What Phone do you guys use?
I assume everyone on Lemmy uses GrapheneOS on a Pixel 7 or LineageOS flashed onto a LG Tribute with zero Google apps, and everything backed up via nextcloud running on a headless Debian Raspberry Pie?
I'm just a scrub using stock Android. Am I the only one?
150
Comments226
We're still working on publishing the results of the census we ran a few months ago (sample size of around 600, where most users were from our Lemmy/Piefed instances)
Here is the graph for the phone question, exact numbers pending final cleanup:
We will also be fixing the data labels to be less terrible
Super cool!
Is jola postmarket?
They use their own SailfishOS
so... no one is using that?
I had assumed it was reasonably popular.
It's both expensive and perpetually sold out
not for that price
I have no idea how popular it is but Ubuntu Touch and Postmarket have a wider device compatibility so I'd guess those will statistacally have to be more popular.
Jolla is a niche within a niche and has limited availability last I checked. Which is a shame as they seem to be offering some sort of compatibility layer that seems to enable you to just install Android apps. I'd love to see that on the others.
iPhone 15 here. I gave up on android because Google seemed obsessed with borrowing the most annoying UI features from iOS and just doing them poorly.
Now I’m on the other side and don’t like it here either.
Next phone will be a dumb phone, I think. If my toys always make me angry they’re not good toys for me.
I use Ubuntu Touch on Fairphone 4 with Nextcloud backup (self hosted).
You are lemmy
You got me, I have GrapheneOS on a pixel 8a. Seems like Android's only getting worse, so I'm going to do my best to never go back now. I've had it for nearly a year and I'm super happy with it, everything works just the way I want it. My only concern is the small battery meaning it often only has 30% charge left by the end of the night.
I have my Pixel 9 plugged in the majority of the time so I've had the cap max battery setting turned on since I got it so it only ever goes up to 80%. I'm hoping this keeps the battery in good health for at least five or six years so I can keep using this thing.
I have GrapheneOS on a Pixel 9a with everything backed up over NextCloud on a headless Ubuntu rackmount server.
You were waaaaay off 😆
Just switched to Graphene on a refurbished 10 Pro XL
Prior to that was a RedMagic 10 Pro
/e/os on Fairphone 4
The remaining question is: Do you run your own Nextcloud for backup or do you use the one provided by Murena?
I don't have any cloud backup. If I had to, I'd probably use a self-hosted solution.
Pixel 9 with Graphene OS. I don't really bother with backups besides my personal photos since there's nothing critical on my phone. But I use immich for photos hosted on my unraid server.
I do have two backup Raspberry Pis, one at my house and one at a friend's, that my photos and other critical data is backed up to daily.
+1 for immich and local hosting.
Indeed.
I have the photos backed up off site also. Along with any other important data.
Samsung Galaxy S9+
I'm unwilling to get a more modern phone because of all the AI bullshit being shoved into them nowadays. Unlike most of Lemmy, I'm not smart enough to install and fully configure GrapheneOS to work without hiccups. So I remain with this old phone until it quits on me.
If you actually want to do it, have faith in yourself. It's not that hard if you read the guide and watch a YouTube video or two. You're probably smarter than you give yourself credit.
If you want some help with installing, I can try to help.
I keep buying motorolas because they're rugged as fuck. I get a new one every 3-5 years. They're all the same-ish these days, and rarely come with any sort of incentive or discount, so it doesn't make sense to refesh too often. I try to get my money's worth from my devices.
Can't tell you how many samsungs my kids have broken, but both of their motos still work.
Can confirm, Motorola makes some pretty rugged phones. I had my T-Mobile Revvlry+ (based on the Motorola G7 but different camera) for like 7 years.
After the power button literally took a shit, I opened it up to see if I could fix it. Somehow they managed to seal the buttons in an aluminum block, completely non-serviceable, so I just kept using it for another 6 months or so, using the charging cable to wake it from sleep.
Knowing the phone was on its way out (oh yeah I forgot to mention the busted screen), I backed everything up, got sick and tired of the thing, and broke it in half by hand. And oh boy that phone was tougher to break than I thought..
Eww.
LOL, you know what I mean, it stopped working.
Kinda hard to consider reviving the phone if the battery ever went totally dead after that, so I knew after I realized it wasn't properly serviceable that it was on its way out anyways.
/e/os on Fairphone 6
Motorola with their nearly-stock Android.
Excited about upcoming Motos with Graphene, though =]
Same for the excitement. I'm just hoping they don't release an 'innovated' device no better than a Pixel. There's been a growing trend of even Motorolas coming with less and less. It's more than a little alarming.
I cann't afford a pixel, what would make them think I'd be able to afford a new, flagship motorola? Why won't they support other populat phones?
