These are the things i care the most: I want a smartphone i can repair on my own (battery and screen are the essential parts), with a bootloader easily unlockable, even better with verified boot / supporting a custom OS with re-lockable bootloader.
I don’t care if it’s supported by an official foundation or by custom ROMs foundations, i want something that will most likely get the longest term updates and security patches.
Does a device like this even exists?
I know that probably one of the few alternatives here is the fairphone, however it’s really expensive and i’ve read many negative reviews of it (pieces staying out of stock for months or stuff like that), and i can’t see the meaning of having a repairable smartphone if i have to spend the same money that i would spend buying 3 smartphones with the same specs that would last me the same time. That said, i know the market isn’t favouring these kind of businesses and these devices NEED to be expensive in order to keep existing, but i would like to know some other possible alternatives that satisfy these requirements, if they even exist.
Honestly i’ve come to a point i would probably prefer spend my money on a guitar instead that on a smartphone and just give up, the industry is terrible 😅
Other than the FairPhone, which you already mentioned, nothing really matches all criteria.
I’d give a nod to the Pixel line, though. Google already offers 5 years of software updates, and the next line is rumoured to get 7. Plus Google allows Custom ROM support, which makes it a fan favourite in the privacy community. Granted it’s not as repairable as the FairPhone, and it’s not as eco-friendly, but it’s decent enough.
Also, Google has a habit of pulling out rugs for the slightest reasons with no regard to who’s standing on it… 7 years is a really long commitment when you look at the Google Graveyard.
This is 100% true but there also aren’t really any reliable alternatives for long-term firmware support. It’s either private companies offering 2-4 years or a somewhat open alternative whose longevity as a company and support capabilities (dev support) are unproven.
I’d say it mostly comes down to whether you want a phone you can tinker with and that supports a slightly better approach or something with the benefits of mainstream adoption and support from ROMs like GrapheneOS.
Yeah, but community support will keep going for a while even after Google drops it.
This is actually something i wanna get more informed on, for example i see that e/os is still supporting the first google pixel (from 2016), it’s already 7 years of updates. However i think that applies just to the OS update, not the security patches, am i right?
I don’t think you get the frequent security updates from Google, but you do get them rolled into the slightly-less-frequent regular updates from the e team.
Not to forget that Google also supplies iFixit with official parts which I think is pretty cool
The great thing about Google Pixel phones is indeed the ability to install GrapheneOS. More than just an alternative ROM only with GrapheneOS and a Pixel phone you can get a secure OS in terms of disk encryption and bootloader protection. Other brands and custom ROMs don’t allow the that level of security that is comparable to stock Android by Google or what Apple does on their devices.
Are banking apps likely to function?
https://grapheneos.org/usage#banking-apps
Here is a list of known working banking Apps:
https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos/
Google also offers official parts through iFixit, which is better than most other manufacturers. I recently replaced the battery in my Pixel 6 Pro myself.
The 7 gets 3 years of android software updates and 5 years of security updates, which considering Google develops android, isn’t enough. If apple can support their phones for 5+ years of software updates, Google can too.
Okay then, i think i’m buying a new guitar
You are correct the nothing phone does match the fair phone