I am looking for a new Android smartphone (currently on iOS).
Obviously I read about GrapheneOS as the „Gold Standard“ of alternative OS. But the downside is that it only runs on Pixels. Which is kinda weird to buy a device from a company you want to „boycott“ (de-Google).
On the other hand I kinda like the approach of Fairphone: most parts are easy repairable, parts are available and cheap compared to Google and Apple. But the downside here is that it isn’t supported by GrapheneOS, doesn’t have the most capable hardware for the price and probably won’t get 7 years of updates like the Pixel 8a in comparison.
So that leaves me with a „analysis paralysis“: I have to choose a device and a CustomROM.
/e/OS does seem interesting but I read some comments that it isn’t that secure like GrapheneOS. I don’t need that high-level of security but it should be significantly more than stock Android to be worth all the hassle by installing/using a CustomROM. On the other hand I don’t want to sacrifice every comfort for the sake of the last bit of (theoretical) security.
Did someone go down this path as well recently and can share some experiences? Maybe there is even some better alternative.
If you buy a new Pixel and then run an alt rom like graphene or lineage, you’re most likeley costing Google money. I believe they manufacture the Pixel at a small loss because they expect to make their money back harvesting and selling your personal data. Denying them that should mean you get decent hardware at a fair price, without really “supporting” Google as much as you fear. I could be wrong, but I’ve definitely seen that mentioned before.
Alternatively you can just buy a used one from a private seller.
I recently bought a Pixel 5 for less than $200.
I despise paying even that much for a phone.
Well privacy costs money now unless you can live without electronics.
I don’t recommend others follow suit as the Pixel 5 has stopped receiving security updates. Obviously could use a ROM that has them them but no guarantee or obligation to do so in a timely manner. Pixel 6 however will receive updates until 2026.
Just get a pixel. Use the enemy’s weapon against them.
If not a Pixel with GOS, I would say the second best pick is a Fairphone with CalyxOS… And don’t worry about the updates, they’ll provide extended support for as long as possible, which could be years, CalyxOS is also awesome
You can buy a used Pixel smartphone
I thought about it too but I don’t see any other benefit buying a used Pixel besides that it isn’t a new phone from Google.
- Battery life will be shorter already
- It isn’t the newest model so it won’t get the longest period of updates
But do you really need update from Google if you’re planning on installing a custom rom ? Genuine question, I thought your security updates would be handled by /e/ or graphene or whatever you choose
Not necessarily, they’ll get some OS updates after google pulls the plug, but they’ll stop getting firmware and other hardware-specific updates.
Per GrapheneOS:
Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 are end-of-life and shouldn’t be used anymore due to lack of security patches for firmware and drivers. We provide extended support for harm reduction.
This is the important bit. Talking about updates on OS level is kind of confusing and hiding the fact that it’s the chipset going EOL in old devices and not the system.
Firmware gets obsolete, not software, is closer to the right idea.
The Pixel 8a is more affordable vs the 8 and 8 Pro. The 8a comes in at $499, while the 8 cost $699 and the Pro runs $999. The 8a still has an amazing camera, the battery will give you no problems, and it’s not a MASSIVE device like most phones these days. It’s probably the best way to get on Graphene OS at a reasonable price point.
$500 is NOT “affordable”. $300 for my 7a new was already hard to swallow, and I think only previous-gen models border on “acceptable price”. 7 was only a bit more expensive in the store I used though - didn’t go for it because it is larger, and 7a is already at the edge of what I can comfortably use one-handed, but for someone this might be indeed a better deal.
Edit: just remembered another factor in favor of 7a: it has a plastic back instead of glass. I don’t know why you’d put a more brittle material on a more expensive phone…
I said “more affordable” as I was comparing the 8a, 8, and 8 Pro. Whenever a new model comes out, last years always has a price cut. I didn’t think referencing the 7a was required, as it’s implied it’s less expensive than 8a. But the 7a only will be supported for 5 years, while 8a will be for 7 years. This alone could make it the better choice. However, I know finances are different for everyone. Regardless, when I said it’s more affordable, this was a reference to it being noticeably less expense than the 8 and 8 Pro.
Well, given how short phones’ support is, most people end up using it past EOL anyway. But at least Pixels are pretty universal in their custom OS support, so they can have, for example, Lineage installed if updates are important. Spending $500 on a phone is insanity, two extra years of support are not worth it imo.
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Battery life isn’t a given - I have a 2018 flagship that still runs most of a day because it runs DivestOS instead of battery-eating Google rom
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You can replace a battery for little
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Updates are over-rated. Yes, they can be important, but if your security is layered as it should already be, it’s just another piece of the puzzle, not the only barrier.
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Graphene does a great job trying to keep it updated.
