If you want to have a privacy respecting phone, e/OS might keep more functionality thanks to microG.
calyx os, which is a fork of graphene, also optionally offers micro G upon setup. I’ve used both calyx & graphene – I needed certain services for my work so I ended up on Calyx with MicroG turned on, which is a privacy sacrifice but so far has been rock solid for me and allowed me to use the services I needed. This project looks interesting and for people who aren’t comfortable flashing their own device it may be a good option; however, I am not sure that people who can’t/don’t want to flash a device will end up being happy with graphene. You can grab refurbed pixel 4a for ( 300 USD ) and the calyx/graphene flashing process is pretty straightforward.
Here are a few resources for those that might be interested:
If I were going to make some recommendations it would be to start off with CalyxOS on a refurbed device ( save some money ), if you expect to need notifications + other google services then turn micro g on. If you can get away without notifications then graphene is probably a good option for you.
That being said, I love the intention & ethics of the fairphone so I guess it depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go and where your relative values sit ( ethically sourced / repairability v. hardened security ; hopefully they will cont. to converge. ).
In terms of giving money to google, you can always go the refurb route which depending on who you buy it from may or may not directly support google. But, it is a good point. Even if you buy refurb you are at least indirectly supporting google.
calyx os, which is a fork of graphene, also optionally offers micro G upon setup. I’ve used both calyx & graphene – I needed certain services for my work so I ended up on Calyx with MicroG turned on, which is a privacy sacrifice but so far has been rock solid for me and allowed me to use the services I needed. This project looks interesting and for people who aren’t comfortable flashing their own device it may be a good option; however, I am not sure that people who can’t/don’t want to flash a device will end up being happy with graphene. You can grab refurbed pixel 4a for ( 300 USD ) and the calyx/graphene flashing process is pretty straightforward.
Here are a few resources for those that might be interested:
If I were going to make some recommendations it would be to start off with CalyxOS on a refurbed device ( save some money ), if you expect to need notifications + other google services then turn micro g on. If you can get away without notifications then graphene is probably a good option for you.
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the pixel phones have fantastic hardware security which is why graphene + calyx support them.
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Here is graphene’s explanation for why certain devices are supported and why some aren’t:
That being said, I love the intention & ethics of the fairphone so I guess it depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go and where your relative values sit ( ethically sourced / repairability v. hardened security ; hopefully they will cont. to converge. ).
In terms of giving money to google, you can always go the refurb route which depending on who you buy it from may or may not directly support google. But, it is a good point. Even if you buy refurb you are at least indirectly supporting google.
Just a note, CalyxOS is not a fork of Graphene. CalyxOS is forked from AOSP.