's a contender for my next phone, though. Hopefully not for a while.
I'm itching for a Fairphone, but they only ship inside Europe. ๐ฅฒ
EDIT: They ship inside the continental Europa and to the UK.
Hmm, I'm in Canada, but that could be worked out. I guess the other question is if it's compatible with the networks here?
I am using a Google Pixel 6a with stock Android.
I bought the smartphone in short notice only because I was sick of OnePlus Nord 2 5G adjusting the settings for me. With a Google Pixel device, I am in charge for real! ๐ I am done with Chinese shit ๐ Too much control.
Then why not root OnePlus Nord 2 and install a custom ROM? Na, I am too much of a coward to do that. Am afraid of bricking the phone like what I did with my Samsung Galaxy S III Mini. After that, I told myself, no more custom ROMs.
Maybe I've gotten lucky, but I've messed up flashing many things over the years and never permanently bricked anything. Or maybe it's less of a risk on modern devices?
Yeah, maybe you are lucky ๐ I have no clue if modern smartphone are harder to brick, though.
I am using Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G with PixelOS (custom ROM) for unlimited Google Photos original quality backup, Overview Selection and no stock YouTube (I use Revanced Extended). All apps work fine with root as well as it gets timely updates with features. Also, it has 12 5G bands, most of which are supported in my country. It's sleek and light (158g) which makes handling it easier. I hate MIUI because of ads and so removed it after 7 days of buying it. Will think of flashing /e/OS later (never thought they will support my device but they do not).
Galaxy S22, iPhone is too locked down for me.
I went with the S22 because it's decent and looks great, also one of the smallest high-end phones available.
Samsung sucks though, there is far too much bloat you have to get rid off. The Galaxy store also likes to hijack updates from a few of my apps.
I'd say there still is no perfect phone unfortunately. Maybe a Google Pixel that looks like a S22 and has a more scratch resistant screen. My screen already has two scratches just from being in my pocket. They made the glass more drop resistant, but now it still shatters if you drop it and it scratches more easily :-/
You sound exactly like me, you've got to try a free as in freedom android distro like GraphineOS or CalyxOS (these need a google pixel since ATM these pixel phones are the most developer friendly, they just work with AOSP and so mostly just work with free disrtos). I can't say much for Graphine since i didn't use it. But Calyx has been wonderful, and its set it and forget it, seamless automatic updates, no manual maintanance. As for the glass a nice screen protector will help that, and as a bonus: if you drop it hard the screen protector breaks, spearing your screen.
I did try custom OS in the past (Even overclocked my original Galaxy S), but they all had issues. Or were slow on updates and so on. Out of the box works best for me, I already tinker enough at work, I want my phone to just run :)
Not a fan of screen protectors, they all don't have great reviews, even the expensive glass ones. I also use the phone without a case, so the protector would make the handling of it worse unfortunately.
What i like about CalyxOS is that it does just run, better than any stock OS ive ever used, updates are automatic and seemless, and its painless and east to install free as in freedom software that respects you.
On the screen protector issue, it really just sounds like you like to break so you can upgrade xD
I haven't broken a single phone in the last 20 years :) Not even a screen crack.
My old phones all still work, including a Galaxy S, OnePlus One, OnePlus 5 and now my Galaxy S22. I have even older phones, but I can't remember their names.
Damn Galaxy S22 scratches like hell though, making the glass softer was a mistake.
I drop shit all the time xD Thats an incredible track record! You wouldn't happen do do incredibility precise work with your hands, like surgery, or small scale models, would you?
No, I'm clumsy as shit, I nearly broke a toe once running against a door frame.
With my older phones I always used cases, so even if I did drop it (which happened rarely) nothing happened. With the S22.. I'm going without a case, so far only tiny drops (like out of my jeans when sitting down on the toilet). Knock on wood, it survived so far.
Next phone gets a case again, damn screen scratches :)
iPhone 12 mini, latest OS. I am a little worried about the whole App Store policies thing, but I also think Apple gets enough things right that Iโll give them the benefit of the doubt until they actually do something stupid. Iโm hoping theyโll come back to something comparable to the mini form factor again. Iโve always preferred the smaller sized phones with the idea that Iโll just move to a computer or tablet if I need something bigger. I donโt want to carry a larger phone all day.
Interesting to see so many Android comments. I think it goes to show the demographics of people that are using Lemmy compared to other platforms.
iOS is the most secure platform for 99.99% of people. Custom ROMs on Android got harder and harder to deal with. De-Googlifying made life so difficult. I finally gave up and jumped to iOS and knowing that I'll have day one updates for 5+ years on any phone is such a relief.
Everything is backed up, E2EE, and just easy. I used to think about smartphones all the time... Now I hardly ever do.
Switched over for the same reason. So much peace.
There was a time when it was true that using a non-stock android distro was hard, I use CalyxOS now, i installed it by plugging it in and running the installer on my computer, and i never had to think about it again, just installs the OS updates in the background every couple weeks.
As for the idea that an iPhone is more secure, thats very unlikely to be true since the code is secret, so its apple V. every govt and millions of other adversaries, their licensing makes them alone in that battle, security researchers are not allowed to help. There is no indication that one should place any trust in them and plenty of indication that it is foolish to do so. Apple products are statistically garenteed to be insecure in ways that Apple cannot yet see and that the public has no hope of seeing either. And they are surely insecure in ways that are profitable to Apple because well profit is the whole point.
I suppose willful ignorance is willful bliss.
Well I didn't say it was more secure, I said it was the most secure for most people, which it is.
Also mostly happy with my iPhone 12 mini
My only real gripe with it is that I want a better camera.
I can sideload or mod enough with scripts to suit my purposes, so no issue as far as flexibility goes. But I want better quality photos and videos without having to lug out the โrealโ gear on a trail run.
Chaps my ass that phones just keep getting bigger, and the miniโs been all but phased out. Iโm a small person with proportionately small hands. Why stop making phones we can fully fit in the back pocket of womenโs jeans, or use with (mostly) one hand?
Fairphone 3 with /e/OS
Recently got a refurbished S20 ultra for the 5g.
This thing is great. 12 gb of ram, 128 gb internal storage, microsd slot up to 1tb, 108 MP camera...
I worked in a refurbishing warehouse of Cisco products, so I know they're good to go, so I always buy refurbished electronics when I can. Got the phone for $350, learned later that it retailed for like $1200 or something when it was released.
This thing is tits.
I have a Poco x3 NFC because it's cheap for the hardware it delivers and I have no money to buy a Pixel Phone ..it runs Lineage OS with microg to degoogle it
Poco X3 NFC with LineageOS.
200,-โฌ price, excellent photo quality if paired with fitting GCAM mod (AGC) plus config. Powerful enough as daily driver, privacy-frieendly enough after some simple changes, runs everything I need & if it drops & breaks (2 kids at home...) it's an affordable loss (I'm diligent about backups).
Android. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Fold4.
My S9 died a month ago and I really couldn't find another phone that I was excited about. Nothing really had any "cool" factors about them. Many of them felt almost like downgrades compared to my S9. Lack of headphones jack, SD card reader etc...
The Fold4 was above my price range but i found one on eBay for $750 so i grabbed it.
So far I am liking it. It is bigger then I would have liked but the foldings screen is super nice you can have apps side by side. Great for multitasking. I also do a lot of remote access to my desktop and a large screen is perfect for that.
pixel 6 pro in order to use graphene os
Been using pixels since the first one, and I liked the 6 so much I bought a second one just for GrapheneOS
Poco X3 NFC with a custom ROM, i bought it because it is cheap and it's great for buildbotting.
iPhone 11, bought three years ago. I chose it mainly because of its good battery life, since the only feature I really care about my phone
Pixel 3 with CalyxOS.
Picked it because I don't want to spend $500+ on a new phone and I want to be able to control my OS. Just buying the phone and using Android on it to going to CalyxOS saw a huge increase in performance, theoretically because it's not working to process all the data collection. My phone should be MY phone and not someone else's bottom line.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, no custom rom so I'm on One UI, Nova Launcher.
My last phone's charging port had gotten loose, and didn't consistently charge unless held at a specific angle, and at the time the A52 seemed to hit a sweet spot of power vs price. It also still has a microsd card slot and a headphone jack, which were must haves for me.
Historically:
My first "Smart Device" was an iTouch around a year after they first came out. I was already into "jailbreaking" things from my Wii and PSP, my main media player was an iPod nano with rockbox on it, and in college I bought a cheap router then installed DD-wrt on it so it performed above its price range. I was all about controlling and tweaking my stuff. Then I got a hand me down Android when my dad upgraded his phone and haven't looked back.
Still haven't rooted any Androids yet. Not too much I've wanted to do that required it. The few times I have wanted to root, the method has always been too cumbersome to follow up on.
I think that's one of the main advantages of Android for me. So much can be done without root access. Want to change the home screen UI? There's an option in the settings for that, and multiple UIs available on the Play Store. Need more traditional file management? Apps can request storage access, and you have what is essentially a user home directory by default. Want to change your theme? You can.
I've very rarely come across any reason to root my Android device, and as you said, it's usually just not worth the hassle.
Only ever needed root when I used gingerbread devices
Google pixel for the following reasons:
Smart insights via Google assistant:
Bill due soon reminders via Google assistant. It can read my email and remind me of upcoming bills, their amount, who it's too, and when it's due. Sends a notification to the phone.
Finance watchlist notification: at the end of each market day it will send me a notification just showing me how my watchlist performed for the day
Phone:
Call screening, business calls, spam, and robo
Hold for me feature.
Phone trees visual
Visual voicemail - live transcripts
Google translate:
Live translation of audio
Translate any sign or text via Google lens
Search visually via Google lens
Customization
Theme settings independent of device. You can set each app individually. Some apps are better in light mode
Google assistant integration in the phone.
Call and text people, reduce volume, paused
audio, set volume, google search, turn on flash light etc. You can control features of your phone with your voice. It's fantastic.
It's a really smart, smart phone.
Pixel 6A. I like the Stock OS & the camera of the phone. Got it for very cheap as well.
Same! Personally for my uses the camera could be better but it'll do. I have a professional camera anyway
iPhone 13 mini. Iโm so sad they discontinued the mini, itโs the perfect phone for me so Iโm holding onto it until it dies which seems to be coming soon :(
100% agree. Itโs the perfect size and nothing similar exists afaik.
Iโll also be keeping it until it completely dies, but will no doubt be replacing the battery and other components if possible, unless Apple has a change of heart and releases a new iPhone Mini.
Pixel 4a because it was the newest cheapest Pixel at the time and I wanted to run GrapheneOS. Ended up switching back to Calyx and eventually to stock after I realised I was sacrificing a lot more convenience than I wanted.
Yeah, being able to run other os is part of what got me on pixels to start with. But, honestly they're just nice phones. Currently have 3 pixel 6as and a pixel 6
What is your plan for when the EOL for stock updates comes (around this august iirc)?
I think I might just flash LineageOS.
probably start shopping for a new phone. The battery is dying and I'm not sure if it's worth repairing.
Does LineageOS not go EOL at the same time? I thought they followed the security update cycle
I'm an advocate for fixing if you can, the phone still feels as snappy as it used to and I really like it's size and weight.
A new battery is as cheap as 7$ on AliExpress.
Actually I am not sure what determines EOL for custom ROMs... Maybe it has to do with the firmware not being updated by Google? Although I read somewhere it has something to do with the kernel version - which I'm not sure why you can't update?
Maybe someone with more knowledge on the topic can enlighten me.
iPhone 14 Pro Max. I know, I know, but the battery life canโt be beat. Great speaker, screen and camera too. Used to have a Huawei P30 Pro that was awesome though
Still rocking the galaxy S9+.
My original one died a year ago and I tried the pixel 6, s22+, Asus Zenfone 9, and ROG phone 2, but nothing came close to being as nice to use, (no headphone jack, buggy software, little customization) so I got another s9+!
Motorola Edge 30. Really close to stock Android and no much bloatware. Will be switching to a Pixel soon.
OnePlus 11 Pro, highly customised UI, rooted, and propped up security.
Will never touch an iPhone with their clumsy unintuitive OS, nor an Android where I can't get root access to remove all the unnecessary clutter and harden the OS.
Using Xiaomi 12T Pro running xiaomi.eu rom on it.
At first I didn't like their ui but now I think it's pretty good. I used to go for AOSP roms but I'm getting used to MIUI now.
I don't want to install nothing that isn't the default stock though, with some changes in this vs, but stock.
In the last I'd instal a custom rom as soon as I got a new phone (Cyanogenmod or wtv name they came with after), but after 4 years or so of doing this I noticed that my pictures looked like crap when compared to photos with the stock rom.
Apparently it was due to drivers and some of the drivers not being public.