Because they don't meet the security requirements. The solution for affordability is a used or refurbished Pixel.
https://grapheneos.org/faq#future-devices
I got a second hand pixel 7a for £90 supported until 2028 on grapheneos. Switched to a 9a now though.
Graphene on a Pixel 8a. One of the few currently viable options, in my eyes.
Fairphone 6 with Android. Waiting for Motorola+GrapheneOS phone.
GrapheneOS on a Pixel 6a
Same!
There's still over a year of OEM support left with official support etc, but have you started thinking about what to use after that? A newer pixel? Motorola? Something else entirely?
Haven't gotten there yet. I'm curious to see what happens with Motorola though!
Me too! I haven't thought about it much either, I'm happy with Graphene though.
Sony Xperia 1 IV. Their naming scheme is terrible.
Main reason is because I wanted a future-proof, flagship phone with a headphone jack and micro SD card slot. Both have proven very useful, and I am still kind of in shock that most manufacturers have dropped them.
Stock android. Still using the NoVa launcher because I haven't had the free time to try out others, plus my pi-hole seems to block the ads they have been introducing for now.
The Xperia has a weirdly narrow screen. I like it in a vacuum better than todays phablets, but I think the occasional webpage scales weirdly.
Lineage OS on a pixel 8
iPhone with plans to switch to GrapheneOS on a pixel soon.
iPhone 14 Pro
Fairphone 6 with e/OS
I wish. Using a pixel 6 here, not looking forward to when I need to replace it.
Same here, the phone is perfectly capable making the software updates situation so dumb
GrapheneOS on a Pixel 8a, Google apps in a separate profile, local backup to a separate drive using rsync, notes/calendar/notes synced to nextcloud running on hetzner VPS. So pretty much same as everyone else here.
I have a pixel 6 pro running the stock OS. I will run it until it is on its last legs and decide where to go next. To use banking and government apps here, I'm somewhat limited in my choices.
Have you enjoyed it
When it came out, it had some issues that took a while to work out. Otherwise, it works without me noticing it the vast majority of the time which is what I want in a phone.
Librem 5.
Cons: Storage and RAM small. Battery so-so.
Pros: I haven't seen a single other phone I would rather own. Android and iOS are dumb as hell. Terrible OSes, in my opinion.
I want a Liberty Phone but can't justify the money. This works well enough for me. I will almost certainly be buying the L5 successor.
Nope.
Well, I don't use any banking apps, personally. My understanding is that they don't work under Waydroid.
Other Android apps mostly work fine in Waydroid, so long as they don't need access to GPS or camera to work properly.
I removed Waydroid a while back, though, as I only needed it for one app and Waydroid took up almost 1/3 of the storage on the phone. It just wasn't worth it, and I am happier to be rid of the Android ecosystem anyways.
I should mention that the Linux phone life is NOT for everyone.
I should also mention that battery life is still not anywhere close to competitors. Camera is meh but improves with updates.
For my use cases (Phone/SMS/MMS, Lemmy, Mastodon, and a few other apps), it works totally fine and has proven to be reliable enough for almost 3 years. It gets better with age due to updates.
GrapheneOS on a refurbished pixel 10 from ebay
S24 Ultra. Will be my last Android with the way things are going.
Being on an iPhone for 11 years and then going to Android was a jaw dropping experience.
But now no more sideloading and Nova Launcher went to shit with ads after the owners sold (out).
The FOSS launcher Lawnchair is actually pretty great. Took some setting up, but now it does everything nova did for me.
Sideloading though, yeah I really hope that doesn't go through. Fun fact even now I can't use a local gov't because I have an accessibility service running that was 'sideloaded' (it's from Lawnchair, if you want double tap to lock you need it)
I need an SD slot and headphone jack so I'm on a Motorola g 25. I got it a couple months ago. It's pretty good so far. I chad an LG v20 prior to that.
S24 FE. I hate all the recent changes Samsung has been doing but this phone should last me until 2030 at least, probably more. I'm also the only person on Lemmy who likes OneUI, and I'm OK with that now that all alternative launchers are enshittifying.
By the time I need to replace it, the market will probably be in an entirely different place and maybe even some Linux versions could be more viable.
I use Immich, bitwarden, mega, and Tuta. Which covers the backup of everything.
Nothing Phone 1, one of the best phones I've ever used, utilise the glyph system often and hope to upgrade at some point to a Nothing Phone 3.
Plus it's not from the US, so perfect for me.
Nothing phone 2 here, been a great phone but I bought a new CMF phone and had to remove a bunch of forced AI bullshit using adb so I don't think if buy another nothing phone. Still a nice piece of hardware sadly
Also on nothing 1. Had a pixel 5 before. This is much better. For my next phone I want something degoogled. Not sure if nothing got me covered threre
I'm thinking of a nothing 4 to replace my pixel 6. Glad to hear that so far nothing is decent, minus the AI
Pixel 8 stock, haven't gotten around to Graphene OS yet and a little worried it won't work with my bank/credit card apps. I think I can revert to stock if things don't work for me so I might try soon.
