Wanted to get a new phone since my S20 is starting to show its age. And with all the enshitification of Android lately I thought it’d be good to try a different phone OS.
However, I don’t really want to buy a Google Pixel so GrapheneOS is a no go. I was really interested in the Fold 7 but it seems that will not be possible to get without Android. Thought DivestOS was good but it looks like support ended in 2024.
What other phone OS are people using?
Eh. I don’t fault anyone for not wanting to give google the money. I love my pixel, I love my graphene, but at the end of the day privacy is the first, last and only priority.
Get your Pixel secondhand. That way you are not contributing to their profit margins and have more flexibility on the Pixel version you want without having to break the bank.
And I also agree with the comment that Pixels are not the most robust phones. They are good, but not the most robust thing you could own. Power but to issue across Pixel devices is a real thing. I had two of the power buttons on separate phones fall out. Good thing is that you can get them online cheaply and manually replace them yourself.
BUT Pixels are gorgeous phones and a real delight to use as well. Lovely screens, decent battery, good camera and is buttery smooth with Graphene.
I am on these Pixels because if Graphene.
The hardware shortcomings I can live with and work around. I mostly have great experiences with Pixels with the occasional hardware issue to slove.
I use the on-screen Accessibility Menu shortcut to adjust audio volume, screen brightness and un/locking the phone.
Are there serious issues like motherboard problems (I know them from my mi 11 lite, which is now completely useless), or some other serious problems, I couldn’t fix without professional tools?
Buy open box on ebay
Fair enough. Like I said, I got mine, and I am a fan. At the end of the day though, so long as it’s hardened and runs Foss apps then it’s good by me. I couldn’t see being pro-privacy enough to take the plunge on a hardened phone AND being consumerist enough to the point of brand loyalty, lol
Pixels are very well made though, google is not a hardware company; data and ads is their business. So, buying a pixel and starving them of your data is actually bad business for them
I have a Pixel 7 and my wife has the Pixel 6a, I don’t find them particularly well made. My pixel 7 is already show signs of wear with the power button getting stuck after about 2 years of use, with a case pretty much always on. My former phone, Huawei P20 worked flawlessly and was like new after 5 years of use. In the end I wanted to run GrapheneOS and decided for the Pixel. But at this price, I am quite disappointed with the hardware quality.
To be fair, Huawei hardware (in my experience) lasts way longer than any other, if you take care of the devices.