At the time whenever I went on vacations, is change back to stock to have the best photos possible.
But I don't really feel like doing that all over again.
I've got the OnePlus Nord 2 Pac-Man Edition running OxygenOS (Android) and I plan to use it as long as possible before switching to Fairphone eventually
OnePlus Nord gang gang, I'm on a Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. I'll probably flash LineageOS once support is available. Fairphone seems nice but it's hard to get where I live. :/
Yeah. I've been on the OnePlus boat since the 3T and tbh. I was about to buy a Fairphone instead of the Nord2 but then they released the Pac-Man Edition which has a backside that glows in the dark and a cover that has dots and lines with small prisms. Usually it would look silver but as soon as f.ex. sunlight hits these spots they start to reflect different rainbow colours.
Motorola Moto G8 Power Lite. It was โฌ130, good battery, no bloatware, does all the things I need from a smartphone even if the touchscreen is starting to freak out from time to time. Probably need to change the display but I'm broke atm
Still rocking my Oneplus 7Pro but thinking I might want to upgrade to the new Google Pixel 8 when it comes out. I like stock Android and Google phones have been pretty nice from what I've seen and from the little amount of time I've used and played with them in stores. I like the ability to install a privacy focused rom like GrapheneOS too. But the only thing now holding me back from deciding on the Pixel 8 is the temperature reader like that's something I know I won't be using and I don't want to be paying for that when I know I won't be using that feature.
I'm using Samsung Galaxy A51 just because my grandfather repairs those and gave it to me. And default OneUI android that the phone ships with, because I'm afraid of rooting.
I'm getting a Sony Xperia 10 III cause one can also install SailfishOS on it.
Sony provides AOSP for their phones, and a headphone Jack.
Fairphone 4 because I like the idea of a repairable, sustainable phone. Microg LineageOS because want to avoid google as much as I can (within reason).
using galaxy note 20. I upgraded to this from a note 9. once I started using the stylus I can't go back now. also can't really upgrade to anything because nothing takes an SD card anymore. maybe there will be a leap in phone case technology that incorporates SD readers in the case and I can feel comfortable getting a new phone in a year or two.
s8+ cuz i loved the curves, /e/OS cuz that was the only one fully functional with my model
Samsung s10+ and I bought it so I could flash lineageOS on it. I only exclusively buy phones that can handle Lineage now. I'll rock this one until it dies or the battery gets too degraded and then buy another lineage comparable phone and continue the cycle. Each phone usually lasts around 4-5 years.
nokia G50. default. invincible. dropped it 100 times, even once in the toilet and it still runs perfect.
Google Pixel 7 Pro with Google's Android. I've always used Nexus and Pixel phones because on my daily driver I want the stock Android experience with no vendor skins or bloatware, as well as regular system updates and security patches.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ because refurbished it's affordable, has 256GB standard storage and a micro SD slot. Oh and 12GB of RAM. I also have a Tab s7+ and buds 2 and like how they work together. I'm not opposed to iOS, in fact I use a MacBook pro daily, but if those stingy fucks won't start offering decent storage on base model phones, I'm not interested.
Xiaomi Mi10 Lite with stock firmware. Xiaomi QIN22F as a second phone. I've tried some third-party Android variations, but none of them, including LineageOS, I liked to use. Or rather I liked LineageOS when it was still CyanogwenMod, and then, as usual, everything went wrong.
I've got an oppo reno8. Before I got this phone I promised myself I'd do a bunch of research to find a phone that was better than what I had, and that I could root.
In the end life got in the way and I just got a higher number phone (went from oppo reno 4 to 8) because I knew the phone was OK. Kinda regret it now
Samsung galaxy s9.
Secure Folder let's me put my ms exchange work email on without my employer being able to remote wipe my phone
Poco X3 pro with stock because it is a lot of phone for the money.
Bought it to install Lineageos, then never got round to it.
iPhone 12 Pro.
I don't own it because it's a great experience, I own it for the ecosystem. I use a Mac as my daily driver and an iPad as a reader/tablet. Then I bought AirPods, because they switch easily between all my devices. Then I subscribed to the Apple Music Family Plan where they support spatial audio on said AirPods. The list goes on.
The best phone I ever owned was a OnePlus 7 Pro, but as a Mac user, it was just too much of a hassle.
I have a Motorola Moto G Power 2021 that I use for software testing that I LOVE, but it will never be my primary phone.
Pixel4a running CalyxOS
I'm rocking a pixel 6 pro. I like having the option of being able to unlock the bootloader and install custom roms, and the easy access to reflash the official os with just adb/fastboot as opposed to other androids requiring extra tools. Getting updates every month is also important to me.
Android (stock, for now) on a Pixel 6. As for why, I'm the "weirdo" in the peer group that uses Linux and Lemmy, so why wouldn't it track that I'd be the one messing up video quality on group texts with my green bubble?
Lol people still use SMS/iMessage? I mean aren't people these days using discord for grouo chat?
It's everywhere in the US. People really care about this, and this is why iPhones have 90% market share in both my high school and at my university.
A lot more use discord I noticed which isn't much more secure IMO only slightly better, but still not E2EE
You could try using Beeper, it's a messaging app that is basically just a bunch of matrix bridges setup for you. Or since you mentioned you use Linux maybe a mac vm with AirMessage.
All of my mobile devices use some Linux based operating system. I have a PinePhone running Mobian, a moto g7 play running LineageOS, and a Samsung Galaxy Tab s6e also running LineageOS.
I would prefer a GNU/Linux operating system like Debian to Android as I feel I have more freedom and power with a traditional GNU/Linux system, although I have come to accept that ungoogled Android operating systems can be just as good if the proprietary Google services and proprietary apps are avoided. I'd like to give the PinePhone another try as daily driver especially since Debian 12 has been released.
Edit: As for Apple, being locked out of installing your own apps from outside the Apple market is reason enough to avoid iOS. As a free software user I don't think any perceived security or privacy benefits justify the massive decrease in freedom. I also would not say Apple is merely "mildly annoying" https://stallman.org/apple.html
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G, I've been using Xiaomi for 6 years now, I always had really bad phones until i bought a Redmi 6A, Really good phone and I've used this brand since
I used a Redmi 9 for a while, pretty good phone with everything I wanted (Headphones, SD, NFC etc.)
I followed this guide to remove the bloatware, and disabled all animations in Developer options, and it was a capable and speedy phone
Hey, my phone was working slowly, after disabling all animations it's much snappier. I also debloated this phone with the universal android debloater
iPhone 13 Pro Max. Switched over from android (Galaxy S6) when the iPhone X came out, used that for 4 years, decided I liked it better than android due to iMessage, upgraded when it was time. I mostly use my phone for texting and browsing Reddit (RIP Apollo)
Poco F3 Using degoogled Crdroid. It works fine and I am getting monthly security aptches om the air.
Nice!
I run a oneplus one, with lineageOS 18 and magisk. I am able to do banking, UPI(a quick form of banking in my country), document management(digilocker, for official govt issued documents), social media, etc.
It's slow sometimes but if you can ensure it doesn't heat up, it's a really good setup.
It's a hand-me-down, one of the best handmedowns anyone could want
Motorola Edge 20 Lite. I switched from Pixel 4a, because the Battery was weak and there was no SD Card Port.
I am very Happy with the Motorola now!
I've got this Huawei P20 lite since 2018 and it's the best phone I've owned. Still rock solid. Unfortunately it's android 9 and OS updates stopped being rolled out in 2022.
If I could I would buy a Huawei again, but it's kind of out of market here. I'm evaluating something from the same manufacturing chain (Honor phones I believe?)
iOS, iPhone X currently. Still works fine so haven't felt much pressure to upgrade. Battery still great, performance is good. I don't use my phone for pictures so haven't needed a better camera.
I have considered changing brands when I next upgrade, I would sorta like to get a Huawei phone. I am just so used to iOS at this point, I am worried about the learning curve. I struggle to use other phone OS the same way I struggle to use non-Nikon cameras, my brain just refuses to work right. Throw me down in front of a new desktop OS and I will usually grasp it instantly. It's weird.
Samsung Galaxy S22.
Wanted it to be an upgrade from my dying OnePlus 6, but smaller.
Not much choice for small, but beefy phone.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, I've been a fan of the Note series for a while when I was at university, and 5G was shiny and new so I went and got that. Android is/was my bread and butter there, I like the flexibility the Play Store has compared to the iOS App Store (i.e. I can have RetroArch)
I don't really use the Note features as much now and 5G is a bit useless for me right now, and I have a Steam Deck so emulation isn't really a thing I do on my phone. I might go iPhone in the future for that reason.
Poco F2 Pro (lmi) with the custom ROM Paranoid Android CAF based A13.
I liked MIUI, but nothing beats the Pixel like experience!
iPhone 14 pro max.
Upgrade from iPhone X that I bought 4 years ago? I want my phone to be stupidly simple and iPhone has always done that for me. I use my phone for everything and barely use my computer anymore so I went all in on it.
Galaxy S23, because I use Android for 13 years now (no Apple devices for me) and it is one of the few smaller devices. Also great battery life, performance (finally Snapdragon in Europe) and very long update support.
Stock Android, Galaxy S21.
I wanted a smaller footprint phone with wireless charging, if not for the last part I'd go for Asus Zenfone 8.
I'm planning to switch to Zenfone 10 when it comes out this summer.
Galaxy S23+ here, had the S10 and S7 before that. Great cameras (it matters to me) and very durable phones once you put them in a good case. The S23+ is easier on my old eyes and I easily get 3+ days battery life out of it. Samsung has also done a nice job slimming down the UI but I use the Nova launcher anyway.
Exactly my last phones and experience :) Plus Samsung has a good update policy compared to many other androids.
Nothing Phone 1. Using it because looks amazing
Oneplus 6T with Ubuntu Touch/LineageOS Dualboot
An iPhone 12 mini Running IOS 17 Developer Beta 2
I'm now on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Moved from an iPhone 12 Pro mainly because the Truecaller app could not block numerous spam calls I got daily, and the S23 Ultra camera was about good enough to be a sideways migration (iPhone's macro photos are better but S23's zoom is way better).
I was previously on Android (and before that a jailbroken iPhone) but I've finally realised that the eco-system lock-in grates on me every time I use an iPhone (I'm now sitting with AirTags that don't work with my Samsung phone). But that said, iPhone is a quality phone and does do really great photos.
iPhone here.
Even though I use Linux on my laptops/desktop I feel as if the ancillary Apple ecosystem cannot be beat. I use the Apple TV along with it and it just works too well and without ads. Not to mention the Apple Watch
I also have my diabetic equipment paired to it. My insulin pump and glucose monitor work with my phone. (Only supported on iPhone atm)
Good point on the ecosystem. Iโm a bit of an odd one out in that I started using Mac for OS X, and then started getting all the other Apple stuff because of my experience there. Oddly enough I donโt think MacOS offers that much more for day to day usage than I get from Windows. With BootCamp Iโm probably 50/50 MacOS/Windows, depending what specific software I feel works best/is available on either platform. I canโt imagine using any other platform for all the other gadgets though; Apple Watch, Apple TV, iPhone all feel generations ahead of the competition and that integration is probably whatโs going to keep me anchored on MacOS too. Honourable mention for my UnRaid box that handles a lot of my background things like backups and media storage/service. Sometimes I like things that I can tinker with, and some I need to just work. Apple does a great job on the things I need to be reliable.
Samsung S20 FE 5G
I don't really love Samsung. I've had it for maybe 2 years now, I think? But it stutters at times and I feel sometimes is slower that it should be.
But I went with it because of price + 5G + NFC. Poor battery, but has fast charge and I no longer have a need for prolonged periods without charging. Kinda satisfactory phone, tho.
Samsung Galaxy A33 5G.
I kinda prefer One UI over other brands' takes on Android.
Android 11 on Oneplus 8t, I chose it because at the time I liked one plus before the oppo merge. I have not updated because they completely overhaul the ux with oppos software and I really didn't like how it worked and I couldn't make it work how I wanted.
Android, because a) I planned to do some app programming and b) I didn't want to step into Apple's walled garden and Microsoft couldn't be relied upon to stick with it (and didn't).
Samsung because it's pretty much the only player that isn't a Chinese company.
OnePlus 11. Previous phone was the OnePlus 6 which I loved a tonne, but it eventually became a bit too slow for me. I almost picked a Pixel phone as I don't agree with OnePlus moving away from the stock android look in favour of Oxygen OS and the overall cost of their latest flagships, but it was good to see a shift back in the right direction with the OP11. Love this phone even if it isn't completely the same as stock.
I love my oneplus 11. It's my first oneplus and I highly recommend it.
