I’m upgrading because my phone is losing (lost?) support. I use a OnePlus 7 Pro and love it and wouldn’t bother upgrading otherwise. I’d appreciate some recommendations of android phones you like, please.
Thank you in advance! (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
Non- phone carrier variants of Google Pixels because of Grapheme OS. The crap that Verizon pumps out blocks the boot loader to be unlocked, but the ones google and amazon sells can do OEM boot loader unlocks.
Edit: also want to point out, pixels usually get the most updates out of all androids. So long as its in the support window, google will update drivers and kernels for it.
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I’ll third this. Main thing I miss is Tap-to-Pay, but it’s not that hard to carry a card. Some people miss Android Auto, but I’ve never used it.
So I’ll trade some very minor conveniences for increased security and privacy.
Mmh, I also just use my card, I think Google Pay is one of the very few things that don’t work if you installed the Google services.
So. I Android 14 available in the Beta Channel? 2 weeks ago they said they needed an additional developer for that…
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The people behind GrapheneOS even extend the support. Currently rocking Android 14 with GrapheneOS on my Pixel 4a.
How? I have an 4a
You could install LineageOS on your existing phone instead of upgrading. The OnePlus 7 Pro is supported. The install process can be daunting depending on your technical skills, but it’s a one-time process since the phone gets updates over-the-air after the OS is installed.
I did this with my OnePlus 6 a few months ago and the experience has been good. Switching to LineageOS bumped Android to version 13, whereas it was stuck on Android 11 on stock OnePlus firmware. I’m getting regular updates again, including open-source Android security patches. Not everything gets patched though, some of the core firmware is proprietary to OnePlus and that cannot be patched by anyone but them. It’s letting me extend the life of a phone still works well and has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
All overpriced. Keep using your 2019 phone, install a custom ROM if you want a refresh.
No security updates though.
Lineageos keeps merging the updates.
After four years there are no more security updates coming from OnePlus, unless someone started doing the work themselves. This is the only reason I updated my last phone.
I also love my Oneplus 7 Pro, currently running crDroid (on Android 13, based on Lineage). It is updated semi-weekly and maintained by one person. It gets the latest security updates, but I am unable to relock the bootloader, if that is relevant to your threat model.
I’m probably going to do a battery swap soon and really want to use this phone until it breaks!
Can you use banking apps? Use Google pay, Netflix?
I do not use Google Pay or Netflix on my phone, and my german banking apps work perfectly fine. YMMV though
[And here’s a repair guide for the one plus 7 screen replacement. https://de.ifixit.com/Antworten/Ansehen/788945/How+to+fix+a+detached+screen
If you love it, repair it.
The Pixel is the best you’re going to do in 2023.
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Wouldn’t recommend Oneplus anymore.
At the high end, Samsung has been pretty solid with their S lineup. The FE models are a good compromise as well. Pixels are a hit or miss, I’d recommend waiting for issues to surface before deciding on the 8/8 pro.
On the more budget - midrange side of things, Motorola has been doing a fairly solid job. They do have a lot of models, so some youtube videos should give you a fair idea on what’s right for you.
Why wouldn’t you recommend OnePlus though? I have a 9 pro which I enjoy. I really don’t miss the Samsung’s bloatware.
Severe inconsistent quality issues in both software and hardware, treating their customers as beta testers, random motherboards dying, etc.
They are still riding the ‘flagship killer’ wave, but they are just as overpriced as Samsung, while offering unfinished products.
Nailed it
I’ve bought Samsung for the past 5 years now and have never had an issue with bloat if you buy from Samsung. If you’re buying it from a carrier then yeah there’s probably a ton of crap preloaded. Imo Samsung just offers too much of a complete package to pass up. Pixel is good but hardware leaves some to be desired. The cute software quirks just don’t make it up for me.
Imo Samsung just offers too much of a complete package to pass up.
That’s basically the exact reason I refuse to buy a Samsung, haha. They’re positioning themselves to be the Apple of Androids, offering exclusives to bring people into their ecosystem and making it hard to leave. Down to petty things like swapping the back/menu keys so just using a different brand of phone feels uncomfortable.
What about the newest fairphone which is being released this fall, not thc best for your bucks, but built a bit more ethically than the others, and a modular design enabling eeasy repair*
I don’t have one, but heard good stuff about the 4 and consider getting the 5 as my 5 year old Huawei is aging
People get stuck on the repairability bit, but the two times I had to make candybar repairs I was able to do so regardless. The Fairphone is hyped up, but I’m in the market for flagship spec and I absolutely must have a headphone jack, so it doesn’t suit me.
Same boat here, headphone jack is nonnegotiable.
I was (am?) in the same dilemma. Loved my 7 pro, but someone dropped it, cracked the screen, and things started going downhill (hardware wise) from there.
As a replacement I got an 8t (still OnePlus). It’s nice, but I miss the 7 pro.
OnePlus is no longer an enthusiast brand, and I think the Pixel is the only other one currently. Maybe the Nothing phone? That’s kind of early adopter territory still, I think.
Sorry I’m not more helpful. I prefer phones with unlocked bootloaders that allow for alternate firmware to be installed.
I’ve never been an Apple guy and I stopped finding Samsung acceptable after the S10. My answer has been to go to Sony’s Xperia 1 line. I have a 1 IV and, honestly, I’m pretty happy with it. Point and shoot photos aren’t great on it, it really is meant for manual photography, but it’s not bad, either. The reasons I went for it were the form factor, the lack of a notch or punch-hole, the external SD card support, the physical 3.5mm jack and the front firing stereo speakers. It’s nuts what you can get when you don’t obsess with not having zero bezels.
The downside is… well, I don’t trust Sony for long term support, either. It helps that their phones are very similar outside of updating to the latest processors, but they clearly aren’t super focused on software updates, if that’s your priority.
But yeah, hey, screw Samsung, Google, Apple and their dumb ecosystems and actively removed basic features. This thing is easy to use one-handed, has very solid hardware and is not a clone of those three despite having flagship internals. It’s expensive, but I’m also gonna use it for multiple years, so I have no regrets about it at the moment.
Fairphone 5 for all the reasons
have been using a Fairphone 4 for over a year now, the FP5 seems to improve in nearly every way despite still missing a headphone jack. at least you won’t have to worry about software support. only really available in Europe though. in the US you can get a FP4 with /e/OS through Murena. really recommend it.
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I look into it, but can’t seem to buy anything not Motorola. They’re reasonably clean out of the box, have good batteries and survive getting wet even with no IP rating. Using Moto G52 currently.
I just picked up a Sony Xperia 1 V, and so far I’m happy with it. It’s snappy as can be, and the camera is absolutely fantastic.
Its a bit pointless to ask for android suggestions without any specifications. There are way too many good ones to count but can be very few depending on your needs and budget.