I really miss my LG G8 though.
Do all of your banks have websites?
If you do test out Graphene, long hold on an app and select App Info then disable all the hardening and sandbox stuff you can for bank apps to stand the best chance of them working.
iPhone 17
LG G2 (2013) with LineageOS
imma use it till 2038, i even have spares
How do you deal with outdated CAs?
i don't use the internet much with the phone, and the OS isn't that outdated since i don't use the stock rom. it's also trivial to install new certs.
GrapheneOS on a Pixel 6a. Technically have a few Google apps, but they are only banking/governmental stuff and one gacha game (which I primarily play on a tablet anyway). Too lazy to set up Nextcloud myself, but I do have a VPS I rent... and I used to have a local RasPi running PiHole
I am apparently a bit too uncomfortably close to the exact stereotype OP listed
Pixel 6 pro with Graphene OS
Switched from an iPhone Air to a Pixel 9a with grapheneOS.
Way cheaper, safer, I have learned a ton about security and self hosting and learned to love computers again.
GrapheneOS on a Pixel 8a
Refurbished pixel 7.
I originally wanted to install graphene, but I like the stock firmware enough to stick with it.
I honestly don't know. When my phone dies I go to the nearest phone store and ask for the cheapest android phone they have in stock. They ask me what brand I want, what features are important to me--cheapest. They warn me that the camera isn't as good as OtherPhone's--cheapest. And the battery...--cheapest.
If I had to venture a guess I'd say it's a Redmi? And I suppose it's bad.
It was 150€ 4 years ago. I can't fathom sinking 500€ on a phone.
Pixel 9, GrapheneOS
iPhone 13 mini, which I will stick with until Apple ships another one-handed phone.
Pixel 6a stock
Xiaomi 13t, 1TB storage, Leica camera, bought used.
It's very good, except the insanely aggressive clean up policy; you watch youtube on FF, switch out to check something and back, youtube is gone...
With 8(+8) GB RAM i could probably use it as a daily Linux driver but there is no linux for it. Will switch to like graphene when I can.
/Sorry infodump
Well google just renabled automatic app updates and it broke a bunch of my apps because I get the pre adware/spyware/buyout version of apps. So ive been in the market the last week for a graphene phone. Seems pretty likely ill get a stock android phone thats supported by grapheneOS and flash it myself, im uncomfortable with buying a pre used $200 phone.
Why are you uncomfortable buying a used phone? I've only ever bought used phones.
My financial situation means that if that phone fails to work or breaks rapidly, the loss of that $200 is extremely consequential. Odds are lower that an unused phone will break within the 5 years i need them to last
Nothing Phone 2
Don't really like the newer models because the glyphs have decreased loads.
RGB glyphs would be pretty cool, ones you could program yourself
I just finished a clean reflash of LineageOS on my Nothing Phone 1 without any closed source apps except for minecraft android (played with a clip on controller). If i find a reliable way to play actual java versions i will remove my google account from my phone and go full open source.
There's PoJav Launcher. Pretty sure it's OSS. I don't have too much experience with it, but it seems to launch the game fine.
I know pojav but its not maintained anymore just like amethyst it seems...
Ah, didn't know that. Nvm then
For anyone who might google this: amethyst works but the download link is screwed. Here is the correct one (i just changed debug to release): https://nightly.link/AngelAuraMC/Amethyst-Android/workflows/android/v3_openjdk/app-release.zip
Hey now, it's a Pixel 8 and Raspbian.
Two google apps in a separate profile with a different pin
Pixel9a with GrapheneOS installed
I use stock android but hate smartphones and only own it because of a previous job that required one but gave a monthly comp so you had to get one. I keep minimal apps on it. have it shutoff most times. I use it for phone calls and camera mostly with maybe maps and calendar. I have f-droid to avoid google apps but the stock camera works better than my alternate app so I use that for photos more.
Galaxy S24 ultra here
I use a Samsung S23 with the standard Android system.
I'm on a Z Flip 😅 so nah you're not the only one on stock Android. I want to grab a Pixel and switch to GrapheneOS, but I'll have to wait until I can afford a new phone and when this one bites the dust since I only got it about a year ago. I unfortunately only found out about Android ROMs and got into cybersecurity shortly after I bought it
Honestly dude there are allot of compromises that come with it. You right with the system constantly at times and lose it on RCS of you rock it purely de-Google
Well I already fight with my computer constantly having switched to Linux lmao so it's nothing new. But RCS is the one thing I'm worried about since my phone SIM is fucked up and SMS doesn't work at all so I have to resort to Google Messages to text at all. I wonder if it's to do with it being a virtual SIM? Or my phone being unlocked and not from the carrier? idk
It could be that your phone just doesn't use the frequency bands supported by your carrier. For example, I recently bought a moto g84 5G and had to switch from a Verizon MVNO to a T-Mobile MVNO.