However, I speed using it this week and went back to my xperia V ii because YouTube music and android auto won't stay connected while driving. It's only with the oneplus 11. Hopefully they fix it, but it makes my daily commute hell.
how is the camera on that? disappointed with my OnePlus 8pro in that regard.
Android One is distributed by Google rather than the handset manufacturer. I'm not stuck with a manufacturers reluctance to offer updates for last year's model as a driver for more sales of this year's model.
Android One is free of manufacturer bloatware.
Redmi Note 10 Pro with custom ROM (right now A13 based SparkOS, but I switch them from time to time).
I have gms installed, but there's always an option to use vanilla version.
I'm looking to switch to LibreMobile OS (https://libremobileos.com/) for my second device, which is currently running Crdroid (also A13)
Samsung Flip 3 because it folds. I like having a compact phone. (I sometimes miss my iPhone SE)
Samsung Galaxy S10e because it's the smallest I could reasonably get.
I bought a Samsung something-something because it was 200โฌ and it fits in my pocket.
Pixel 6 and Android. Google lets you easily unlock the bootloader.
Motorola One 5G Ace.
Every time I've had to get a new phone, I've gone on GSMArena and to me it always seems Motorola's midranges have the best bang for your buck, at least in my price range. I kinda don't like how they promised Android 12 and didn't deliver, but I've heard some things that make me think that's a blessing in disguise.
Even if I could go iPhone, I wouldn't, I like having control that Apple won't allow me. I probably wouldn't go more expensive if I could either (there's a part of me that wants a Razr for coolness reasons, but I know foldables are still super fragile)
Redmi Note 11. Cheap but good.
iPhone 12, wanted something that would be supported for a long time and with prompt security updates. Also have an iPad and Apple Watch so the integration is nice. On the desktop though I run Kubuntu which would integrate better with Android.
Mi 11 Lite 5G + Lineage OS. After lesa tham two years, GPS, Mobile data and WiFi to some extentstoppedworkingi.
I didn't like where the newer OS versions on my Oneplus 7 pro were going and I couldn't for the life of me get my bank app to work with a custom ROM. It was around this time I found out that Apple does 6-7 years of software updates and to be fair, I'd never heard any of the iOS users in my circles complain about any iOS updates. So I bought an iPhone 13 mini last year.
I'd previously had some phones with relatively vanilla Android (quite good) and I'd tried other peoples' Samsungs in about 2011 or 2012 and that alone was enough that I decided never to buy one (no matter how good they may be now - in the early 2010s they were borderline unusable compared to something like the Xperia lineup).
Had Google announced the in-house designed SoC a few years earlier for there to be a 2nd or 3rd generation out by the time I switched, I might have chosen to remain with Android. But at the time we were on generation 1 of Tensor with lots of people complaining the phones weren't behaving nicely with Android 12 and going with anything with a Snapdragon SoC would've meant max 3 major versions of Android updates.
One Plus 9 5g. I fucking hate this phone. I was in love with the One Plus 6t. Amazing flagship killer but the 9 is full of bugs and memory leakage that have only gotten worse since the update to Android Oxygen.
Redmi note 8 with ArrowOS at the moment. I was using lineage on this and the note 5 before the 8 but there was a significant bug so landed on Arrow.
Samsung Note 10+, i read manga so large screen is nice for that, and at the time i bought it it was among the largest screens, i also really like the pen, and use it for quick note taking. It was also my first large purchase after getting a new job, so that was fun.
Oneplus Nord, about to swith to Xiaomi 12 or 13 or Pixel 7 Pro, as soon as I find out what's better for me (feel free to give advice and IRL experience!)
I'm using a Redmagic 8 Pro since February - loving it so far, besides cleaning the fan area.
I use two phones, both a Samsung. A Galaxy A23 and a A52s. Waiting to get another
I like to get new phones a lot. Itโs something I use constantly for work etc. And I like the resell value of iPhones.
Android 12 on my Moto G Stylus 5G (2022).
This phone is an overall excellent value in the US. A drawback to some is the paucity of Android updates, but the new restrictions present in Android 14 have me relieved that I bought a phone that will never "upgrade" to that OS.
Samsung galaxy s20+
Had it 2 years, no complaints. Battery life and storage are good. Would never have an iPhone due to their restrictions on apps as you've touched upon.
Pixel 6a, it's functional, effective, decent quality, budget, etc. That's it really.
Moto g32. Wanted something as stock rom as possible, with headphone jack, reasonable camera, somewhat decent battery life and horsepower under the hood at a decent price (less than $200).
I'm looking for XDA guys to develop a lineageOS rom for this phone, and it will be my "I'm at home" of phone.
I chose Pixel, after few months running stock android builds on xioami phones. And I like it, its not overbloated, and if you want you can run grapheneos there.
Plain old Android on a Samsung galaxy A-series.
I'm on Android partially out of familiarity - my first smartphone was a Samsung - but also because I like options! Let me theme it, let me use other app stores, let me install a custom OS if I feel like trying! (Mind you, I've also bricked an old phone but that was choice to try and fail miserably.)
My only requirements were:
released within the last year
high refresh rate screen
relatively small (similar in size to my pixel 5)
That meant there were only two phones I could buy, the galaxy S23 and the iPhone 14 Pro. I ended up buying the S23 because it was half the price, and I was "afraid" I wouldn't like iOS.
So far the S23 has been a great update compared to the pixel 5, with the exception of the cameras which were a clear downgrade imo.
I'm waiting for a waydroid to become usable on linux phones. Then I'll ditch android for a more open ecosystem.
but its Android for now.
Samsung XCover Pro 6. Because it's the only phone out there with a removable battery on the fly. Takes me 15 seconds to pop in my second fully charged battery. Because I'm ADD and constantly forget to charge my phone. When I'm out the door about to drive my 55 mile commute to work I want a fully charged battery and my car won't charge the battery properly.
Oh, and it's INDESTRUCTIBLE. I fell with the phone in my right hand, landed my full 200 lb on my hand, phone back against the bike path asphalt, phone back sliding on asphalt for 2 feet with my full fallen 200 lb landing only on the phone. I ask friends to point out the scratch on the case from the fall, and they can't until I point it out to them.
Huh, interesting choice. I think a normal non-rugged phone with a case is still a better option. Power banks > swappable batteries in my opinion. I always put a powerbank in my pocket and whenever I'm not using it, I just connect it to my powerbank and leave both in my pocket, so I never have low battery on my phone and I have zero downtime. Speaking of downtime, make sure you disable automatic updates on your phone, I read a news story about someone needing to make an emergency call and found out their phone was automatically updating. Best time to update is when you are certain that there wouldn't be an emergency for the duration of the update. Preferrably when you are near family members so you can use their phone if there's an emergency.
Anyways, isn't the Xcover for corporation only? How did you manage to buy it for personal use?
I use OnePlus 7t. I got it because OnePlus's good lineageos support. However OnePlus 7t is particular is buggy in lineage, and their Oxygen OS (reads "color os") is a pure piece of shit and it is getting more and more irritating by the day.
If it is not the fact that most electronic waste are terrible for the environment, I would stab it with a thousand knife, and throw it to a rock near the river and get a pixel.
I would get a fairphone, but they don't ship where I live, unfortunately.
I got an S20FE because the screen on my s8+ was smashed to hell. I like the size, flat screen, it was relatively cheap at the time ~$500, it has expandable storage, a high end chipset, and 120hz screen. Overall, I love this phone, have no regrets buying it. Hoping I can hold onto it for a few more years haha
S20 FE 5g (8gb ram- 128gb rom - Snapdragon cip) I got this buddy 2 years ago and I still think is one of the best deals I've ever made. Two years later is still super fast and can deal with anything form gaming to app, the camera is great an full of functions, the screen is a "samsung" and the fast charging works great. The battery can easily last one day and half, if not two. The Sam OS is a bit heavy (on other phones) but is very versatile and customizable.
A Redmi K50i. I was on a budget and it had the best chip by far...the Dimensity 8100. Also, as an audiophile, the high res headphone jack is a life saver as I don't really need to carry a DAC with me.
Poco X3 NFC with xiaomi.eu ROM.
iPhone and iOS because Iโm used to it, have other gadgets from the ecosystem (MacBook, iPad, Watch) and my employer prefers iOS and well supports macOS.
iPhone SE 2020 here. The main reason I like Apple is because the designs and sizes suit me better. I find that Samsung phones tend to be too big and focus on camera, rather than battery time (which I personally prioritise). I havenโt checked out other alternatives such as OnePlus, Pixel, Motorola since my parents only purchase either iPhone or Samsung. I think if Apple wasnโt so restrictive (their ecosystem), I would like them better (+their prices going down). Itโs difficult finding compact phones that focus on battery time nowadays, as someone who doesnโt care for the cameraโฆ I truly wonder what new phone I will get in a few years.
Iโd been using Android since the iPhone 3GS, but I got tired of the huge Android phones, that I could barely hold properly.
I ended up getting the iPhone 13 Mini. Itโs the perfect size and itโs still a powerful phone.
I also came to love the Apple ecosystem. Everything work so good in tandem.
iPhone 11 iOS 16. Suits my needs pretty well. iOS is just so much nicer to use than android
Nicer to use than a Samsung, sure but not nicer than a real Android.
Is it though? Every Android phone I have encountered (even higher end ones) just seem worse
I recently picked up a Fairphone 4. I got it mostly because of the removable battery and easy repairing, but it's nice to know I'm supporting a manufacturer that cares about sustainability.
Cool, are those the modular ones intended to be able to replace all the different pieces of it?
Yup. Basically every part of the phone is repairable and replaceable. I bought it after I accidentally water damaged my previous phone- an LG V20 that had served me faithfully for almost 6 years. I initially thought I might be able to just replace the display of my V20 because the rest of it works fine, but LG no longer makes phones (and the V20 is an older model), so I didn't have much option.
I use GrapheneOS on Pixel.
Ahh cool, I've messed around with rooting, bootloaders, TWRP, and Lineage OS and all that stuff when I was younger, and I kept bricking my devices. I don't do that anymore nowadays. Too much hassle.
All of that is 100x harder than installing Graphene. Graphene can be installed by almost anyone who can watch this video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAZlmYKrwfk
Apple might turn evil? They have always been evil, and goole is evil to. Try a free android distro like CalyxOS, GraphineOS, LineageOS or /e/OS. This is not a complete list.
Any that can run on a Samsung flagship?
Lineage or Calyx should have you covered.
Pixel 6 Pro running GrapheneOS, which I got a couple months ago. Pixel phones are the only ones compatible with GrapheneOS, otherwise I would've kept my Samsung phone tbh
Practically same story here. Pixel 7 Pro here, also running Graphene. Switched off my trusty Note9 only because graphene only supports Pixels.
So I know I'm in the minority not really caring all that much about the whole Google ecosystem, I enjoy it and how everything stays connected, I'm not necessarily on a crusade to prevent all data tracking on myself and all of that.
I have a Pixel 6 Pro as well and looks like I'm gonna wait until the 9 pro to upgrade again if possible, my 6 pro is over a year old and still showing no signs of stopping, still plenty of power for everything I need it for and beyond. Is there anything beyond de-googling that GrapheneOS provides? Can I stay google-ified while running it? Just trying to see what kind of benefits it provides other than de-googling
Same story as you, afraid of evil corporations, wanting to take more control over my data, so I changed to a pixel 7 pro with GraphenOS.
If you're wondering how buying a phone from Google helps in this you can read the answer in here https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/2989-pixel-phone-vs-samsung-or-others
Currently using a Google Pixel 5 that's running CalyxOS.
Ditched Apple after they initially announced they were going to start screening messages and photos (although they later walked that back). I value privacy, and hence hate Google. But Google do make sole good hardware. CalyxOS allows me to have the best of both worlds... a privacy-centric OS, running on decent hardware that's compatible with any Android app (although you still need to be a little careful what you install from a privacy perspective).
I am aware that more modern Pixel models have been released, but I'm waiting for one that's a little less massive. Every model since the Pixel 5 has been larger than it.
I also have a Pixel 5 and like the size of it. Whenever I handle my wife's Pixel 6 it feels freaking huge.
Was thinking about Calyx or Graphene. Is it pretty low fuss for daily use?
I was on Graphene but switched to Calyx. Personally, I find easier. The integration of microG helps with a few things, such as apps stuck using Google's push notification service and apps that require SafetyNet. I was going to try Graphene again, but I was thinking of waiting for a new phone.
Calyx is very nice. I've found it to be no fuss at all.
iOS because Apple ecosystem is much more convenient and consistent. I do not worry so much about the struggle you mentioned because the EU will fix it (see USB-C, sideoading, more to come)
Fairphone 4.
I don't play demanding games on my phone, so I don't need some overpriced flagship device.
