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.
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I would buy a Google Pixel 3 or higher and install GrapheneOS on it since it is the best in terms of security, also from what I’ve heard installing isn’t that hard.
This is an expensive phone and it supports Google.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
Sure.
Also, weren’t you banned from Lemmygrad for being a transphobic piece of shit?
Say that because all people on Lemmygrad are grownups, right?
Because being a transphobic is being a grown up?
I currently have the first generation pixel, and IMO the biggest problem with it is that it’s glued together, so it’s extremely difficult to replace the battery (which has almost completely failed in mine, hence why it needs replacing). I think I will look for an option that’s easier to disassemble.
Yeah, I’m not sure about that since I don’t have a Pixel since they’re fucking crazy expensive where I live, maybe newer models changed that? I don’t know. You could invest in a screwdriver to open them, too, it’ll come in handy in the future for sure.
Can I recommend my own smartphone guide? Stickied on c/privatelife, take a look and see what you can do.
You might not need this, but this separate threat model guide might be a great precursor take for the usability aspect. https://lemmy.ml/post/34223
EDIT: downvote reddit behaviour in 10 minutes? contribute or refute
I’m thinking about buying an /e/ phone myself. They “degoogle” android phones. https://e.foundation/products/
Isn’t /e/ just a rebrand of LineageOS?
Why them? They don’t make software or their own phones!
Not OP but it’s an easy way to get non-technical people to try something that’s not Google and with solid shipping options in the EU - whats not to like?
Sure it’s faster to flash a device yourself but this way you’re getting more than just community forum support if something is wrong when you receive it - if /e/ had a US option I think they’d do quite well.
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s5 or lg g5, or huawei P20
This happened to me a few months back. Here’s the link to the thread, if you’re interested. There are some good suggestions in there, but since I couldn’t find any on the used market, I bit the bullet and went with the Fairphone 3 instead. It recently received official support from LineageOS, too (link)!
If you want a phone with good ROM support, then you’ll probably be looking at Pixel phones and to a slightly lesser degree, Galaxy phones. Just be forewarned that the most recent models most likely don’t have 3.5mm jacks, SD card expansion slots or replaceable batteries.
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