Ooh okay.. well that's annoying lol, especially since I'm not the one in charge of the carrier plan (we switched carriers shortly after I switched phones). Thanks for the example and article link :)
Still have an iPhone 12 mini. Will upgrade to like the iPhone 18 pro or something. I'm waiting until this stops getting software updates first.
Nokia n gauge
/e/os/ on a Motorola One 5G Ace.
Fairphone4
Im jelly of people who can run GrapheneOS, I can lead others to water but can not drink...
Galaxy xcover 6 pro. Still have both 3.5mm jack and replaceable battery.
Me as well. Easy choice as no other device came even close to having the features I wanted.
GrapheneOS on a pixel 8 pro I got second hand a few months back.
GrapheneOS on a pixel 8
Oppo Reno 12, running on Android - via Oppo's "ColorOS", which is ok.
Nothing phone 2a. I like the lights on the back :)
stock android on a fairphone 4 - I do use Syncthing for syncing, though
my Raspberry Pis are all resting atm, but I really should set one up with pihole and syncthing again...
Stock Android on Samsung S23 because it was $400 at the time (JB-Hi-Fi had a steal of a deal), and current phone at the time was dead, so I needed something. Otherwise, I'm not sure where I would have gone, but definitely not Apple. All of my workplaces use iPhones and I hate it.
Unihertz Jelly Star with its stock Android. Fantastic phone :)
How do you even type on that thing
If you think about it, our phones were small back in the day. Some of the candy bar phones were even smaller than this. It's just that we just grew to want bigger and bigger things over time and most people are unable to downsize (in general, even in finances). I had a hard time in the beginning but then I got used to it. Bottom line is that humans can adapt. Most of us just don't want to
I see. What benefits do you see with that phone?
I'm just not a glued to my screen type of person. For the most part, I use my phone to call people or listen to stuff. Lemmy and Reddit (I'm sorry for still being on Reddit) are the extent of social media that I'm on, so I'm not spending hours on end doom scrolling. So, I don't like to bring a large phone anywhere I go. It's camera can go with a 50MP images (just not post processed like in most brands) and I'm happy with that :) Using it for Google Maps was hard in the first week, but then I adapted and I'm fine with it :) But yeah, in general, I'm not a glued to my screen person :)
Interesting. Maybe I should consider it when its time to get a new phone
That is the goofiest little phone I have ever seen
Redmi note 13pro 5g with cdroid without google services or gapps
GrapheneOS on pixel 8 (terrible phone, hardware-wise) backed up to nextcloud (nextcloud sucks, looking to switch)
I'm a scrub using stock Android also. Well, technically stock Samsung, whatever flavor of Android they call that nowadays. In my defense, saying that I "use" my phone at all is generous. I avoid the digital ball-and-chain like the plague, only touch it when I have to (like when some foolish family member calls me). None of my important data, passwords, or accounts will ever touch it unless they give me literally no other choice.
LineageOS on a moto g42. Best phone I ever had!
Galaxy A14, which was the only new phone I could afford for 140 Euros (+ 50 Euros for the 512 GB microsd card) that offered the longest security updates.
Thought of getting an used Pixel 2XL and install (now defunct) divestos on it, but then the battery would be certainly dead and didn't want to risk replacing it myself.
Realme GT 7 Pro
I've been quite happy with it, the package price is great while the software is much less neutered than the Xiaomis I've used before. Fast processor, gargantuan battery and the fast charging up to 120W without heating up the phone much is insane.
iPhone. Don’t know the model number but it has four cameras and is huge.
Stock pixel 10a
Samsung Z Fold7
Same. I got it to replace my latest underwhelming Pixel after that was stolen.
I like the Z Fold 7 more than I had expected to by a lot, and I haven't even mastered the various features. It's kind of just like...a regular good smartphone but better.
GrapheneOS on Pixel 7.
Love GrapheneOS, not so impressed with the HW quality of the Pixel for the price I paid. I feel my previous Huawei P20 was more durable, and it was a good 200€ cheaper at time of purchase.
Xiomi. Sue me.
Using a one plus nord n30 5g with lineage os. It's a super budget phone. Looks like us one plus users are in the minority here.
Currently using a samsung, looking to jump ship
Stock Pixel 7 here.
I'm using a Samsung with an android os. I wanted an android phone but couldn't get my hands on one at the time, so this was the next best option.
Grapheneos on my pixel 9, perfectly complements my PC with Arch :3
iPhone 15 pro max
Fairphone 5 with android, I'm contemplating moving to e/os but I need to take the time you do it.