What I do need is a consumer-replaceable battery and as many other parts as I can get. This means I can get replacement rear- and front-facing camera, earpiece, loudspeaker, USB port, display, back cover and of course battery. All from the original vendor and replacement can be done by me, armed with only a small screwdriver and maybe a spudger for the display.
Over all this is probably one of the most repairable phones and I bought it hoping it will last me 10 years.
I'm currently running Iodรฉ (Android) but hope to switch to PostmarketOS in the future. Maybe with a detour via Ubuntu phone.
I wish they brought it to Canada. I already went with a Framework laptop for reparability and would easily jump at the opportunity to buy a fairphone.
I imported mine from the last visit at home. Had to check if it works with Koodo first, too.
And next laptop will definitely be a Framework.
How's the framework? I'm really interested it in. Any downsides?
Absolutely love it. I had an issue with one of the lights on the keyboard, and they sent a new keyboard, which took maybe a minute to replace. Such a smooth, easy repair process. Any other laptop would have been too inconvenient to fix/return.
It's not a gaming machine, but you can use an external GPU or wait for the 16" model to come up later this year, which apparently supports a dedicated GPU.
Lots of new options came out since I got mine, including a Chromebook version, AMD versions, etc. When my wife's laptop dies, I'll be replacing it with a Framework.
Thanks!
I'd love to get one. I know they are trying to keep everything compatible, but I know one day they'll need to introduce a v2 to make the chassis slimmer or something, and I feel like I should wait for that.
I know I will get so deep into the ecosystem just for them to release a v2 and not be able to upgrade my components anymore.
I mean it's just inevitable. There's no way for them to make progress if they are locked into a very specific form factor forever, and I do think the current framework laptops look straight out of 2008.
I can't honestly see them making the chassis slimmer, since it would severely restrict upgradability. But I guess it's possible in the distant future.
But even then, the parts can very easily be repurposed or sold. There are so many new and upcoming projects which use repurposed Framework components to build all sorts of things from desktops PCs to TV media boxes, to gaming consoles, etc.
You could even build your own NAS, surveillance NVR, and more with repurposed parts.
But even if they make a drastic change to the chassis that requires new parts to be purchased, they are very good at giving upgrade paths that make sense and would likely offer options for existing users.
I can tell you that my anxiety over using a device that can't be repaired is long gone. I actually feel like I can really use this laptop without worrying about being SOL if the screen breaks, or the touchpad stops working.
I am very tempted to buy a fair phone. Unfortunately I do play a lot of demanding stuff on my phone occasionally so right now it's not the best option for me...
But I'm hopeful for the future. Someday fair phone will be able to get a phone that is more capable. And I'm jump in no regrets.
I'd get a Fairphone if it worked on Verizon.
I am very tempted to buy a fair phone. Unfortunately I do play a lot of demanding stuff on my phone occasionally so right now it's not the best option for me...
But I'm hopeful for the future. Someday fair phone will be able to get a phone that is more capable. And I'm jump in no regrets.
I am very tempted to buy a fair phone. Unfortunately I do play a lot of demanding stuff on my phone occasionally so right now it's not the best option for me...
But I'm hopeful for the future. Someday fair phone will be able to get a phone that is more capable. And I'm jump in no regrets.
Android because I like the freedom it provides.
As for the phone I'm using. It's a Oneplus 3 I got a few years back, it's falling apart but I can't afford changing it, so I'll be using it till its last breath.
Zed's phone is almost dead, babe. ๐
Xiaomi Mi 10T with LineageOS 19 (there's no v20 for it) I bought it because I needed a new one that supports 5G and didn't cost a fortune.
Next one might be a Fairphone 5 whenever it comes out. Or a Pixel with GrapheneOS.
I'm also interested in a mobile that runs Linux instead of Android (see PinePhone). But there're none that have good/current hardware.
I'd recommend getting that pixel. They have 5 years of support with security patches. Do know that the 5 years is with newer devices from 6/6a & up
Google Pixel 4a with GrapheneOS
nice. +1
Google pixel 6a with grapheneOS
Heya same hereeee โค
Running a Pixel 6 with default OS right now.
Will change to GrapheneOS when it's no longer supported.
Why did I choose it? Because there's no real choice besides Android in the phone world. Apple won't let me install the things I need and is unnecessarily expensive. Plus, the camera is really good.
Problem: even with an alternative operating system, you still don't get security updates for the baseband firmware, and that thing is a huge remote attack surface that, if compromised, grants the attacker unfettered access to the entire phone.
Some new phones isolate the baseband processor from the rest of the system. Only the small independent phone makers like Librem use such a design, though.
GrapheneOS often picks up security flaws in the android open source project and fixes them before google goes. I won't claim they fix everything but I've seen enough examples of things they fix over AOSP that make me doubt they wouldn't have fixed something like that (on top of keeping everything updated). Maybe you weren't referring to Graphene but still worth a shoutout for being a very (the most?) secure operating system.
I'm talking about the baseband, the device that talks to the cell network (among many other functions). It has its own closed-source firmware, no open-source substitute for that firmware exists, and it has full access to the entire system, bypassing the CPU and OS. Installing a different OS will not stop attackers from exploiting vulnerabilities in the baseband firmware and taking over the phone.
Another pixel 6 user here.
I personally chose the Pixel over other Android phones, because Google guarantees 5 years of security updates.
Unlike everyone else, where you're lucky to get even 3 years of updates.
Pixel 7. I bought it with the intention of flashing it with Graphene OS or something along those lines but I enjoy the Pixel features so much that I've left it stock.
I think you should take the plunge, grapheneOS is very easy to install with the web installer https://grapheneos.org/install/web and an overall easy to use and setup os :)
The only reason I haven't is the Pixel OS specific feature set like being able to use text selection/OCR from the task switcher.
Ohh that is valid. I do miss that feature. Hopefully someday it is brought to AOSP
I use Sailfish OS on the Sony Xperia 10 III.
I choose the OS because I wanted a phone OS which would get updates for a long time, which sailfish has a good track record of and I wanted one which ran linux so that I had the normal things I'm used to on the desktop like systemd, pulseaudio, bash, rpm, etc. I did need it to run android for a couple of banking apps and sailfish provide a pretty decent android support layer. It's worked really well, the biggest drawback I'd say is that parts of it are not open source and they're kind of doing their own stuff so while some things do work like KDE apps, other apps would take a lot more effort to get working (gtk apps for example).> Fairphone
Fairphone 4 running /e/OS. I love the modularity, quality and robustness. Just the fact that if I drop my screen I can just replace it for โฌ80 using my own hands.
/e/OS is still in development, which you sometimes notice, but I love its privacy focused aspects. It is decoupled from Google, includes a tracker monitor and blocker, an appstore that can download apps from the Google Play store anonymously and best of all the developers do deliver. All their releases are well tested.
The only thing I struggle with are in app purchases. If they use the Google Play platform they just won't work.
I bought this phone from Murena, which is a branch of the /e/Foundation that sells devices with /e/OS preinstalled.
Having worked at /e/OS, on the microG part, I can tell you that the privacy focus is way less than whatever you think it is. Also, the companies (yes, plural) behind /e/ or whatever it's called now are French, and the French laws regarding government and intelligence agencies access to personal data are lax. By using /e/ and their services, you are not passing data to the US, you are not passing data to China, but rather you are passing data to France and the /e/ team - which if you search around, you might find out that they don't have a really good street cred.
Too bad the Fairphone isn't available outside of Europe.
I have a Google Pixel 2XL running GrapheneOS.
iPhone 11. I agree on the dangers of corps turning evil, but I donโt agree that the solution is to move from โmight turn evil in the futureโ (Apple) to โalready pretty far in the evil campโ (Google). This is already becoming apparent with the enshittification of Google search. Chromium and Android will soon follow.
I am in the same boat, in my world Apple is better than Google. It works a bit better out of the box, and lately I don't use my phone for a lot of things anyway, mostly doomscrolling on reddit (now lemmy).
FairPhone 4 because it is the only phone with removable battery and LineageOS support.
iPhone 8. Iโve had it for 5 years and havenโt had a reason to upgrade. Battery is starting to lose a bit of life so Iโm thinking about a new battery rather than a new phone.
I have the iPhone 13 Mini and since Apple doesnโt make Miniโs anymore, Iโll just be replacing the battery, instead of buying another phone.
I hate how phones got big again. I think the SE is still normal sized.
Same here, I have an IPhone 8. Itโs pretty good, but the battery is somewhat dying too.
A pixel 7a with graphene OS. It's a myth that iOS is more secure than android btw. Both are locked down enough to protect against most threats.
Either one protects you from outside threats, but Android does allow you to do more damage on your own.
If you're smart enough to not install shady apps and give them the rights to absolutely everything, it doesn't matter which one you use, but if your parents or grandparents are getting up there in age and are prone to just clicking on things that look like they should be clicked on, iOS might be safer for them (Android's workflow for installing apps from untrusted sources is just too simple IMO).
I'm a dev / data engineer. Often I hear the argument of, "but Android allows you to...."
I don't want to. Doesn't matter what the end of the sentence is, I don't want to. I love tinkering, but not with my phone. :D
Same tbh. I'm a backend dev. I love tinkering. I have a desktop PC to tinker with, if I fuck up my Gentoo install, I'll just boot into Windows or use my Macbook till I get it fixed. If I fuck up the software on my phone, I won't be able to take phone calls for probably a couple of hours (if it's a simple fuckup) to like half a day or more if I manage to fuck up the recovery or something.
Ends up being that you need a secondary phone to tinker with, but I have little use for two phones, so I don't keep them around much, I'd rather let someone else use my old phones because I don't usually break them.
Android. Pixel 7. Because it's a pretty close to stock experience and Pixels get updates the quickest and most frequent updates compared to other Android phones.
How is it in terms of speed/responsiveness? I've been considering getting one
Every pixel I've ever had has been extremely responsive. My OG Pixel XL, my Pixel 2 XL, my Pixel 4 XL, and my current Pixel 6 Pro were always very responsive and didn't seem to slow down at any point. I'd imagine the OG Pixel XL is probably a little.laggy-feeling compared to the newest pixels but yeah; hate to admit it, because I don't like iPhones, but the Pixel series is like the Iphone of Androids - and only the good things about the iPhone being only manufactured by 1 company - it's the phone of the actual developer of the OS and gets lots of extra features first because of it, only stock OS apps preinstalled except for maybe a carrier app if phone is financed through them (I have the T-Mobile app on my current Pixel, for example). Super nice build quality, I've always ended up being tougher on my phones and the Pixels have held up really really well. Highly recommend them honestly.
I donโt know what rock youโve been living under, but Iโve been using iOS since day one and Apple has been banning apps left and right this entire time. Most just donโt make it on in the first place. Sometimes they sneak hidden features in though like so: https://www.imore.com/game-boy-emulator-sneaks-app-store-disguised-messaging-app
It more like I bought into the peer pressure of getting Apple devices so I started looking past their unethical practices. The apps they ban weren't really the type of apps I'd use. What I'm concerned is that Apple one day just start banning ad-blockers, maybe ban VLC and cite piracy as a justification, banning encryption apps like signal, or banning VPNs (which they did in China, but I don't live there so I kinda ignored it). They hadn't done any of that yet so I just didn't think too much about it, but now I kinda randomly started thinking about it and I switched to Android.
They have the operating system so locked down there arenโt any ad blockers anyways unless you use Safari
Brave on iOS works fine last I used, which was yesterday.
I was actually mistaken, and itโs worse than I realized. You canโt use ad guard in Safari anymore: https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple-neutered-ad-blockers-in-safari-but-unlike-chrome-users-didnt-say-a-thing/
Got a Pixel 4a, which i bought because of the support for custom ROMs. Ran Calyx for a while and now ive been running Graphene for about a year and loving the experience
I'm really intrigued to try it myself. Dismembering the Google ecosystem sounds so good, but I don't know where to start!
I am a heavy daily user of Calendar, Tasks, Photos and Gmail... How do you start disconnecting and porting yourself from Google?
Honestly its a process. You go one thing at a time, and eventually you're google free
I just got Pixel 7. I always disliked those Android versions modified by the manufacturers with preinstalled bloatware and tons od weird features I just never intended to use. I envied more consistent and "seamless" experience Apple users got on their iPhones. However, I didn't want to enter the Apple ecosystem for many reasons like price, moral issues, etc. The Android experience on Pixel is pretty much how I hoped it would be - much cleaner than other brands.
Yeah, I know Google is not great either but TBH I'm mostly stuck with them so instead of sharing my data and money with Samsung and Google, I can share it only with Google. Pixels have a big advantage of having the best support when it comes to custom ROMs so if I ever decide to cut ties with Google as well, I can do that relatively easily.
Pixel running GrapheneOS. Happy to feel like I actually own my own phone now.