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https://grapheneos.org/faq#device-lifetime
You can buy a used Pixel 8 and it will be supported by Graphene through 2030 at the very earliest, probably the best support lifecycle you can possibly get on a phone.
I feel the 50 years support claims, whether in hardware or software, should be of little concern; you’ll grow tired of it, no one is going to rock the same phone for 10 years, replacing components as they fail and whatever Fairphone’s delusion is.
as to concrete recommendations, take a look at Xiaomi phones (Mi/Redmi/Poco/etc.). they ship with a bloated spyware called MIUI which is such a horrific mess on so many levels I can’t begin to count the ways it sucks. even moderately competent phones have trouble keeping up with the bloat, they glitch out, drop frames, freeze, etc. so people just get rid of them and upgrade to something snappier. as a consequence, they can be had for cheap on the used market.
the good news is, they have snapdragon models with super competent hardware and a good portion of them have lineageOS support (and by extension, many other derivative OS) - Poco F1 is one of the rare semi-modern phones that also has postmarketOS support.
the bad news is, the bootloader unlock process takes a week, just because; do yourself a favor and don’t connect this monstrosity to your LAN while you wait for the timer to expire. also, they’re chaotic (to say the least) with their model naming, with zero consistency what each suffix means (T, Pro, etc.) and it’s not rare that they do a model “refresh” where they replace snapdragon with mediatek in the “updated” version.
Even if you buy a phone that isn’t a pixel, then you just end up giving money to a different privacy-invasive corporation that will continue to partner with Google for search deals and surveillance advertising.
Pixels have wide aftermarket repair parts available, relatively reasonable pricing, and the largest support from custom roms since they all test on Pixels as a standard device. (same with app developers)
Pixels often have longer update periods than other brands, and many custom roms provide extended security updates on top of that.
Android development is guaranteed to continue supporting at least the Pixel phones over all others, it’ll be easier to repair down the line, and the money Google makes from the sale is nothing compared to the money they’ll lose by having less power to surveil you.
And as much as I like Fairphone, the specs just aren’t worth the cost currently, although they are catching up as time goes on.
I personally use a Pixel with GrapheneOS, and it works better than any phone from Samsung I’ve owned in the past. (plus it’s usually a bit easier to unlock the bootloader)
Just make sure that, no matter what phone you buy, you don’t buy it through your carrier, as that will make your bootloader un-unlockable unless you pay off the full payment plan and have a carrier that supports unlocking the bootloader in the first place.
Hopefully the next Fairphone closes that spec gap. I could easily live with 2022 specs for a long time, giving plateauing performance gains, as long as the phone is supported with updates.
Of course, I would also kill for a headphone jack and a 5.4-5.8" iphone mini-sized screen. It’s so frustrating that I want to buy a fairphone but the compromises are too much.
I think we’ll probably see a phone comparable to at least 2022 specs in the coming years, since they seem to release a new model every 2-3 years, with pretty decent improvements each time. Especially with their growing partnerships with chip manufacturers, it might even be possible to keep prices more reasonable too.
I currently use a phone released in 2022, and it’s perfectly functional for all my needs. Would more performance be nice? Sure, but yeah, I don’t actually need more than that.
If Fairphone could reach that mark, I would consider my next replacement phone being a Fairphone, although the lack of GrapheneOS support is kind of a deal-breaker for any phone purchase for me right now.
I like stock Lineage OS
Do you plan on using any proprietary apps?
Also Graphene has a very vocal fan base. It isn’t the gold standard for some.
I like lineage, too. But there’s a long list of security and privacy features that it doesn’t get you. Not to mention that the chipset EOL is going to end firmware updates, usually quickly. And the model support is impressive, but still spotty.
Meanwhile https://grapheneos.org/features
The model support is of course miserable. Which is kind of understandable when only one line of hardware has the needed hardware features.
Most of the features on that page are in AOSP
google pixels sadly are the best device for any custom ROM. if you really don’t want to use google and your willing to sacrifice some performance and quality of life I’d recommended the fair phone 5 with /e/os. it is easily repairable and has I think 7 years of support. ofcorse it sacrifices a few qol things of most modern phones like the top end displays or the best photo quality and it costs the same as a google pixel 8 but its all ethically sourced and is a extremely good project and product. I’d reccomend watching reviews first “not Linux tech tips” the software updates fixed most of their issues anyways.
it even comes with a removable battery, Sim card slot, and SD card slot
I have a “old” OnePlus 6t with LineageOS. I try /e/OS and i don’t like me. if I had to buy a smartphone to install a rom in, I would look for a OnePlus 7-8…
I have the One Plus 8 with Lineage OS and I’m really happy with it. I only miss a SD Card slot…