Rooted Pixel 8 on lineageOS with mindtheGApps, I unfortunately still use some Google stuff, I am slowly de-googling. But I at least get slightly more privacy this way.
Gotta start somewhere. De-googling takes time and even if you never fully get there, just cutting off some of the big services that they harvest your data from like Gmail and Photos is a great first step.
iPhone 13 Pro. Planning on replacing the battery if it ever gets too bad, then maybe replacing it with a Fairphone a few years after.
Old-ish iPhone. Will be getting replaced with a FairPhone, I think.
Samsung. It's not US nor Chinese.
iPhone 16 pro…
I mean work gives it to me… and I’m too cheap to buy a personal phone
I'd love to be using GrapheneOS, but I refuse to lower my standards to a sub-par device, and certainly wouldn't pay the Google tax for the privilege. So I'm currently using a Galaxy Note9 with NobleROM while hoping against all logic that the Motorola + GrapheneOS partnership doesn't spit out another useless wet fart of a device.
The Motorola Signature looks like a good device so its successor should be too.
Sadly, the Signature is yet another victim of 'innovation'. I have no use for a device that is doing the exact same as everything else at that price range. I'd sooner grab the Edge 60 Stylus, despite the significantly worse CPU.
I have a Samsung S24+ and the Moto Signature is better value.
The screen has a higher brightness, smaller bezels, higher PWM frequency and much higher brightness. It also has 90W charging and a flatter speaker response with more bass and midrange. All of those are compared to my phone, not your much older Note 9.
The GrapheneOS models are coming out next year, though they say it will be top of the range phones first. Whether that includes any below the Signature I don't know.
It sounds like those features mean a lot to you. Especially brightness, apparently. But they mean little to me. I have no use for fast charging so long as the battery has enough capacity to last between charges. Smaller bezels mean nothing when the camera leaves a massive hole in that larger screen. I already own a high quality DAP, so I don't need top of the line audio, just something I can listen to quietly on my studio-spec headphones. And despite brightness being so precious to you that you felt compelled to name it twice, I work nights, am nocturnal and my eyes are sensitive to light. Additional brightness means nothing when I never need it above 50%. I need utility, not boardroom-approved statistical refreshes.
What GraphaneOS features do you miss in your current ROM?
Basically everything privacy focused. NobleROM is just One UI from newer devices back-ported so I have modern Android without losing everything that made the Note9 so great. There are the standard problems with banking apps and such that I've seen Graphene users able to get around. I'm also hoping Graphene will have an answer for the installation limitations Google is pushing on Android. I see what they're doing as going the way of a death by a thousand cuts and further their monopoly until they're no different from Apple.
/e/ and iode have better privacy features than GrapheneOS. GrapheneOS have great security but doesn't offer anything special when it comes to privacy. /e/ and iode will also let you avoid new installation limitations.
Both of those are funded by the French government, a government that is open in its support for the Chat Control proposal. I have no reason whatsoever to believe either of those is secure in the slightest.
I have a ZenFone 8 with stock. I love the form factor but I'm mildly annoyed that I can't uninstall certain apps and the QA is poor, never have I been forced to repair a phone this much.
I backup photos via immich, passwords vid bitwarden and run calendar, contacts, notes via nextcloud
iphone 8 😀
How do you know???
Phone? I largely use my tablet while I'm at home. Don't ask what phone I use when traveling, it's about a joke of a thing that barely works and probably isn't even worth $5 as is, working. But it makes and receives calls and text at least.
Anyways, my tablet is a Maxwest Astro 8R. Also not all that much to brag on, but it's powerful enough to emulate a PSP almost seamlessly. Camera sucks though and doesn't have all that many sensors, not even a compass sensor.
Its running stock Android 11 that came with it, but I've never signed into Google and ive disabled practically all Google apps, including specifically Google Play and related services. F-Droid and sideloaded apps for me, I don't even use the GBoard keyboard, Futo Keyboard for the win!
Moto G 7 power from 2019. Since it's quite old there are limited options for alternative OSs, so I'm using e/OS. It has its issues but it runs perfectly well.
Wrong, I use it on a Pixel 6 Pro
Also wrong, my nextcloud and headless Debian is running on a Proxmox VM
What's nextcloud useful for?
It's basically Google Drive but self hosted
If id mainly use it for transfer from one pc to another in the same network, is there any advantage over just using ssh?
If it's just for that, then not really. I actually use Syncthing nowadays but I have Nextcloud running for a web-accessible GUI and file sharing.
Okay thanks for sharing, I'll have to read more about both of those a bit later on.
Company buys me a pimped up iPhone every two years. I’m due for an upgrade this fall again.