๐ซก๐ซก
Apple has always been greedy, in my opinion, but seldom evil.
They are the only major corporation that still makes an effort for privacy (though many people are understandably very skeptical) e.g.
Other reasons I use iOS:
I too rely on governments to rein in their greediness (e.g. Right to Repair, having multiple App Stores, etc.)
That was the reason why I migrated to iPhone last year.
I used Android for many years, but I got tired of vendors stopping system updates after 6 months or so of a model being out.
I keep my phone at least 4-5 years, even more if it doesn't break, and with all the sensitive data and apps we keep on it nowadays (mobile banking, digital identities, authenticators, etc.) it's not acceptable to stay years without security fixes.
It's true that apple devices are expensive but it's enough to not buy the latest models, get a bit older one and you can get it for the same price as a medium-high Android.
CalyxOS on a google pixel.
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!
Easy installation, just unlock the bootloader and enable adb in settings and plug into a computer and run the installer.
CalyxOS is set it and forget it. It will update itself seamlessly unlike other free Androids and unlike stock Androids. No maintainacnce. Support will likely continue after the manufacturer kills off your device.
Automatic updates and one click installs from f-droid. On calyx its even easier to install free as in freedom apps than it is to install the garbage on Google play.
You can still run your shitty non-free apps from google play (using the aurora store, a free as in freedom app to download google play apps from google play) if someone is forcing you to install their crap.
Does it have the issue that rooted devices sometimes have where certain fast food and banking apps don't work?
Currently own a Sony Xperia 1 IV. Been buying Sony phones for about 10 years now. I can hardly break them even without a case, despite being super clumsy, and Sony actually does interesting innovating things that are useful instead of following trends blindly or relying on marketing.
I run a quite degoogled Android 13 atm. Next phone will be a Pixel however, because I wanna switch to GrapheneOS. Wanting to switch OS is also the only reason I even consider a different brand phone.
I hate all mobile operating systems because none of them is able to provide me the level of control I have on my Linux desktops and laptops. But there's nothing I can do about that, so, at least, I bought the best phone on the market - S23 Ultra. It's a lovely device, I just dislike Google. Thinking of de-googling it somehow. F-Droid and Galaxy Store can work as Play Store replacement but I still need Google Pay and so on :/
If only Ubuntu Phone wasn't canceled.
LineageOS for microG might be what you're looking for. It is a compromise to give you the minimum amount of google while keeping the functionality you want. It features "fake" play services, which allow you to use banking apps and such while not actually running google. Itcomes with privileged F-Droid as your standard source for apps. I'm using it since 2019.
Thanks, I'll check this. I'm worried about s-pen functionality and the support provided (the official ROM has 4-5 years of updates) but I'll look into it.
I've been on the same boat. Luckily someone on XDA had made the stock rom googleless and it's been working great. Im not using that gone anymore though (it was either my GSIII or my GS7).
If you are willing to buy a pixel from a store that resells them you'd evade paying google. You can get GrapheneOS which IS a very secure OS ... They have a feature called Sandboxes Google Play which is compatible with overwhelming majority of apps compared to MicroG. I think you'd really like what grapheneOS has to offer
Please know that Sandboxed Google Play does not use any additional privileges and makes googles apps run in sandbox like any random app you install would.
You can do without Google Pay.
But how do I pay then? I don't even take my wallet with me and I don't have a physical VISA anymore. Maybe Samsung Pay could work but it's not supported in my country.
But how do I pay then? I don't even take my wallet with me and I don't have a physical VISA anymore. Maybe Samsung Pay could work but it's not supported in my country.
It's pretty easy to get your bank to send you a new physical card. If you don't have a wallet anymore, then just carry the card, or get an ultra thin RFID blocking wallet.
iPhone 13 Pro, my previous phone was an iPhone 6s which received nearly 7 years of software updates. I donโt know of any Android manufacturer that supports devices for that long at the moment which was the main reason I stuck with Apple.
iphone se, because it was possible to buy refurbished with 3 years warranty for ca 100 euro
Fairphone 4 - iodeOS
I wish they would expand to the US market. I get that they have plenty of trouble scaling to the EU market already, but I'm itching to have the benefits of a Fairphone.
I always thought Fairphone is an US company and it would be easy to get one over there?! Kinda blows my mind right now.
Nope, The Netherlands. I can see why they would want to try to do a good job in the EU market before expanding, but it's been ten years and no signs of expanding. In the US there is the Librem 5, though it is under severe backorder right now.
First time I meet another of my kind in the wild - cheers to you!
It is the perfect setup. So cheers to you!
Google Pixel 6, because it has a guarantee of 5 years of security updates (unlike other Android phones) and I can use Firefox with uBlock Origin on it (unlike iPhones).
I look forward to the new non-Android Linux phones, but it doesn't sound like they're ready for everyday use in the USA just yet. In particular, I've heard that they have compatibility issues with US carriers and their street navigation apps aren't very good. Hopefully that changes soon!
Pixel 6. I got it because I got a good deal on one and I needed a phone quickly. I also wanted a phone from a popular enough model so that I would be able to get parts for repairs.
I won't even consider buying an iPhone since I can't install apps that aren't from Apple's store, and most of the apps I use are from F-Droid and I generally hate all ads.
Majority of my apps are from github or f-droid repos
Same. FOSS is more trustworthy for privacy as well.
After many years of using custom stock ROMs on my phone's, that were always better and more up to date than the branded android ROM the phone came with, I've decided a few months ago to finally get a Google Pixel 6.
It's a great experience, basically feels like all the custom ROMs I've been using all these years but the camera is great and Google Wallet works, also some pixel exclusive niceties like the PO Pixel app from teenage engineering, etc, and as always the most up to date Android version available.
Sitting on the Samsung note9. It has an aux jack, insane battery life, a great display, and plenty of power in the camera for the kind of "here is the issue" or "here I am in hawaii" photos I take. It is regular Samsung Android although disabled baxiby or whatever that button used to do.
Pixel 6. I wish it had a print reader on the back. I really would love to have that feature back since the under-screen readers are bad on every phone I have ever tried. I get dirty hands at work every day so I have to use a screen protector and even without the protector the print reader is mostly useless. I will not buy a Chinese phone to get it so I have drawn a line somewhere I guess.
Likewise. The Pixel 4a was peak for me because of how cheap it was, the size, the headphone jack, and back fingerprint reader. And the pixel's consistent photos.
But the Pixel 6 just feels cumbersome. The reader and double-tap in the back to pull the notification shade feels too deliberate and weighty given the size (This is supposed to be the smaller one). Compare that you could do unlock and pull the notification shade with the back reader and size made it feel great.
I've changed to Niagara launcher which has made it feel better but my next phone is definitely having a proper scanner.
Motorola One 5G Ace.
After years working in telecom, I'm in the camp of "absolutely no device needs to cost thousands of bucks."
Midrange phones do just fine, and it's borderline criminal marketing that the Apples and Samsungs of the world convince gullible consumers that their 260 dollars worth of parts and labour is somehow worth more than an average mortgage payment.
Pixel 7 on CalyxOS
Upvote Pixel nation lol โ
Still on the 4a, which I hope survives as long as possible
Cheers! I hope my 4a survives until there's another one of that size. I feels like most other phones are getting unnecessarily bigger. The camera software is a big plus, too
For what it is, the camera really is good, huh! I've always gravitated to vanilla Android (all the old Nexuses etc) and the 4a was the first phone I didn't feel any need to root it lol. Couldn't agree more on the easily handleable size as well...possibly the Pixel 5 would be my only substitute.
Are you fine with the Battery? I switched from Pixel 4a cause mine was at 15% Just after half of the day.
It's been almost 3 years, and a full load will last about 2 days. That said, I only use it intermittently throughout the day, and not for gaming or watching videos. That's what other devices are for.
Google Pixel 6a for me, just running the stock ROM/OS. I used to be into trying out custom ROMs but over the years I ended up falling in the "I don't want my phone to randomly stop working while I'm out and need to make a call" stage.
Plus, I actually enjoy quite a few features from the stock OS such as call screening (which reduces spam calls a ton), direct my call, and whichever feature is the one that provides an estimate on the wait time when calling into a toll free line. There's also "Hold for me" which I haven't tried yet but it seems like an interesting idea, but I'd only use it if there were going to be a fairly long wait.
I don't know if those features work on the custom OS options (as I don't keep up with that realm anymore), plus potential stability issues which I've always had on other devices (including previous Pixels) makes me just stick with the default.
Although, on my Pixel 3a XL since I no longer use it as my daily driver, I slapped Ubuntu Touch on it and it seems interesting, though definitely has a long way to go.
Fairphone 4 since I like the ethics of the phone (environmental, worker conditions etc) and since I can replace parts of it myself. eg swapping battery or even the screen is trivial and cheap. Good enough performance for me but I'm not running anything special.
I've been running a pixel 5a with GrapheneOS for 1.5 years. I think what surprises me the most is aherence to the moxie school of thought, where everything is completely seamless and easy to run. Everything just "works".
OnePlus 8 Pro but I'm thinking about switching to Pixel 7 Pro, or 8 if I wait long enough.
Does anyone have any experience with Pixels? Are they worth it?
I've used Pixels (and the Nexus line before that) for nearly 9 years and overall they've been great phones. Pixel 4 was really the only dud for me, but I haven't used them all, generally buy a used one every 2 years or so.
Right now I'm using a Pixel 5 which I like, and Mrs tomatobeard has a Pixel 6 which I'm a tad jealous of. Pixels have great Android support/updates, and also have good support in the custom ROM and modding community. My favorite phone ever was a Pixel 2 XL, and when Google stopped supporting it, I switched to Lineage os and kept rocking it for a year or more after.
I adore my Pixel. I jumped on a Pixel 3a many years ago, and it was an incredible phone. There was a brief switch to an iPhone 11 when the Pixel 3a finally bit the dust (I am an abusive phone owner... it had been stepped on, dropped a half dozen or more times sans case, dropped in a lake, skittered across rocks, etc. It finally died because I applied a little pressure to a crack in the screen like an idiot...) but that didn't last long. I jumped right back to the Pixel 6 within a year of having the iPhone.
My main reasons for use were the incredible support, getting constant updates to the OS from Google, and the camera. It was a smooth and pleasant experience all around. I don't think I'll ever own another android phone. If I did switch to a different manufacturer, I'd almost definitely run some kind of custom ROM on it.
Nice try to gain my data ad company!
Samsung A50, the cheapest smart phone I could find 5 years ago and it's still going strong. I really don't get the flagship phone craze. I, as I think most people, only use my phone to browse the web, check emails, sometimes watch a youtube video and well, phone people. This little guy has been perfect for that and has no sign of getting slower. The battery still easily gets me through a day with music listening (love the jack btw), web browsing and even some light GPS use.
Not gonna lie, I sometimes miss having a good camera with me, but after buying a half decent DSLR I'm still at or a bit below what a flagship costs nowadays.
When this phone dies a couple years from now I'll probably just get the new cheapest phone in Samsung's lineup lol.
I don't recommend getting the cheapest. I had a T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy A32 two years ago and the camera lens glass just start falling off. Its why I got the iPhone 11 in the first place, because of the perceived quality of Apple products. Now I realized its not an Apple vs Samsung thing, but more of a Low-end vs Flagship thing. The Galaxy A32 issue isnt just one standalone case of unluckily getting a defective device, I know several relatives using that phone (All are T-Mobile versions) that notices they camera lens glass is feeling loose. Lens falling off is somehow considered "physical damage" so Samsung warranty didn't cover it. Many low-end phones are cheap because of lower quality. Paying more usually means higher quality.
Yeah, that's really unfortunate to hear. Gladly I didn't had any build quality issues so I didn't even mentioned that side but you are right in that it's also a pretty important point. Back in the day micro-USB connectors wearing out was a big thing that apple products didn't suffered from but that's been solved with type-c. Other than that I've been pretty lucky with my phones not falling apart on me.
Xiaomi Redmi 9T because cheap. I won't reply.
Currently using a Pixel (Pixel 6 Pro) because it's the only line of phones that support GrapheneOS
Samsung zfold 4, because I fell in love with the fold the moment I saw it. I'm a bit sad that my favourite launcher doesn't know what to do with the fold, but even with the crappy Samsung launcher, it's still an amazing phone.
LG G7 Thinq. It had all the features I wanted and was a good price. I actually did look around a month ago and nothing else on the market compares even years after it came out (I could get close to what I wanted but I would need to go high end) which is a shame bc I'll have to switch for 5G at some point. Google and Samsung removed the 3.5mm jack so I'll never buy from them.
I've got the G8 and I love the thing, but I'm one of like three LG fanboys in existence. The headphone jack isn't an afterthought, they actually put some decent tech into it. Apparently. I'm not really an audiophile.
