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.
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.
“As the world is shit, everything you do is shit, so don’t try to get a minimum impact because as is shit, there is no problem to make more shit”
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.
“As Android comes from Google, everything you do with it is going to contribute to its support, so don’t try to get a minimum impact because you will be contributing to it, so there is no problem with contributing more to Google.”
It is the simplified version of what my teachers say when I speak about promoting FLOSS alternatives to certain services.
To be exact, can be applied to any ethical thing as I see this sentence a lot in other forms. It is like dis-promoting the aspiration to do more ethical things and I do not accept the idea that for “implementing security and privacy” everything is valid and can be applied (again) to everything that wants to be done.
GrapheneOS, maybe, could support other cheaper phones by not supporting certain features but adding part of the changes that are not implemented in LineageOS which do not depend of these extra features only specific of certain devices. However, it is stated that they are not being for it and it is not like people without knowledge (or possibility to get that knowledge) for it like me is going to be able to fork the OS and try easily just to get the same.
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.
What I set is that your proposition contributes more to Google of what one could think. The features GrapheneOS try to raise are not-so-recently but truly-recently promoted features from Google to create a walled garden around Android with their prepared and incoming integration with high-level things like SafetyNet and similar technologies that close the environment to the users in the “general Android ecosystem”.
Maybe if the “verified boot” and their very near tech were not developed or suggested by Google and even promoted and implemented with these integrations I referenced I would have had a different opinion.
Well, and that is without counting the price of these devices even in second hand or from where it comes.
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.
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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.
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
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.
LeECO Le 2 x520 or a Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9505. Both are cheap, being the first sold new and the second from third parties refurbished or second hand at all and have good support.
s5 or lg g5, or huawei P20
Consider Volla Phone : https://volla.online/ https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/volla/volla-phone-designed-with-simplicity-and-security-in-mind It is 300+ Euros, made in Europe, can run iirc UBports, LineageOS, and a SailfishOS version is being worked on.
Samsung Galaxy S9 is best LineageOS supported phone that I know of, with features like water proof, small size(good for single hand use), good camera… Only bad feature on S9 is edge screen(but you get used to it), and glued battery (still not too difficult to replace or take to professionals for less than 100€. Might lose water proof if you replace the battery).
Installing Lineage was bit more difficult than previous phones I have done, but doable by following instructions and repeating them as things act wrong.
You need global model, not sure about carrier locking other than mine which was “DUOS” and it did work, found mine used year ago for ~300€.