Can’t be arsed to buy a separate one, would buy a GrapheneOS supported one if that didn’t involve giving money to Google
I had three straight Pixel phones die from random hardware failures on me in the span of less than two years, so I have high hopes for this Motorola/GrapheneOS collab.
Currently using a Razr foldable. Which has lasted longer than two of the three Pixels put together. Stock Android. Would love to put LineageOS on it instead. Currently no rom for it and I'm not a developer.
EDIT: For backups, I do it the old fashioned way. Periodic device dumps into 3 different desktop/laptop computers. Not optimal, don't have the time or budget to do better right now. Again, I'm not a developer and frankly most of my life is not digital. The parts that are digital aren't a huge deal to me if they aren't airtight secure.
As politics go, I WANT people to know that I'm for trans rights and body autonomy and that I think all republicans deserve the gulag. Please record my full name and details with my convictions on those issues and display them everywhere when I'm gone. I will NOT go down in history lumped in with the masses under "Why didn't regular people fight back? Did they actually support this?" when this regime is studied in school with the scorn and ridicule it deserves. Anyway, I don't put my name out there on purpose with that stuff but if someone links me to the causes I support because there are memes about trans people in my Google account, all the better. I wear pride in public anyway, might as well wear it in private.
A Moto G7 Power with LineageOS.
I’d never use an iPhone if my phone were my main device—but I just want a phone/camera that I don’t have to think about beyond those specific functions, and for that my iPhone 12 mini works fine.
https://www.unihertz.com/products/jelly-star ? Its form factor sort of makes worrying about anything else impossible.
CrDroid on 8 pro.
I thought it would be a Fairphone with a Stallman-approved FSF app set.
/e/-OS on Fairphone 5.
Edit: You're right about the backup though.
I am not worthy 🥹
Not had it for long, but a fairphone 6 (the version thats sold in the US that comes with /e/OS instead of regular android).
How do you like it?
Its worked out fine for me thus far, but given that one of the selling points for how expensive it is is reparability, and I've only had it a few months, I don't think I can yet give a useful review beyond that it works as a phone, at least for the hardware.
A handful of quirks from the operating system (most annoying being that the option to paste stuff has a visual bug that makes the little popup button for it not appear, though it still works if I just tap where it should be), but nothing I've not been able to figure out with at most a quick internet search. Might not work out for everyone though as some apps (only a small handful of the ones ive tried, but still) dont fully work, so how viable the OS is will depend on if one absolutely needs one of the ones that doesn't or not.
iPhone 16 Pro Max
GrapheneOS is a “someday” that will rely on degoogling ither aspects of my digital life and setting up self hosted solutions for others.
Stock? Nah.
I have something like a dozen tablets and phones stacked on my desk. I get new ones, but the old ones have enough life in them that I don't just count them as ewaste and wash my hands of them. Only two of those have current lineage available, and I can't be arsed to update what amounts to a picture frame that isn't connected to Wi-Fi. The rest get used as security cameras for very short term use.
Most of them still have the os they came with as, again, I can't be arsed to fiddle with the ones that I could dig up a rom for, or they couldn't be unlocked to do it in the first place. But none of them were ever stock Android. Since when I got them, I favored Samsung and LG tablets, the ui was highly altered from regular AOSP.
Now, my main phone? My absolutely amazing friend gifted me a pixel with graphene ready to go as soon s it reached me. But I do still use some play store apps on it, when I can't find something good enough that isn't (nothing touches poweramp, and I haven't had the budget to put towards a licence for it from the dev, yet. Higher priorities).
Never touched a pi unless it was a pie being shoved down my throat.
Ngl though, if I wasn't lazy as fuck, I'd likely swap to lineage on my older oneplus that's my backup phone. Just don't feel like dealing with the time it would take. So it's as stock as it was when I got it a few years ago. I doubt I'll ever do it unless I get a newer graphene device and it gets retired to the desk for infrequent uses. That's how I end up with a still working Galaxytab 2 lol. Barely still working tbh.
Remarkable! So you have been using graphene OS for a long-term? How would you rate it overall? Do you ever get frustrated by some of the limitations or jankiness that can come up with various apps?
No bullshit, I've yet to run into jank. My bank is a credit union that isn't a bunch of assholes, so their app works fine.
I don't need any authentication apps, so no worries there. Ifi ever do, there's some known to work with graphene.
I'm happier with graphene than I have been in years with android overall. Last time I was really happy with android, we were still in single digits. The ever increasing limitations Google was applying broke my joy of it s an enthusiast.
But graphene at least returns me being able to use my device without the layers of Google bullshit unless I just want to.
So no frustrations at all just easy to use handled computing.
I've had this phone since early last year. I think? Might have been june? Damned if I can remember without digging up old messages lol.