Unfortunately LG has stopped making smartphones and my next device will probably be a Pixel unless someone has a better recommendation (and the few times I've had to use a Samsung I've hated it, I prefer a closer to stock Android experience).
Same, I didn't bother upgrading to the G8 because of that. I wouldn't get a pixel bc they removed the headphone jack. I actually was leaning towards the sony xperia line but it's not sold in my country. The CAT smartphone meets the specs I want but it's expensive. I just replaced the battery in my g7 so I hope to get another year at least out of it and hopefully something better gets released.
Pixel 4, and lineage os. Privacy and limited google apps.
I recommend grapheneos.org they offer regular and timely updates and offer a lot of very good security features such as contact/storage permission scopes (choose what contacts/files an app can access instead if being forced to allow all access or no access. I recommend at least giving it a look. I think you'll love it if you want privacy and security. Have a look at the website, they offer way more than I have typed here. If you have questions I can answer them
Android for me, currently the Pixel 7.
I've used almost everything at this point. Apple iOS, Android, blackberry (both pre and post android), even Windows Mobile for a while..... I enjoyed Windows Mobile for the time, since it was good for my specific application of the technology, but that was before Android, and during the early days of android.... I stopped using it because they stopped making anything good that ran it.
I moved on to Android with the Motorola Milestone (aka the DROID), but also made my way through several HTC phones as well, eventually landing on pure android with the Nexus line, and eventually Pixel.
During all of this, I hopped through several blackberry phones for work, including pre-android versions, and later worked with several android-based versions of the same, a few years ago I picked up an iPhone to compare and learn more about iOS, because I do tech work and knowing a diversity of things is important for my work; so I carried around an iPhone for many years as well, as a work phone.
After all of that, Android is still my pick. Specifically the unflavored android from Google via the Pixel.
I don't hate iPhone at all, I just don't prefer the stock keyboard, the gesture controls, or the navigation of it compared to android. I still use the three button nav on my Pixel instead of the gesture controls. I also don't like how many controls for apple are at the top of the screen for some reason so I'm constantly stretching my hand to hit a button. It's all personal preference, and the navigation is competent, I just don't like it as much as I like android.
It doesn't hurt that I can customize my android experience more than I could with iPhone. I don't necessarily want every app I've ever installed on my home screen somewhere.
That's just what I prefer.
I saw in some other comments of yours you seemed a bit upset at tech spying on you. Since you already have a pixel, have you looked at GrapheneOS?
Not really.
I recognize that I'm being spied on, it doesn't necessarily bother me all that much.... For me it comes down to trust, whether you trust the entity that's collecting your data to responsibly store it, properly anonymise it, and properly use it for their stated purposes.
I'm not going to say I trust Google, given most of my things are Google related (we use nest home minis around the house, and Chromecasts, etc)... But I believe they're trying to be responsible with the data they collect, primarily that they're using it mostly for Adsense, and their own internal algorithms to basically customize their sites for you. YouTube recommendations, search results, etc.... Not just flapping your personal information in the breeze for anyone to look at... Like Facebook and company generally does if you throw enough money at them.
I have to pick my battles. Too much to do in my field. If I spend all my time considering the tinfoil hat arguments, then I'll spend my time doing essentially only that.
Galaxy J7. It's incredibly slow, I can't flash it or root it. But it runs what I need, unlike Apple would, and the battery is still great after 6 years and it has a headphone jack.
Motorola One Action. Close to stock Android, good enough for what i need, and it was cheap. That last one was the real reason to get it, if I'm honest...
Edit: Seeing mentions of the fairphone, i looked into that but when i needed a new phone, the existing version (2?) Was quite outdated. It's a contender for my next phone, though. Hopefully not for a while.
I'm itching for a Fairphone, but they only ship inside Europe. ๐ฅฒ
EDIT: They ship inside the continental Europa and to the UK.
Hmm, I'm in Canada, but that could be worked out. I guess the other question is if it's compatible with the networks here?
I am using a Google Pixel 6a with stock Android.
I bought the smartphone in short notice only because I was sick of OnePlus Nord 2 5G adjusting the settings for me. With a Google Pixel device, I am in charge for real! ๐ I am done with Chinese shit ๐ Too much control.
Then why not root OnePlus Nord 2 and install a custom ROM? Na, I am too much of a coward to do that. Am afraid of bricking the phone like what I did with my Samsung Galaxy S III Mini. After that, I told myself, no more custom ROMs.
Maybe I've gotten lucky, but I've messed up flashing many things over the years and never permanently bricked anything. Or maybe it's less of a risk on modern devices?
Yeah, maybe you are lucky ๐ I have no clue if modern smartphone are harder to brick, though.
I am using Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G with PixelOS (custom ROM) for unlimited Google Photos original quality backup, Overview Selection and no stock YouTube (I use Revanced Extended). All apps work fine with root as well as it gets timely updates with features. Also, it has 12 5G bands, most of which are supported in my country. It's sleek and light (158g) which makes handling it easier. I hate MIUI because of ads and so removed it after 7 days of buying it. Will think of flashing /e/OS later (never thought they will support my device but they do not).
Galaxy S22, iPhone is too locked down for me.
I went with the S22 because it's decent and looks great, also one of the smallest high-end phones available.
Samsung sucks though, there is far too much bloat you have to get rid off. The Galaxy store also likes to hijack updates from a few of my apps.
I'd say there still is no perfect phone unfortunately. Maybe a Google Pixel that looks like a S22 and has a more scratch resistant screen. My screen already has two scratches just from being in my pocket. They made the glass more drop resistant, but now it still shatters if you drop it and it scratches more easily :-/
You sound exactly like me, you've got to try a free as in freedom android distro like GraphineOS or CalyxOS (these need a google pixel since ATM these pixel phones are the most developer friendly, they just work with AOSP and so mostly just work with free disrtos). I can't say much for Graphine since i didn't use it. But Calyx has been wonderful, and its set it and forget it, seamless automatic updates, no manual maintanance. As for the glass a nice screen protector will help that, and as a bonus: if you drop it hard the screen protector breaks, spearing your screen.
I did try custom OS in the past (Even overclocked my original Galaxy S), but they all had issues. Or were slow on updates and so on. Out of the box works best for me, I already tinker enough at work, I want my phone to just run :)
Not a fan of screen protectors, they all don't have great reviews, even the expensive glass ones. I also use the phone without a case, so the protector would make the handling of it worse unfortunately.
What i like about CalyxOS is that it does just run, better than any stock OS ive ever used, updates are automatic and seemless, and its painless and east to install free as in freedom software that respects you.
On the screen protector issue, it really just sounds like you like to break so you can upgrade xD
I haven't broken a single phone in the last 20 years :) Not even a screen crack.
My old phones all still work, including a Galaxy S, OnePlus One, OnePlus 5 and now my Galaxy S22. I have even older phones, but I can't remember their names.
Damn Galaxy S22 scratches like hell though, making the glass softer was a mistake.
I drop shit all the time xD Thats an incredible track record! You wouldn't happen do do incredibility precise work with your hands, like surgery, or small scale models, would you?
No, I'm clumsy as shit, I nearly broke a toe once running against a door frame.
With my older phones I always used cases, so even if I did drop it (which happened rarely) nothing happened. With the S22.. I'm going without a case, so far only tiny drops (like out of my jeans when sitting down on the toilet). Knock on wood, it survived so far.
Next phone gets a case again, damn screen scratches :)
iPhone 12 mini, latest OS. I am a little worried about the whole App Store policies thing, but I also think Apple gets enough things right that Iโll give them the benefit of the doubt until they actually do something stupid. Iโm hoping theyโll come back to something comparable to the mini form factor again. Iโve always preferred the smaller sized phones with the idea that Iโll just move to a computer or tablet if I need something bigger. I donโt want to carry a larger phone all day.
Interesting to see so many Android comments. I think it goes to show the demographics of people that are using Lemmy compared to other platforms.
iOS is the most secure platform for 99.99% of people. Custom ROMs on Android got harder and harder to deal with. De-Googlifying made life so difficult. I finally gave up and jumped to iOS and knowing that I'll have day one updates for 5+ years on any phone is such a relief.
Everything is backed up, E2EE, and just easy. I used to think about smartphones all the time... Now I hardly ever do.
Switched over for the same reason. So much peace.
There was a time when it was true that using a non-stock android distro was hard, I use CalyxOS now, i installed it by plugging it in and running the installer on my computer, and i never had to think about it again, just installs the OS updates in the background every couple weeks.
As for the idea that an iPhone is more secure, thats very unlikely to be true since the code is secret, so its apple V. every govt and millions of other adversaries, their licensing makes them alone in that battle, security researchers are not allowed to help. There is no indication that one should place any trust in them and plenty of indication that it is foolish to do so. Apple products are statistically garenteed to be insecure in ways that Apple cannot yet see and that the public has no hope of seeing either. And they are surely insecure in ways that are profitable to Apple because well profit is the whole point.
I suppose willful ignorance is willful bliss.
Well I didn't say it was more secure, I said it was the most secure for most people, which it is.
Also mostly happy with my iPhone 12 mini
My only real gripe with it is that I want a better camera.
I can sideload or mod enough with scripts to suit my purposes, so no issue as far as flexibility goes. But I want better quality photos and videos without having to lug out the โrealโ gear on a trail run.
Chaps my ass that phones just keep getting bigger, and the miniโs been all but phased out. Iโm a small person with proportionately small hands. Why stop making phones we can fully fit in the back pocket of womenโs jeans, or use with (mostly) one hand?
Fairphone 3 with /e/OS
Recently got a refurbished S20 ultra for the 5g.
This thing is great. 12 gb of ram, 128 gb internal storage, microsd slot up to 1tb, 108 MP camera...
I worked in a refurbishing warehouse of Cisco products, so I know they're good to go, so I always buy refurbished electronics when I can. Got the phone for $350, learned later that it retailed for like $1200 or something when it was released.
This thing is tits.
I have a Poco x3 NFC because it's cheap for the hardware it delivers and I have no money to buy a Pixel Phone ..it runs Lineage OS with microg to degoogle it
Poco X3 NFC with LineageOS.
200,-โฌ price, excellent photo quality if paired with fitting GCAM mod (AGC) plus config. Powerful enough as daily driver, privacy-frieendly enough after some simple changes, runs everything I need & if it drops & breaks (2 kids at home...) it's an affordable loss (I'm diligent about backups).
Android. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Fold4.
My S9 died a month ago and I really couldn't find another phone that I was excited about. Nothing really had any "cool" factors about them. Many of them felt almost like downgrades compared to my S9. Lack of headphones jack, SD card reader etc...
The Fold4 was above my price range but i found one on eBay for $750 so i grabbed it.
So far I am liking it. It is bigger then I would have liked but the foldings screen is super nice you can have apps side by side. Great for multitasking. I also do a lot of remote access to my desktop and a large screen is perfect for that.
pixel 6 pro in order to use graphene os
Been using pixels since the first one, and I liked the 6 so much I bought a second one just for GrapheneOS
Poco X3 NFC with a custom ROM, i bought it because it is cheap and it's great for buildbotting.
iPhone 11, bought three years ago. I chose it mainly because of its good battery life, since the only feature I really care about my phone
Pixel 3 with CalyxOS.
Picked it because I don't want to spend $500+ on a new phone and I want to be able to control my OS. Just buying the phone and using Android on it to going to CalyxOS saw a huge increase in performance, theoretically because it's not working to process all the data collection. My phone should be MY phone and not someone else's bottom line.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G, no custom rom so I'm on One UI, Nova Launcher.
My last phone's charging port had gotten loose, and didn't consistently charge unless held at a specific angle, and at the time the A52 seemed to hit a sweet spot of power vs price. It also still has a microsd card slot and a headphone jack, which were must haves for me.
Historically: My first "Smart Device" was an iTouch around a year after they first came out. I was already into "jailbreaking" things from my Wii and PSP, my main media player was an iPod nano with rockbox on it, and in college I bought a cheap router then installed DD-wrt on it so it performed above its price range. I was all about controlling and tweaking my stuff. Then I got a hand me down Android when my dad upgraded his phone and haven't looked back.
Still haven't rooted any Androids yet. Not too much I've wanted to do that required it. The few times I have wanted to root, the method has always been too cumbersome to follow up on.
I think that's one of the main advantages of Android for me. So much can be done without root access. Want to change the home screen UI? There's an option in the settings for that, and multiple UIs available on the Play Store. Need more traditional file management? Apps can request storage access, and you have what is essentially a user home directory by default. Want to change your theme? You can.
I've very rarely come across any reason to root my Android device, and as you said, it's usually just not worth the hassle.
