My old phone’s battery has given up the ghost. Can someone recommend a current generation smartphone, preferably Android, that strikes a good balance between usability and privacy? I’m also fine with an Android phone that’s not that great with privacy out of the box, but has good support for third party ROMs like Lineage or Copperhead. Even better if the phone’s chassis and battery can just unscrew so I can replace it myself.

I’ve looked into the Pinephone and other Linux-only phones, but I’d like to wait until the app ecosystem is more mature. At least with Android I can use the F-droid apps for privacy consciousness.

    • ghost_laptop
      3•3 years ago

      Yeah, I think you could say that from literally every Android phone, since all of them help Google’s monopoly, but even then it’s not like we can buy our path to a revolution… Buying anything you’re still supporting shitty companies that do oppressive stuff, what do you want me to do? In terms of security and privacy this is the best thing you can do.

        • ghost_laptop
          2•3 years ago

          Lineage phones home to Google, I could say that’s supporting Google, too, right? I don’t think the world is so black and white.

        • ghost_laptop
          1•3 years ago

          I never said anything like that, what I said is that any purchase you do is going to be on a company that has or has had ethically questionable practices. One could say, “Well, you should at least buy from a company that isn’t the biggest surveillance machine on earth, to fight back against such practices”, to that I answer that I would fight back (if I had the money) by buying a Pixel and using the most private and secure mobile OS by reinforcing my individual privacy and reapropiating the meaning by which that hardware was created.

    • NoStepOnPython
      2•3 years ago

      Can always get a Pixel 3a. Inexpensive as far as phones go and also supported by GrapheneOS. Less money to Google if you buy it secondhand if that’s your concern