Whe I got it, my plan was to use the pixel for my second line in case I couldn't make the transition. I switched sims out two days later and haven't looked back since. If I could put graphene on my second phone, I would.
Fold 7, love it for blending OSRS and YouTube.
I have an iPhone Air after renewing my cell plan this year. Its alright
I also have a OnePlus 6T running PostmarketOS but I use it more for tinkering than as a daily driver right now
Agnostic, for development. iOS and Android.
Daily driver is iPhone, but I keep a Pixel with stock Android for staying uptodate with services and latest updates.
Used to keep a phone around to run stock AOSP, but nobody runs that.
Xiaomi 17 pro with Hyperos.
iphone 17. never used android because i grew up with ios and i really am attached to the ui. im really not interested in switching to graphene or a pixel, at least until it gets better or until iphone is shown to seriously be unsafe. stock iphone is safer than stock android and i’ll stick by my opinion, but i know almost everyone in the privacy space disagrees with me.
Their lockdown mode is very good and I think you should be fine as long as you don't have all your data stored in Apple services like Apple Notes and Photos that you can't install on Android, though OS switching apps and the iCloud website mean it is possible to get your data out.
Pixel 8a because I'm poor, but I do like the camera support.
I like FOSS (etc), but I'm not rabid about it.
Motorola G73 because I can't afford anything more expensive :(
I removed all the Google apps, but I can't install a custom ROM as none support this device
you can install a treble GSI version of LineageOS, some hardware features may not work though.
You should look for a used Pixel. New phones under $200 are all rip offs.
iPhone 12 Pro
Same here and the battery is holding up pretty well even after all these years which is a nice surprise
I definitely have to change mine. I already bought a replacement a year ago and haven’t gotten around to putting it in. It lasts for a day of light use.
an older xiaomi with lineage. i have gapps due to compatibility issues.
Pixel 8 here, still running stock Android but rooted to enable a few apps i like and won't give up.
No plans to move to Graphene or Lineage
lineageos on Sony xperia 5 iii
how is it?
been running solid for nearly a year now! just some hassle for big version upgrades (need to manually install them) but thats it :)
cool. i was thinking of trying them out bc they supposedly open source a lot of code
Using a Vivo smartphone (the Chinese ROM) for its good cameras (once you disable all the AI "enhancements" to the zoom that makes it all look like a messy oil painting). The OS spin is, in a word, pretty garbage. There's unfortunately no LineageOS support for my device it seems like.
It's got some neat features, but there's a whitelist for SMS apps, meaning I was stuck with the stock one. Additionally, it pops up a security warning whenever you install any app that isn't verified by Vivo, but it doesn't hamper my ability to install apps from F-Droid and Obtainium too much.
Using NextDNS with a few blocklists shows that it phones home to Vivo constantly, Vivo-related links are far and above blocked by NextDNS over anything else on my devices. Not very good for privacy, like at all. It also tells me off for having private DNS and assumes that it's the problem whenever there's a change in the network connection.
I am currently using the Kvaesitso launcher (and I know many like Lawnchair, but I favour the more efficient search-based interface of Kvaesitso) and for a long while it randomly switched me back to the stock launcher. The swipe up gesture also sent me to the home launcher like Kvaesitso was running as an app. It turns out that there's a hidden option in settings to disable that, but it took a lot of looking around online to figure that out. With Kvaesitso, much of the oddities of OriginOS work out better (like the advertisements and Baidu results in the global search). I also disabled the "Origin Island" since it only worked for Spotify and nothing else I used, as well as a few other bits that I didn't really need.
If you want a neat phone that is good for user privacy and all that, Chinese ROM phones aren't the way to go, but dang the camera hardware run circles around anything Apple and Samsung can produce. If you want something that supports custom ROMs, there's of course Fairphones, which are super repairable and use fair materials and labour, but there's plenty of other devices that support LineageOS, iodeOS, e/OS, etc. If you really want to become independent of Google you could also try a phone that supports mobile Linux (like the OnePlus 6)
I do have photos backed up with Immich, and it works quite well!
I will say, even with the Chinese ROM, I feel like I can use so much more software and have better access to my device than my old iPhone. For one, I can connect the USB with my computer and share files quickly, and F-Droid has so many cool apps that work, and in many cases look, awesome! Being able to use different default apps, use a different launcher, and customise the icons easily with an icon pack (Apple's sorry excuse for icon theming isn't all that great, all you get is either a glassy colour or glassy glass)
But I must say, I am envious of those who are able to run LineageOS, mobile Linux, etc.
If I do ever switch to a new phone (which won't be for several years, since my phone is relatively new) I would probably go for a phone that I know is supported by LineageOS or perhaps iodeOS. This would probably be a Fairphone (likely a used model) given that I really want to support their mission for fairer materials and more repairable electronics.
I could also try going for a strange little Linux phone, just for fun.