Only ever needed root when I used gingerbread devices
Google pixel for the following reasons:
Smart insights via Google assistant:
Bill due soon reminders via Google assistant. It can read my email and remind me of upcoming bills, their amount, who it's too, and when it's due. Sends a notification to the phone.
Finance watchlist notification: at the end of each market day it will send me a notification just showing me how my watchlist performed for the day
Phone:
Call screening, business calls, spam, and robo
Hold for me feature.
Phone trees visual
Visual voicemail - live transcripts
Google translate:
Live translation of audio
Translate any sign or text via Google lens
Search visually via Google lens
Customization
Google assistant integration in the phone. Call and text people, reduce volume, paused audio, set volume, google search, turn on flash light etc. You can control features of your phone with your voice. It's fantastic.
It's a really smart, smart phone.
Pixel 6A. I like the Stock OS & the camera of the phone. Got it for very cheap as well.
Same! Personally for my uses the camera could be better but it'll do. I have a professional camera anyway
iPhone 13 mini. Iโm so sad they discontinued the mini, itโs the perfect phone for me so Iโm holding onto it until it dies which seems to be coming soon :(
100% agree. Itโs the perfect size and nothing similar exists afaik.
Iโll also be keeping it until it completely dies, but will no doubt be replacing the battery and other components if possible, unless Apple has a change of heart and releases a new iPhone Mini.
Pixel 4a because it was the newest cheapest Pixel at the time and I wanted to run GrapheneOS. Ended up switching back to Calyx and eventually to stock after I realised I was sacrificing a lot more convenience than I wanted.
Yeah, being able to run other os is part of what got me on pixels to start with. But, honestly they're just nice phones. Currently have 3 pixel 6as and a pixel 6
What is your plan for when the EOL for stock updates comes (around this august iirc)?
I think I might just flash LineageOS.
probably start shopping for a new phone. The battery is dying and I'm not sure if it's worth repairing.
Does LineageOS not go EOL at the same time? I thought they followed the security update cycle
I'm an advocate for fixing if you can, the phone still feels as snappy as it used to and I really like it's size and weight.
A new battery is as cheap as 7$ on AliExpress.
Actually I am not sure what determines EOL for custom ROMs... Maybe it has to do with the firmware not being updated by Google? Although I read somewhere it has something to do with the kernel version - which I'm not sure why you can't update?
Maybe someone with more knowledge on the topic can enlighten me.
iPhone 14 Pro Max. I know, I know, but the battery life canโt be beat. Great speaker, screen and camera too. Used to have a Huawei P30 Pro that was awesome though
Still rocking the galaxy S9+.
My original one died a year ago and I tried the pixel 6, s22+, Asus Zenfone 9, and ROG phone 2, but nothing came close to being as nice to use, (no headphone jack, buggy software, little customization) so I got another s9+!
Motorola Edge 30. Really close to stock Android and no much bloatware. Will be switching to a Pixel soon.
OnePlus 11 Pro, highly customised UI, rooted, and propped up security.
Will never touch an iPhone with their clumsy unintuitive OS, nor an Android where I can't get root access to remove all the unnecessary clutter and harden the OS.
Using Xiaomi 12T Pro running xiaomi.eu rom on it. At first I didn't like their ui but now I think it's pretty good. I used to go for AOSP roms but I'm getting used to MIUI now.
I don't want to install nothing that isn't the default stock though, with some changes in this vs, but stock.
In the last I'd instal a custom rom as soon as I got a new phone (Cyanogenmod or wtv name they came with after), but after 4 years or so of doing this I noticed that my pictures looked like crap when compared to photos with the stock rom.
Apparently it was due to drivers and some of the drivers not being public. At the time whenever I went on vacations, is change back to stock to have the best photos possible. But I don't really feel like doing that all over again.
I've got the OnePlus Nord 2 Pac-Man Edition running OxygenOS (Android) and I plan to use it as long as possible before switching to Fairphone eventually
OnePlus Nord gang gang, I'm on a Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. I'll probably flash LineageOS once support is available. Fairphone seems nice but it's hard to get where I live. :/
Yeah. I've been on the OnePlus boat since the 3T and tbh. I was about to buy a Fairphone instead of the Nord2 but then they released the Pac-Man Edition which has a backside that glows in the dark and a cover that has dots and lines with small prisms. Usually it would look silver but as soon as f.ex. sunlight hits these spots they start to reflect different rainbow colours.
Motorola Moto G8 Power Lite. It was โฌ130, good battery, no bloatware, does all the things I need from a smartphone even if the touchscreen is starting to freak out from time to time. Probably need to change the display but I'm broke atm
Still rocking my Oneplus 7Pro but thinking I might want to upgrade to the new Google Pixel 8 when it comes out. I like stock Android and Google phones have been pretty nice from what I've seen and from the little amount of time I've used and played with them in stores. I like the ability to install a privacy focused rom like GrapheneOS too. But the only thing now holding me back from deciding on the Pixel 8 is the temperature reader like that's something I know I won't be using and I don't want to be paying for that when I know I won't be using that feature.
I'm using Samsung Galaxy A51 just because my grandfather repairs those and gave it to me. And default OneUI android that the phone ships with, because I'm afraid of rooting.
I'm getting a Sony Xperia 10 III cause one can also install SailfishOS on it. Sony provides AOSP for their phones, and a headphone Jack.
Fairphone 4 because I like the idea of a repairable, sustainable phone. Microg LineageOS because want to avoid google as much as I can (within reason).
using galaxy note 20. I upgraded to this from a note 9. once I started using the stylus I can't go back now. also can't really upgrade to anything because nothing takes an SD card anymore. maybe there will be a leap in phone case technology that incorporates SD readers in the case and I can feel comfortable getting a new phone in a year or two.
s8+ cuz i loved the curves, /e/OS cuz that was the only one fully functional with my model
Samsung s10+ and I bought it so I could flash lineageOS on it. I only exclusively buy phones that can handle Lineage now. I'll rock this one until it dies or the battery gets too degraded and then buy another lineage comparable phone and continue the cycle. Each phone usually lasts around 4-5 years.
nokia G50. default. invincible. dropped it 100 times, even once in the toilet and it still runs perfect.
Google Pixel 7 Pro with Google's Android. I've always used Nexus and Pixel phones because on my daily driver I want the stock Android experience with no vendor skins or bloatware, as well as regular system updates and security patches.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ because refurbished it's affordable, has 256GB standard storage and a micro SD slot. Oh and 12GB of RAM. I also have a Tab s7+ and buds 2 and like how they work together. I'm not opposed to iOS, in fact I use a MacBook pro daily, but if those stingy fucks won't start offering decent storage on base model phones, I'm not interested.
Xiaomi Mi10 Lite with stock firmware. Xiaomi QIN22F as a second phone. I've tried some third-party Android variations, but none of them, including LineageOS, I liked to use. Or rather I liked LineageOS when it was still CyanogwenMod, and then, as usual, everything went wrong.
I've got an oppo reno8. Before I got this phone I promised myself I'd do a bunch of research to find a phone that was better than what I had, and that I could root.
In the end life got in the way and I just got a higher number phone (went from oppo reno 4 to 8) because I knew the phone was OK. Kinda regret it now
Samsung galaxy s9. Secure Folder let's me put my ms exchange work email on without my employer being able to remote wipe my phone
Poco X3 pro with stock because it is a lot of phone for the money.
Bought it to install Lineageos, then never got round to it.
iPhone 12 Pro.
I don't own it because it's a great experience, I own it for the ecosystem. I use a Mac as my daily driver and an iPad as a reader/tablet. Then I bought AirPods, because they switch easily between all my devices. Then I subscribed to the Apple Music Family Plan where they support spatial audio on said AirPods. The list goes on.
The best phone I ever owned was a OnePlus 7 Pro, but as a Mac user, it was just too much of a hassle.
I have a Motorola Moto G Power 2021 that I use for software testing that I LOVE, but it will never be my primary phone.
Pixel4a running CalyxOS
I'm rocking a pixel 6 pro. I like having the option of being able to unlock the bootloader and install custom roms, and the easy access to reflash the official os with just adb/fastboot as opposed to other androids requiring extra tools. Getting updates every month is also important to me.
Android (stock, for now) on a Pixel 6. As for why, I'm the "weirdo" in the peer group that uses Linux and Lemmy, so why wouldn't it track that I'd be the one messing up video quality on group texts with my green bubble?
Lol people still use SMS/iMessage? I mean aren't people these days using discord for grouo chat?
It's everywhere in the US. People really care about this, and this is why iPhones have 90% market share in both my high school and at my university.
A lot more use discord I noticed which isn't much more secure IMO only slightly better, but still not E2EE
You could try using Beeper, it's a messaging app that is basically just a bunch of matrix bridges setup for you. Or since you mentioned you use Linux maybe a mac vm with AirMessage.
All of my mobile devices use some Linux based operating system. I have a PinePhone running Mobian, a moto g7 play running LineageOS, and a Samsung Galaxy Tab s6e also running LineageOS.
I would prefer a GNU/Linux operating system like Debian to Android as I feel I have more freedom and power with a traditional GNU/Linux system, although I have come to accept that ungoogled Android operating systems can be just as good if the proprietary Google services and proprietary apps are avoided. I'd like to give the PinePhone another try as daily driver especially since Debian 12 has been released.
Edit: As for Apple, being locked out of installing your own apps from outside the Apple market is reason enough to avoid iOS. As a free software user I don't think any perceived security or privacy benefits justify the massive decrease in freedom. I also would not say Apple is merely "mildly annoying" https://stallman.org/apple.html
Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 5G, I've been using Xiaomi for 6 years now, I always had really bad phones until i bought a Redmi 6A, Really good phone and I've used this brand since
I used a Redmi 9 for a while, pretty good phone with everything I wanted (Headphones, SD, NFC etc.)
I followed this guide to remove the bloatware, and disabled all animations in Developer options, and it was a capable and speedy phone
Hey, my phone was working slowly, after disabling all animations it's much snappier. I also debloated this phone with the universal android debloater
iPhone 13 Pro Max. Switched over from android (Galaxy S6) when the iPhone X came out, used that for 4 years, decided I liked it better than android due to iMessage, upgraded when it was time. I mostly use my phone for texting and browsing Reddit (RIP Apollo)
Poco F3 Using degoogled Crdroid. It works fine and I am getting monthly security aptches om the air.
Nice!
I run a oneplus one, with lineageOS 18 and magisk. I am able to do banking, UPI(a quick form of banking in my country), document management(digilocker, for official govt issued documents), social media, etc.
It's slow sometimes but if you can ensure it doesn't heat up, it's a really good setup.
It's a hand-me-down, one of the best handmedowns anyone could want
Motorola Edge 20 Lite. I switched from Pixel 4a, because the Battery was weak and there was no SD Card Port. I am very Happy with the Motorola now!
I've got this Huawei P20 lite since 2018 and it's the best phone I've owned. Still rock solid. Unfortunately it's android 9 and OS updates stopped being rolled out in 2022.
If I could I would buy a Huawei again, but it's kind of out of market here. I'm evaluating something from the same manufacturing chain (Honor phones I believe?)
iOS, iPhone X currently. Still works fine so haven't felt much pressure to upgrade. Battery still great, performance is good. I don't use my phone for pictures so haven't needed a better camera.
I have considered changing brands when I next upgrade, I would sorta like to get a Huawei phone. I am just so used to iOS at this point, I am worried about the learning curve. I struggle to use other phone OS the same way I struggle to use non-Nikon cameras, my brain just refuses to work right. Throw me down in front of a new desktop OS and I will usually grasp it instantly. It's weird.
Samsung Galaxy S22. Wanted it to be an upgrade from my dying OnePlus 6, but smaller. Not much choice for small, but beefy phone.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, I've been a fan of the Note series for a while when I was at university, and 5G was shiny and new so I went and got that. Android is/was my bread and butter there, I like the flexibility the Play Store has compared to the iOS App Store (i.e. I can have RetroArch)
I don't really use the Note features as much now and 5G is a bit useless for me right now, and I have a Steam Deck so emulation isn't really a thing I do on my phone. I might go iPhone in the future for that reason.
Poco F2 Pro (lmi) with the custom ROM Paranoid Android CAF based A13.
I liked MIUI, but nothing beats the Pixel like experience!
iPhone 14 pro max.
Upgrade from iPhone X that I bought 4 years ago? I want my phone to be stupidly simple and iPhone has always done that for me. I use my phone for everything and barely use my computer anymore so I went all in on it.
Galaxy S23, because I use Android for 13 years now (no Apple devices for me) and it is one of the few smaller devices. Also great battery life, performance (finally Snapdragon in Europe) and very long update support.
Stock Android, Galaxy S21.
I wanted a smaller footprint phone with wireless charging, if not for the last part I'd go for Asus Zenfone 8.