Stock android on a Pixel 10. I'm far too lazy to mess with installing operating systems when I don't absolutely have to.
Samsung Galaxy Duos running iodéOS.
Stock Pixel, I do have Nextcloud and other stuff, but I usually don't want to risk bricking my phone and I'm okay with some of the tradeoffs of using Google things, not okay with being shackled to it though so I do have some alternatives setup ready to switch but for the most part I'm okay with the tradeoffs.
i have an iphone and a motorola android. both are about 3 years old
The cheapest new iPhone I could buy locally.
Moto Edge running Lineage with microG for GPS
I have an old Realme GT NEO 3 with the stock ROM. There was no LineageOS ROM for it when I got it but there's been one for two years now, so I may give it a try eventually.
The camera is not good but apart from that, it works. I have Google apps installed on this one and use mainly Gmail and Maps. Maps is shitty but I also use openstreetmaps on the web through Firefox. I don't have the YouTube app and watch videos in Firefox, with uBlock Origin, Sponsor Block and Video Background Play Fix. I tend to use the websites, or FOSS apps if possible through F-Droid. No weather app, I just go on the website with ads blocked. But I don't mind paying for some apps that I use if they are useful and don't have ads. Ads are the devil.
And my backups are simple, using FolderSync connecting via SSH on my headless Orange Pi.
Pixel 8 with GrapheneOS (fully degoogled)
Yeah, but they seem to have a decent approach to AI, not slap it on everything.
Fold 5. Battery is getting annoying, so decent odds I pick up the 8 when it drops in the summer. I miss the days when you could just pop a battery out. It's expensive but the larger screen is amazing and I'll probably never go back. I'm not married to having a Samsung foldable specifically, but the only really competitive options are banned in the US.
You like the fold? I'm due for a new phone.
I had a ZFold 4 for a good long while before switching to a Pixel with GrapheneOS (OP is right, it's a legal requirement when joining lemmy). I can share my experience.
I really loved it but I also had very specific use cases. It was great for reading long-form content on the go and much more comfortable browsing websites, mostly those where they don't have / use mobile-first design like old forums. It was also great for sharing content in person, like sharing a spreadsheet or slideshow in person became so much easier. Some edge cases were nice to have, like taking a conference call you could split screen at the crease and prop it up for a more laptop-like experience. Ultimately it did away with the tablet use case between my laptop and phone.
Downsides were definitely price, it's like an $1800 phone, probably more now. I kept it for probably 4 years and still use it occasionally so I feel I'm getting my moneys worth. Not sure how the durability is these days, used to have issues with screens cracking even though mine is going strong. They redesigned it from 5+ in a way that it folds fully flat now and should extend screen life.
It really boils down to "is the screen real estate of two phones worth paying the price of two phones?" It has all the flagship features you'd expect, so you're really buying the form factor.
I don't really have any of those edge cases, but I've never had a tablet, and this looks like a neat alternative. How is reading a book on mobile screens, these days?
Depends on the book. For stock digital graphic novels, it's much easier on the Fold. For webcomics they are usually optimized for a narrower vertical screen. Same applies to static PDFs.
Text really comes down to the viewer. Assuming it's a book format that can be reflowed, reading can be just fine. I still prefer the wider format so I'm not constantly scrolling or tapping to turn pages, probably helps with eye fatigue too but not sure how long you plan to read on your phone anyway.
I mean novels and such, not comics. I've generally found E-ink to be a lot easier on the eyes, but it's been a while since I've compared, and this would be convenient.
I love having a foldable. It makes reading, writing, and media consumption so much more enjoyable. But still fits in the pocket unlike a tablet. I don't have any particular loyalty to Samsung, but it's the best foldable I've found so far.
Convenience for writing would be helpful. I do some of that. And yeah, watching stuff on a normal phone sucks.
Have you had to replace the glass for a screen, ever? Just wondering how big a pain it is.
I had it replaced once, perhaps 15 months after purchasing. The problem was not with the screen, but the screen protector was separating down the seam. Possibly due to my profession in the medical field, which occasionally sees me and my phone exposed to high intensity UV light. Apparently this shrinks the material. Modern phones aren't something you can so easily work on yourself. I had it replaced by an authorized repair shop in my area. Apparently they had a recall on either the whole model or my production run, because they had a one time replacement deal for $250. This got me a new internal screen, battery, and possibly hinge?
Lineage OS on a Pixel 4.
Graphene os on a pixel 6 for work nr and banking apps
Ubuntu touch on a volla Quintus for personal nr and self-flagellation
4 year old OnePlus.
It was a different time!
Standardpixel, graphene didnt get my car journey or nfc payments
GrapheneOS on a Pixel 10. It's easy to install if you ever want to step up from scrubland.
I can do without the innovations