I'm planning to switch to Zenfone 10 when it comes out this summer.
Galaxy S23+ here, had the S10 and S7 before that. Great cameras (it matters to me) and very durable phones once you put them in a good case. The S23+ is easier on my old eyes and I easily get 3+ days battery life out of it. Samsung has also done a nice job slimming down the UI but I use the Nova launcher anyway.
Exactly my last phones and experience :) Plus Samsung has a good update policy compared to many other androids.
Nothing Phone 1. Using it because looks amazing
Oneplus 6T with Ubuntu Touch/LineageOS Dualboot
An iPhone 12 mini Running IOS 17 Developer Beta 2
I'm now on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Moved from an iPhone 12 Pro mainly because the Truecaller app could not block numerous spam calls I got daily, and the S23 Ultra camera was about good enough to be a sideways migration (iPhone's macro photos are better but S23's zoom is way better).
I was previously on Android (and before that a jailbroken iPhone) but I've finally realised that the eco-system lock-in grates on me every time I use an iPhone (I'm now sitting with AirTags that don't work with my Samsung phone). But that said, iPhone is a quality phone and does do really great photos.
iPhone here.
Even though I use Linux on my laptops/desktop I feel as if the ancillary Apple ecosystem cannot be beat. I use the Apple TV along with it and it just works too well and without ads. Not to mention the Apple Watch
I also have my diabetic equipment paired to it. My insulin pump and glucose monitor work with my phone. (Only supported on iPhone atm)
Good point on the ecosystem. Iโm a bit of an odd one out in that I started using Mac for OS X, and then started getting all the other Apple stuff because of my experience there. Oddly enough I donโt think MacOS offers that much more for day to day usage than I get from Windows. With BootCamp Iโm probably 50/50 MacOS/Windows, depending what specific software I feel works best/is available on either platform. I canโt imagine using any other platform for all the other gadgets though; Apple Watch, Apple TV, iPhone all feel generations ahead of the competition and that integration is probably whatโs going to keep me anchored on MacOS too. Honourable mention for my UnRaid box that handles a lot of my background things like backups and media storage/service. Sometimes I like things that I can tinker with, and some I need to just work. Apple does a great job on the things I need to be reliable.
Samsung S20 FE 5G
I don't really love Samsung. I've had it for maybe 2 years now, I think? But it stutters at times and I feel sometimes is slower that it should be.
But I went with it because of price + 5G + NFC. Poor battery, but has fast charge and I no longer have a need for prolonged periods without charging. Kinda satisfactory phone, tho.
Samsung Galaxy A33 5G.
I kinda prefer One UI over other brands' takes on Android.
Android 11 on Oneplus 8t, I chose it because at the time I liked one plus before the oppo merge. I have not updated because they completely overhaul the ux with oppos software and I really didn't like how it worked and I couldn't make it work how I wanted.
Android, because a) I planned to do some app programming and b) I didn't want to step into Apple's walled garden and Microsoft couldn't be relied upon to stick with it (and didn't).
Samsung because it's pretty much the only player that isn't a Chinese company.
OnePlus 11. Previous phone was the OnePlus 6 which I loved a tonne, but it eventually became a bit too slow for me. I almost picked a Pixel phone as I don't agree with OnePlus moving away from the stock android look in favour of Oxygen OS and the overall cost of their latest flagships, but it was good to see a shift back in the right direction with the OP11. Love this phone even if it isn't completely the same as stock.
I love my oneplus 11. It's my first oneplus and I highly recommend it.
However, I speed using it this week and went back to my xperia V ii because YouTube music and android auto won't stay connected while driving. It's only with the oneplus 11. Hopefully they fix it, but it makes my daily commute hell.
how is the camera on that? disappointed with my OnePlus 8pro in that regard.
Samsung S10e - LineageOS 20
Nokia G20, Android One.
Nokia is a cheap mid range phone
Android One is distributed by Google rather than the handset manufacturer. I'm not stuck with a manufacturers reluctance to offer updates for last year's model as a driver for more sales of this year's model.
Android One is free of manufacturer bloatware.
Redmi Note 10 Pro with custom ROM (right now A13 based SparkOS, but I switch them from time to time). I have gms installed, but there's always an option to use vanilla version.
I'm looking to switch to LibreMobile OS (https://libremobileos.com/) for my second device, which is currently running Crdroid (also A13)
Samsung Flip 3 because it folds. I like having a compact phone. (I sometimes miss my iPhone SE)
Samsung Galaxy S10e because it's the smallest I could reasonably get.
I bought a Samsung something-something because it was 200โฌ and it fits in my pocket.
Pixel 6 and Android. Google lets you easily unlock the bootloader.
Motorola One 5G Ace.
Every time I've had to get a new phone, I've gone on GSMArena and to me it always seems Motorola's midranges have the best bang for your buck, at least in my price range. I kinda don't like how they promised Android 12 and didn't deliver, but I've heard some things that make me think that's a blessing in disguise. Even if I could go iPhone, I wouldn't, I like having control that Apple won't allow me. I probably wouldn't go more expensive if I could either (there's a part of me that wants a Razr for coolness reasons, but I know foldables are still super fragile)
Redmi Note 11. Cheap but good.
iPhone 12, wanted something that would be supported for a long time and with prompt security updates. Also have an iPad and Apple Watch so the integration is nice. On the desktop though I run Kubuntu which would integrate better with Android.
Mi 11 Lite 5G + Lineage OS. After lesa tham two years, GPS, Mobile data and WiFi to some extentstoppedworkingi.
I didn't like where the newer OS versions on my Oneplus 7 pro were going and I couldn't for the life of me get my bank app to work with a custom ROM. It was around this time I found out that Apple does 6-7 years of software updates and to be fair, I'd never heard any of the iOS users in my circles complain about any iOS updates. So I bought an iPhone 13 mini last year.
I'd previously had some phones with relatively vanilla Android (quite good) and I'd tried other peoples' Samsungs in about 2011 or 2012 and that alone was enough that I decided never to buy one (no matter how good they may be now - in the early 2010s they were borderline unusable compared to something like the Xperia lineup).
Had Google announced the in-house designed SoC a few years earlier for there to be a 2nd or 3rd generation out by the time I switched, I might have chosen to remain with Android. But at the time we were on generation 1 of Tensor with lots of people complaining the phones weren't behaving nicely with Android 12 and going with anything with a Snapdragon SoC would've meant max 3 major versions of Android updates.
One Plus 9 5g. I fucking hate this phone. I was in love with the One Plus 6t. Amazing flagship killer but the 9 is full of bugs and memory leakage that have only gotten worse since the update to Android Oxygen.
Redmi note 8 with ArrowOS at the moment. I was using lineage on this and the note 5 before the 8 but there was a significant bug so landed on Arrow.
Samsung Note 10+, i read manga so large screen is nice for that, and at the time i bought it it was among the largest screens, i also really like the pen, and use it for quick note taking. It was also my first large purchase after getting a new job, so that was fun.
Oneplus Nord, about to swith to Xiaomi 12 or 13 or Pixel 7 Pro, as soon as I find out what's better for me (feel free to give advice and IRL experience!)
I'm using a Redmagic 8 Pro since February - loving it so far, besides cleaning the fan area.
I use two phones, both a Samsung. A Galaxy A23 and a A52s. Waiting to get another
I like to get new phones a lot. Itโs something I use constantly for work etc. And I like the resell value of iPhones.
Android 12 on my Moto G Stylus 5G (2022).
This phone is an overall excellent value in the US. A drawback to some is the paucity of Android updates, but the new restrictions present in Android 14 have me relieved that I bought a phone that will never "upgrade" to that OS.
Samsung galaxy s20+
Had it 2 years, no complaints. Battery life and storage are good. Would never have an iPhone due to their restrictions on apps as you've touched upon.
Pixel 6a, it's functional, effective, decent quality, budget, etc. That's it really.
Moto g32. Wanted something as stock rom as possible, with headphone jack, reasonable camera, somewhat decent battery life and horsepower under the hood at a decent price (less than $200).
I'm looking for XDA guys to develop a lineageOS rom for this phone, and it will be my "I'm at home" of phone.
I chose Pixel, after few months running stock android builds on xioami phones. And I like it, its not overbloated, and if you want you can run grapheneos there.
Plain old Android on a Samsung galaxy A-series.
I'm on Android partially out of familiarity - my first smartphone was a Samsung - but also because I like options! Let me theme it, let me use other app stores, let me install a custom OS if I feel like trying! (Mind you, I've also bricked an old phone but that was choice to try and fail miserably.)
My only requirements were:
That meant there were only two phones I could buy, the galaxy S23 and the iPhone 14 Pro. I ended up buying the S23 because it was half the price, and I was "afraid" I wouldn't like iOS.
So far the S23 has been a great update compared to the pixel 5, with the exception of the cameras which were a clear downgrade imo.
I'm waiting for a waydroid to become usable on linux phones. Then I'll ditch android for a more open ecosystem.
but its Android for now.
Samsung XCover Pro 6. Because it's the only phone out there with a removable battery on the fly. Takes me 15 seconds to pop in my second fully charged battery. Because I'm ADD and constantly forget to charge my phone. When I'm out the door about to drive my 55 mile commute to work I want a fully charged battery and my car won't charge the battery properly.
Oh, and it's INDESTRUCTIBLE. I fell with the phone in my right hand, landed my full 200 lb on my hand, phone back against the bike path asphalt, phone back sliding on asphalt for 2 feet with my full fallen 200 lb landing only on the phone. I ask friends to point out the scratch on the case from the fall, and they can't until I point it out to them.
Huh, interesting choice. I think a normal non-rugged phone with a case is still a better option. Power banks > swappable batteries in my opinion. I always put a powerbank in my pocket and whenever I'm not using it, I just connect it to my powerbank and leave both in my pocket, so I never have low battery on my phone and I have zero downtime. Speaking of downtime, make sure you disable automatic updates on your phone, I read a news story about someone needing to make an emergency call and found out their phone was automatically updating. Best time to update is when you are certain that there wouldn't be an emergency for the duration of the update. Preferrably when you are near family members so you can use their phone if there's an emergency.
Anyways, isn't the Xcover for corporation only? How did you manage to buy it for personal use?
I use OnePlus 7t. I got it because OnePlus's good lineageos support. However OnePlus 7t is particular is buggy in lineage, and their Oxygen OS (reads "color os") is a pure piece of shit and it is getting more and more irritating by the day.
If it is not the fact that most electronic waste are terrible for the environment, I would stab it with a thousand knife, and throw it to a rock near the river and get a pixel.
I would get a fairphone, but they don't ship where I live, unfortunately.
I got an S20FE because the screen on my s8+ was smashed to hell. I like the size, flat screen, it was relatively cheap at the time ~$500, it has expandable storage, a high end chipset, and 120hz screen. Overall, I love this phone, have no regrets buying it. Hoping I can hold onto it for a few more years haha
S20 FE 5g (8gb ram- 128gb rom - Snapdragon cip) I got this buddy 2 years ago and I still think is one of the best deals I've ever made. Two years later is still super fast and can deal with anything form gaming to app, the camera is great an full of functions, the screen is a "samsung" and the fast charging works great. The battery can easily last one day and half, if not two. The Sam OS is a bit heavy (on other phones) but is very versatile and customizable.
A Redmi K50i. I was on a budget and it had the best chip by far...the Dimensity 8100. Also, as an audiophile, the high res headphone jack is a life saver as I don't really need to carry a DAC with me.
Poco X3 NFC with xiaomi.eu ROM.
iPhone and iOS because Iโm used to it, have other gadgets from the ecosystem (MacBook, iPad, Watch) and my employer prefers iOS and well supports macOS.
iPhone SE 2020 here. The main reason I like Apple is because the designs and sizes suit me better. I find that Samsung phones tend to be too big and focus on camera, rather than battery time (which I personally prioritise). I havenโt checked out other alternatives such as OnePlus, Pixel, Motorola since my parents only purchase either iPhone or Samsung. I think if Apple wasnโt so restrictive (their ecosystem), I would like them better (+their prices going down). Itโs difficult finding compact phones that focus on battery time nowadays, as someone who doesnโt care for the cameraโฆ I truly wonder what new phone I will get in a few years.
Iโd been using Android since the iPhone 3GS, but I got tired of the huge Android phones, that I could barely hold properly.
I ended up getting the iPhone 13 Mini. Itโs the perfect size and itโs still a powerful phone.
I also came to love the Apple ecosystem. Everything work so good in tandem.
iPhone 11 iOS 16. Suits my needs pretty well. iOS is just so much nicer to use than android
Nicer to use than a Samsung, sure but not nicer than a real Android.
Is it though? Every Android phone I have encountered (even higher end ones) just seem worse